Decomposition edit
This peer review discussion has been closed.
I've listed this article for peer review because we want to get this article as great as it can be.
Thanks, ABrundage, Texas A&M University (talk) 02:17, 2 April 2008 (UTC)
Ruhrfisch comments: Interesting article, but I believe the scope is too narrow. Decomposition is not just limited to the body of a formerly living organism. Organic chemicals can decompose too, and from many of the same causes. For another example of a broader scope definition, the Decomposition (disambiguation) page says Decomposition is the biological process through which organic material is reduced. Looking at a previous version of this page, the lead used to read Decomposition (or spoilage) is a phenomenon common in the sciences of biology and chemistry. In biology, decomposition refers to the reduction of the body of a formerly living organism into simpler forms of matter. In chemistry it refers to the breaking down of a large molecule into smaller molecules or atoms and is referred to as chemical decomposition. which seems much more comprehensive and encyclopedic. While there is an article on chemical decomposition, it is about the chemical process, often used in analysis.
In any case, here are some suggestions for improvement:
- The lead needs to be expanded to 2-3 paragraphs and should summarize the whole article. See WP:LEAD
- Headers should not repeat the name of the article unless absolutely required so "Human" (not "Human decompostion") etc.
- The whole article has only TWO inline citations (references). Each quotation, each statistic, each attribution, anything likely to be challenged, and at a minimum, each paragraph needs a reference. See WP:CITE and WP:V
- I note later on there is a different style ref using parenthesis (author name, date) - all refs should be consistent in format.
- Think about the organization - humans are treated first, then plants, then animals (although animals inlcude humans). Then under animals, there are sections on "Embalming" (which is mostly done on humans, and lists all human examples) and "Importance to forensics" (also all human examples).
- It is usually better to go from generalities to specifics - so the "Process" and "Factors" sections are towards the end, but introduce usueful generalities.
- Also be careful about contradictory statements - first the article states ...a body submersed in water decomposes at half the rate of an exposed body. However the next sentence is more accurate and says The rate of decomposition depends on the temperature of the water. then points out it can be faster at higher temperatures and slower at lower temps.
- Science Direct is a content provider, not itself a publisher of scientific articles. Cite the journal article, not the online means of accessing it.
- Units should be both metric and English - the {{convert}} template is useful here.