Talk:Robert V. Remini/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Kaiser matias (talk · contribs) 20:59, 16 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Will start reviewing shortly. Kaiser matias (talk) 20:59, 16 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"He recalls that his original plan in life was to become a lawyer." Should that now be "He recalled..." I know there is some style guides that suggest using present tense for things like this, but it comes off odd considering he's deceased, and with the past tense usage in the next sentence mixes things up.

Done. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any details of his life prior to 1943? Like parents, schools, anything?

I got the names of his parents and siblings as well as his father's profession, all of which should have been there to begin with. Nothing else seems to be available. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"He said, "I remember him..." To avoid the repeated use of third-person pronouns here (which also makes it slightly unclear), I'd modify it to: "McMaster said, "I remember him..."

Done. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Remini joined the University of Illinois at Chicago faculty in 1965..." I quickly read the UIC article, and it suggests the university didn't adopt that name until 1982. While I'll admit this comes from a quick reading of the subject, but I want to ensure that was the name of the school when Remini joined.

When Remini joined, it was known as the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle (UICC). Added. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"The House of Representatives passed a measure..." Do we have a date for this?

No. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Is there anything else to add about Remini's death? Perhaps some remarks about him at the time of death, where he was buried, etc? Mainly I want to expand the one-line paragraph, I don't like seeing them if at all possible.

I prefer to keep as many remarks about him in the section to which they pertain. Remarks about him as a professor should be placed alongside where we describe his professorship, and comments about his writing mostly belong under Publications. I cannot find any information about where he was buried. So I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do here. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"...America's 7th President..." The number should be written out.

Done. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The part about Remini's editor initially refusing a two-volume Jackson biography and then relenting seems kind of sudden. Is there any reason for the abrupt change there? It just seems unclear.

The way that the information is presented in the article is exactly how Remini represented it. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"His last work was At the Edge of the Precipice: Henry Clay and the Compromise that Saved the Union (2010)." Again a one-line paragraph. Is there any reviews or commentary on the book that could be added? I'll note this is more personal preference so nothing hinges on this, but I just think a Good Article should try to avoid these short paragraphs.

Finding a book review would be a good idea even if this wasn't a one-line paragraph. I found a review of the book by a historian and summarized it. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

" The Selected Works" section opens by stating it's a list of all the books by Remini, thus contracting the heading. If it's all his books, change the heading, and if not, remove the line.

I changed the heading to "Works." Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Reference #1 (UIC History Department) is a deadlink.

Fixed. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Reference #5 (Stellabotte) doesn't have a publisher

Fixed. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Reference #8 (Chicago Tribune) is just a url.

Fixed. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Reference #12 (APB Press) seems to have an author (Joel H. Silbey), but is not listed here.

Silbey's name is listed as one of many historians providing reviews for Remini's 3-volume biography. He is not responsible for the entire page. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Reference #16 (Stephen Floyd): is bestpresidentialbios.com a reputable source? Same with Goodreads.

I think that Goodreads has been shown to be reliable when it comes to listing publications by authors. There aren't many places that list out all of the works a by a particular author like Remini, and Goodreads does. I can say less in defense of bestpresidentialbios.com, which is merely a blog. That source has been removed. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Finally, you have a mix of numerical dates (ex. 2010-06-08) and spelled-out ones (April 4, 2013). As most are of the latter variety, I'd go with that to maintain consistency.

Fixed. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There's only a couple things here that should be clarified, but other than that it seems like a thorough article on Remini. Once addressed will be glad to pass. Kaiser matias (talk) 14:52, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Kaiser matias, thank you for your review. I have found it helpful. I responded to all of your points. Display name 99 (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Excellent work, it looks great now, and am happy to pass it. Well done. Kaiser matias (talk) 15:30, 18 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]