Talk:The Boat Race 1975/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Jaguar (talk · contribs) 13:27, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I'll leave some initial comments within 24 hours (and might review some other Boat Race articles too). I mainly focus on copyediting issues. Thanks! ☠ Jaguar ☠ 13:27, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

Is it reasonably well written?
A. Prose is "clear and concise", without copyvios, or spelling and grammar errors:

B. MoS compliance for lead, layout, words to watch, fiction, and lists:
Is it factually accurate and verifiable?
A. Has an appropriate reference section:

B. Citation to reliable sources where necessary:

C. No original research:
Is it broad in its coverage?
A. Major aspects:

B. Focused:
Is it neutral?
Fair representation without bias:
Is it stable?
No edit wars, etc:
Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?
A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content:

B. Images are provided if possible and are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:
Overall:
Pass or Fail:

Initial comments

Lead

The lead feels short and could summarise the article better. I note that a lot of other Boat Race GAs also have leads of similar length but in this case a small expansion (or movement of content) would be good.
Yes, I agree. I am continually working on making sure leads are as comprehensive as possible. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:26, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Background

"It usually takes place on the Tideway" - why is Tideway capitalised?
It's Tideway. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:26, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
"The race is conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, but in 2015 is slated to be held on the River Thames" - could read better as The race is conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, but is planned to be held on the River Thames in 2015?
Indeed, it's a matter of taste. In any case I'll be having to change around 80 articles next April if/when the ladies do get their chance on the Thames! The Rambling Man (talk) 17:26, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Crews

What is the distinction between the 'Blues' and the 'Light Blues'? It seems confusing as one sentence reads "Oxford's crew contained two former Blues" and another reads "the Light Blues also saw international-standard rowers"?
True, I'll look into this. The two crews are referred to as Light and Dark Blues, anyone representing either University in this race is awarded a Blue. I can see that confusion may arise and will do my best to revisit the prose to alleviate any confusion. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:26, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
"both of whom had withdrawn from selection for the 1974 race to represent their Great Britain" - why not just Great Britain?
No reason, a simple typo. I'll fix that immediately. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:26, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

References

The tool server is currently down so I had to check the references manually. They all seem to be working and I couldn't find any that seemed unreliable or bias in anyway. The citations are also in their correct places so this meets the GA criteria.

Thanks for your work. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:26, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Close - promoted

Given the size of these articles this review seems uncharacteristically short and I am usually sceptical about fast-passing GANs but the concerns I have mentioned above seem very minor and would not have been worthy enough to put on hold. I think that by looking at the other Boat Race GANs, this article meets the GA criteria as it is. Despite the lead feeling short (other Boat Race articles are the same), the rest of the article is in depth, comprehensive and the references are in check. The prose is also good. If anyone has any problems with this they could seek out a reassessment but to be honest I'm looking forward to reviewing other Boat Race articles in the future! ☠ Jaguar ☠ 16:35, 9 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]