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Elements of not-so-great articles

You should read Wikipedia critically to decide for yourself if you trust its information. Here are signs the article may not be so great:

  • Warning banners: Often these banners make a statement about the article's reliability, though sometimes it's a minor suggestion for improvement. Make a note and read accordingly.
  • Fragmented lead section: A short lead (or one with a lot of mistakes) might indicate that the article was written through staggered contributions and could use a rewrite to tie it together.
  • Value statements: Statements like "the best" or "the most important" are red flags that the article is either written to persuade or isn't well referenced.
  • Gaps in sourcing: Are there references to unnamed sources of information, such as "some people say," or "many believe"? If you can't answer the question, "Who said that?", chances are that a reliable source isn't cited.
  • Under-developed reference section, few citations: There should be a good number of citations, relative to how much information is included in the article. Those citations should be from reliable publishers, not questionable websites or publishers who might like to push an agenda.
  • Imbalanced sections: Sections about an important aspect of the topic shouldn't be shorter than sections about a less important aspect. This sort of imbalance might mean relevant sections are missing entirely.