Talk:Helen Hartness Flanders

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 Helen Hartness Flanders was a good article nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There are suggestions below for improving the article. Once these are addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.

Reviewed version: November 28, 2007
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A fact from Helen Hartness Flanders appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? column on 5 September 2007.
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Contents

[edit] Sections

I think the main section needs to be subdivided into smaller, more manageable sections. Perhaps the text needs to be rearranged to permit that. -- Y not? 07:28, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

I have added subsections and an info box. Perhaps an upgrade from stub is warranted?HopsonRoad 20:42, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

I have upgraded this to B-class, according to Wikipedia rating criteria.HopsonRoad 01:59, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Child ballad reference

The sentence: "Between 1930 and 1939, Flanders focused mostly on collecting child ballads" should be changed to "Between 1930 and 1939, Flanders focused mostly on collecting Child ballads." See Francis James Child entry in Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.210.2.223 (talk) 13:07, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

I have added such a reference and corrected the capitalization error by another editor. HopsonRoad 20:42, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Good Article Assessment

This is my assessment of the (current revision) article. Below the assessment are some tips that will help the page even further.

GA review (see here for criteria)
  1. It is reasonably well written.
    a (prose): b (MoS):
  2. It is factually accurate and verifiable.
    a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c (OR):
  3. It is broad in its coverage.
    a (major aspects): b (focused):
  4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.
    a (fair representation): b (all significant views):
  5. It is stable.
    (No edit wars etc.)
  6. It contains images, where possible, to illustrate the topic.
    a (tagged and captioned): b lack of images (does not in itself exclude GA): c (non-free images have fair use rationales):
  7. Overall:
    a Pass/Fail:

Criticism:

  • The lead is inadequately short and doesn't effectively summarise the rest of the article, for example try and extend the lead saying something about her "legacy" and what consequence that may have had
  • The biographical section is very small, and is inadequate. It also doesn't effectively summarise her history, and as a GA it should be able to do this while also representing a encyclopedic view.
  • The format of the content in brackets is incorrect, for example (a.k.a.) should be changed to also known as or commonly known as.
  • I am slightly concerned about the original research in the piece, for example, in the Collection methodology section, there is a line which I quote, "The availability of portable recording devices was key to Flanders’s ability to collect music from singers in remote parts of New England", with no reference provided, and the next one that is, is either unavialable or obsolete.
  • Try and use {{Cite web}} for references with online resources.
  • The images that are/were in place are too large, I've reduced the size of the one in the collection methodology section which had no restriction in its parameter, but others may need this aswell.

Positive points

  • All images are appropriately captioned
  • All images are useful, add a signifance to the article and are tagged with fair-use rationales where applicable.
  • Layout and grammar is fine.

[edit] Overview

For the current revision of the page, I am, sadly, going to have fail this article. There are too many major issues with the article and letting an article pass with them would be inappropriate conduct. However, feel free to take the article to good article reassessment, if you feel this has been the wrong decision. I do believe this will make GA one day, but not today. — Rudget contributions 20:57, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Post-GA assessment improvements

I have made the following changes, as suggested by the GA nomination reviewer.

  • The lead—I have lengthened it to make reference to the important aspects of Helen Hartness Flanders's life work and to summarize the legacy to scholars and folk singers.
  • The biographical section—I have enhanced this to reference both to her childhood and adult life, introducing two new references: her father's biography and her husband's autobiography.
  • The format of the content in brackets—I have changed "a.k.a." to "also known as." I didn't notice any other abbreviated statements.
  • The original research question—I added a reference for the Collection methodology section, pertaining to "The availability of portable recording devices was key to Flanders’s ability to collect music from singers in remote parts of New England." I fixed the following and other web references, which had been revised since the article was written.
  • Cite web—I have used {{Cite web}} for all references with online resources.
  • Image size—I have reduced the "Helen Hartness, ca. 1909 image." The others appear to be fine.

The article will receive a style and text edit before seeking feedback on its eligibility for GA re-nomination. HopsonRoad 03:06, 1 December 2007 (UTC)