Article Critique (Paleoclimatology)
Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? ... Yes
Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you? ... Content is relevant.
Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position? ... Article has neutral position.
Check a few citations & references. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article? ... One citation's hyperlink led to an error page. "Recovery from the most profound mass extinction of all time," did not lead to credible page.
Critique your chosen article and address the following: Dendrochronology
(1) How well does the article explain the use of proxy in understanding past climate? For this, you'll want to draw on your understanding of the proxy from other sources. Specifically comment on how well the article address:
Data analyses; Solid data from credible sources. Provides general knowledge that can be understood easily, but also displays a careful formula, THE DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL EQUATION for more knowledgeable scholars. Good overview of growth rings as well as sampling methods.
Assumptions; Dendrochronology is a scientific method accepted by those who study Paleoclimatology. Can only measure living trees. Width of growth rings from year to year aids in the understanding of what climate was like that year (small width = cooler ... larger width = warmer).
Strengths and weaknesses of the proxy method; Reliable way to date upwards of ~ 13,000 - ~14,000 years if tree is old enough. Provides consistent data in which correlates with other Paleoclimate proxy's... Good way to cross check other dating methods as well. Can be used in warmer climates lacking an ocean and/or glacial ice, where oceanic proxy's and ice core samples cannot be obtained. A weakness is that it doesn't provide information long ago. Due to this method being effective with living trees, the amount of time one can go back is limited to how long the tree has been alive.
(2) Are the peer-reviewed articles listed current and appropriate to demonstrate the use of the proxy? To do this, conduct your own search using an online reference database, and identify two peer-reviewed articles that use your proxy. Are these on the Wikipedia article?
- All but 2 articles have effective links. Article number 34: "Dendrochronology (Tree-Ring Dating) of Panel Paintings" and article 42: "The Royal Lineage - The Danish Monarchy" both do not provide valid pages upon selection of article title. All other articles are recent and apply to the subject of Dendrochronology.
(3) Make at least two recommendations for improving the Wikipedia article (e.g. could better figures/pictures to be added? More current/relevant references? Other web links?). Again, leave your evaluation on the Talk page, sign with four tildes...BUT ALSO hand in separately to
- 1. As mentioned above, 2 articles do not provide valid links when selecting the title.
- 2. More information under section "Reference Sequences" is needed. Section is to bare and slightly vague.