Wikipedia:WikiProject Conservatism/Assessment/A-Class

A-Class may only be assigned following an A-Class review. The review is closed by an uninvolved member who determines whether consensus to promote exists. Promotion requires that a minimum of two uninvolved members confirm that the article meets all five A-Class criteria. The criteria are modeled on those at WikiProject Military History to facilitate reciprocity.

A-Class criteria

• A1. The article/list is consistently referenced with an appropriate citation style, and all claims are verifiable against reputable sources, accurately represent the relevant body of published knowledge, and are supported with specific evidence and external citations as appropriate.
• A2. The article/list is comprehensive, factually accurate, neutral and focused on the main topic; it neglects no major facts or details, presents views fairly and without bias, and does not go into unnecessary detail.
• A3. The article/list has an appropriate structure of hierarchical headings, including a concise lead section that summarizes the topic and prepares the reader for the detail in the subsequent sections, and a substantial but not overwhelming table of contents.
• A4. The article/list is written in concise and articulate English; its prose is clear, is in line with style guidelines, and does not require substantial copy-editing to be fully MoS-compliant.
• A5. The article/list contains appropriately licensed supporting visual materials, such as images or diagrams with succinct captions, and other media, where relevant.

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone review A-Class articles? How much experience do you need?

If you are familiar with B-Class assessment, you will find the transition to A-Class reviewing relatively easy. The A-Class criteria cover the same ground: A1 is a stricter version of B1, A2 is a tighter definition of comprehensive than B2 – and so forth. The key thing is that A-Class should represent the project's very best work and the reviews should be approached with this in mind.

What is the difference between A-Class and Good Article?

The key difference between A-Class and GA is focus – content vs style. An A-Class article should be complete and comprehensive in terms of content, and one can forgive a few style problems; a GA-article has not necessarily had any review by a subject-expert, and so it might not be complete, but it is often held to higher standards on style issues.

A1. The article is consistently referenced with an appropriate citation style, and all claims are verifiable against reputable sources, accurately represent the relevant body of published knowledge, and are supported with specific evidence and external citations as appropriate.

All material likely to be challenged by a reasonable person should be referenced, which probably translates to a density of at least one citation per paragraph. In particular, any figures (for example, casualties or unit strengths) and any direct quotations must be cited to a reliable source. Special arrangements apply to the lead section (see WP:LEADCITE).

A2. The article is comprehensive, factually accurate, neutral and focused on the main topic; it neglects no major facts or details, presents views fairly and without bias, and does not go into unnecessary detail.

The article reflects all major threads of scholarship, reports both sides of a conflict even-handedly, and contains an appropriate amount of context.

At the same time, the article should not become the equivalent of a 900-page treatise. Be detailed, but concise.

A3. The article has an appropriate structure of hierarchical headings, including a concise lead section that summarizes the topic and prepares the reader for the detail in the subsequent sections, and a substantial but not overwhelming table of contents.

The combination of introduction and table of contents should present a logical overview of the article's contents, and make navigation easier for people would do not wish to read the entire article.

A4. The article is written in concise and articulate English; its prose is clear, is in line with style guidelines, and does not require substantial copy-editing to be fully MoS-compliant.

We're looking for professional standards of English, with the emphasis on brevity and clarity. We do not expect 100% MoS-compliance, that can be achieved with a technical copy-edit immediately prior to FAC. However, we do expect articles to handle linking, date formats, referencing and citation, national spelling varieties, and measurements and distances consistently.

A5. The article contains supporting visual materials, such as images or diagrams with succinct captions, and other media, where appropriate.

This is about balance. The idea here is to ensure that articles are neither solid walls of type nor picture books. An appropriate mid-course is that a shorter article would contain at least two or three images and a longer one up to a dozen. All images or media files need to be appropriately and correctly licensed.

Comparison of Good, A-Class and Featured article

Good	A-Class	Featured
Focus, compared to A-Class: style Quality: basic set of core editorial standards and are decent Writing: well written Style: must comply with only six style guidelines Scope: must be broad Accuracy: not as rigorous as FA Media: not required to be as well-illustrated by media	Focus, compared to GA: content Quality: approach the standards for a Featured article, but will typically fall short because of minor style issues and other details Style: only minor style	Quality: our very best work Writing: engaging, professional standard of writing Style: must comply with all style standards Scope: must be comprehensive Accuracy: subject to greater scrutiny in regard to factual accuracy and verifiability
1. Well written: prose and layout are clear; it complies with the manual of style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation. 2. Accurate and verifiable: sources are reliable, listed, and cited; no original research, copyright violations, or plagiarism are present. 3. Broad: it covers the main aspects of the topic without going into unnecessary detail. 4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without bias. 5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute. 6. Images: it is illustrated, if possible and relevant, by images with acceptable copyright status and fair use rationales where necessary.	A1. consistently referenced with an appropriate citation style, and all claims are verifiable against reputable sources, accurately represent the relevant body of published knowledge, and are supported with specific evidence and external citations as appropriate. A2. comprehensive, factually accurate, neutral and focused on the main topic; it neglects no major facts or details, presents views fairly and without bias, and does not go into unnecessary detail A3. has an appropriate structure of hierarchical headings, including a concise lead section that summarizes the topic and prepares the reader for the detail in the subsequent sections, and a substantial but not overwhelming table of contents A4. written in concise and articulate English; its prose is clear, is in line with style guidelines, and does not require substantial copy-editing to be fully MoS-compliant A5. contains appropriately licensed supporting visual materials, such as images or diagrams with succinct captions, and other media, where relevant	1. High and reliable quality—(a) engaging prose of a professional standard; (b) comprehensive coverage of major facts, details, and context; (c) factual accuracy, with citations for verification against reliable sources; (d) neutral presentation of viewpoints; and (e) stable content. 2. Style compliance: it follows the entire Manual of Style and has—(a) a concise, summarizing lead; (b) a substantial but not overwhelming table of contents; and (c) consistently formatted inline citations. 3. Media. It has images in accordance with image use policies; in particular, they have acceptable copyright status and fair use rationales where necessary. 4. Length. It stays focused on the main topic without going into unnecessary detail.