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Wikipedia:Peer review/Maine Coon/archive1

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Maine Coon

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This peer review discussion has been closed.
I'm requesting a peer review for this article because I would like to take it through the FAC process. It is currently a GAN. I am looking for any room for improvement and maybe thoughts, specifically, on the images. (Are they good enough? Do some need to be removed? Etc.)

Thank you so much to everyone who is willing to help. – Ms. Sarita Confer 15:49, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from Dr pda: My main comment is that the prose needs a thorough going-over. There are a number of grammatical errors, redundancies, and confusing statements. Here are some examples:

  • One such folktale includes that of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, who was executed in 1793. The phrase includes that of doesn't make sense in this context. Ditto at the start of the next paragraph.
  • bred with other short-haired breeds—bred ... breeds is a bit repetitive. Also if the original cats are long-haired, then other is not correct.
  • a mass amount of long-haired cats—mass amount is odd and should be replaced, e.g. by several, or even omitted.
  • A theory which is biologically-based, albeit impossible—again, albeit impossible is odd; though impossible might be better. The article also needs to state why this is impossible.
  • The connection to the Vikings is noted through the strong resemblance of the Maine Coon to that of the Norwegian Forest Cat, another breed which is said to be descendents of cats that traveled with the Vikings.—'is noted through' is odd 'is seen in' would be better. 'that of' is incorrect and not needed. 'descendents' is incorrectly spelled, and the plural sounds odd with the preceding singular verb.
  • The first Maine Coon to be mentioned in literature was in 1861—Does this mean 'the first recorded mention', or the first mention in a literary work?
  • farmers located in Maine would tell stories about their cats and hold—these could just be straight past tense verbs.
  • she was the first cat to ever win an official award—first cat in the world or the US? Also the reference given at the end of the following sentence doesn't mention this fact.
  • Maine Coons subsequently became popular in cat shows in New York and a dozen Maine Coons were entered into a show in Boston in 1878. The problem with this sentence is that subsequently is referring to a cat show in 1895, which makes the reference to the 1878 show logically inconsistent.
  • The last recorded win ... was recorded—second instance of recorded is redundant.
  • breed was declared extinct in the 1950s, although this declaration was considered to be exaggerated—as the breed was not extinct, considered to be is unnecessary, unless the sentence is trying to say it was considered at the time to be an exaggeration.

There are more instances of these sort of problems in the rest of the article. Some other points:

  • In the first two paragraphs you say the Maine Coon is native to Maine, but then say the date and manner of its introduction to the US is unknown. If it was introduced, then it can't be a native! This needs clarifying.
  • It would be good if the origins section indicated more clearly which is the generally-accepted theory of their origin.
  • overseas is used a few times. This should possibly be replaced or rephrased in a less US-centric manner (since the US is 'overseas' to those outside it, like me!). Similarly, things like 'second most popular cat breed'—in the world or just in the US?
    • I understand what you're saying. However, the lead paragraph specifically states that the Maine Coon is an American breed, whose known history is entirely restricted to the United States/North America. The second most popular cat breed sentences have been revised. – Ms. Sarita Confer 20:26, 13 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Provisional breed status, championship status need to be explained.
  • I don't think we really need to know where the world's longest cat lives :)
  • Maine Coons can be seen in all colors with the exception of those indicating hybridization ... Such colors are unaccepted by breed standards. The logic here is a bit convoluted. If certain colours indicate hybridisation, that means cats in these colours must exist/have existed.
  • The references which are in pdf format should be explicitly indicated by |format=pdf in the {{cite web}} template. Also is there any reason you are putting the publisher in italics outside the template rather than using the |publisher= field?
  • The number of images is fine, though I don't think the one of the male's face really adds anything to the article.
    • I disagree. The image of the 2 year old Maine Coon is the only image we have that shows the breed's facial features, up close and personal. But I am not against removing it. What do you think? – Ms. Sarita Confer 20:26, 13 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Is there any reason the books listed in 'Further reading are not used in the article?
    • This was brought up in the GA review. I was able to find one of the books and incorporated it into the article. However, I currently have no way of finding/time to find the other books to see if they're of use and confirm the information. – Ms. Sarita Confer 20:26, 13 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hope you find these comments useful. Dr pda (talk) 08:57, 20 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

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