The name of the fossil, given in the lead, also needs included in this section
done
Why use quote marks in the "digit" impressions, when the same expression earlier in the paragraph lacks them?
Because in the earlier instance, I state that early researchers interpreted them as such; here, we provide the description of these structures, and we know these are not digit impressions, but we also lack a better word to refer to them clearly, therefore "digit" impressions.
Understood. AM
2 History of research
There is an external link available for the fossil’s record at the Yale Museum
here
Nice thanks, added to weblinks.
The default position of images is on the right (
MOS:IMAGELOCATION), particularly at the top of a section, so in this case I would move the image over.
This is standard and in accordance with
MOS:IMAGELOCATION ("Multiple images can be staggered right and left"), see recent FAs such as
Duriavenator; alternating left-right placement makes a nicer layout.
We used to write like this: Author and colleagues (2007) argued that, which is the notation that you find in the literature. At some point at FAC (I can't remember which article), somebody said we should more naturally write like this: Author and colleagues, in 2007, and since then I followed this. All our recent dinosaur FAs, for example, are written using this notation. Why is it controversial, and what would you suggest instead? --
Jens Lallensack (
talk)
19:16, 11 January 2022 (UTC)reply
We don't link common knowledge terms like "zoologist" or "fin". If I would do this, I would be inconsistent with most other articles. For example,
Seychelles parakeet, which is currently at
WP:FAC, does not link "zoologist" as well, and
Duriavenator (just to stick with one example) does not even link "palaeontologist". --
Jens Lallensack (
talk)
19:16, 11 January 2022 (UTC)reply
Fair enough. I get the opposite with science, history, and music articles, where similar terms would be linked. AM
which fell into disuse since needs copy editing
That is a common formulation
[1], and nothing better comes to mind … I will change it once I get an idea how to formulate it.
I would have said, "now disused" or "which has fallen into disuse". AM
It is precise in this very case though; he noted something that is still consensus today.
Understood. AM
He consequently argued – why consequently?
Because his argument is based on (and thus a consequence of) his observation stated in the previous sentence.
Understood. AM
Morton further suggested – why further?
He makes an additional argument to back up his claim, that's why "further".
Understood. AM
Amend visit in Yale to 'visit to Yale University' (linked), to improve the prose
done
Amend the earliest fish coprolite ichnotaxon named to something like ‘the earliest example of a coprolite from a named fish ichnotaxon’ to improve the prose
No that would be incorrect, it is not a coprolite from a named fish ichnotaxon, it is the name for a fish coprolite.
Understood. AM
OK, my point is that named is incorrectly placed at the end of the sentence. Please copy edit the text.
But I don't see why this should not be correct. It needs to be at the end, otherwise "earliest" would imply the geologically oldest. Adjusted a bit still, hope its better now. --
Jens Lallensack (
talk)
20:34, 11 January 2022 (UTC)reply
The caption could be made more succinct by replacing This interpretation with 'It’
I like to keep it, to point to the fact that this is it is only one interpretation among several. I removed the first "interpretation" instead.
Understood. AM
Consider splitting the second paragraph at American physician Dudley J. Morton, in 1926 (as Dudley was working a quarter of a century later than Beecher and Marsh)
Done.
American zoologist and paleontologist William King Gregory, in 1951, instead interpreted the complex impression as that of the front fin of the lobe-finned fish Eusthenopteron. - doesn’t fit chronologically with the rest of the section. Were the two theories running concurrently, and if so, for how long?
Good catch! Rearranged.
Marsh interpreted the impressions as the footprints of an amphibian, with the complex, two or three-toed impression pertaining to a left hind foot and the partial impression to a probable fore foot. - It seems as if this is an editorial comment based on Marsh (1896), a primary source (see
WP:PSTS). Is a better secondary source not available?
Our paleo articles are almost completely based on primary sources (Sources 2–7 are all primary). These are the only we have. This is why we use author attribution ("Marsh interpreted …"), to not declare his interpretation as fact.
Understood, but I suspect that many GA reviewers would struggle to agree that what you have said here agrees with the guidance at
WP:RS. AM
3 Stratigraphy and paleoenvironment
Readers might appreciate an explanation for the term Chemung Formation, perhaps in a separate note.
added.
fallen in disuse since – since when?
Hard to say, people simply stop using this name. A don't have a source that gives a date.
Hmm the danger that this will be outdated anytime soon is pretty low, though. I use "today" to make clear I'm not talking about the history 100 years ago anymore. If you have a better suggestion that keeps this clarity, let me know.
. The section's structure is our problem. Sentence 1 - Beecher (19th century), sentence 2 - Lucas (2015), sentence 3 - Beecher, sentence 4 - other description. Solution - move the stuff about Beecher into the History of research section, and the text taken from Lucas into the Description section (perhaps with a sub-section title). The today problem no longer exists.
Amitchell125 (
talk)
16:11, 11 January 2022 (UTC)reply
I would really prefer to have the stratigraphy stuff together in one section, and I think it helps the reader a lot as well. I now found another solution to avoid the "today". --
Jens Lallensack (
talk)
19:16, 11 January 2022 (UTC)reply
is Frasnian in age – I would give an indication of the age in years here, as some readers may not be familiar with the term Frasnian
Added.
It should be clearer that the last sentence provides evidence of the environment the fossil was once part of.
tried.
4 References
WP:CITEHOW provides further information about how this section could be improved, but it’s not a GA requirement (whereas
MOS:FNNR is). In particular,
I would add a retrieval date for ref 1 (and amend the title to ‘Thinopus antiquus Marsh 1896’, as given on the webpage)
Not needed here, because it is a paper that is never changed after publication.
Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't even notice that webpage citation; somebody else added it in some time ago and I didn't notice. We don't need that at all, so I removed it.
Ref 2 has the DOI number accidently given twice
fixed.
I’m unclear about ref 6 (Gregory). There is a url available
here, volume 1 of Gregory’s book. Is this the reference you have cited? If so, the citation needs to be amended
Oops, thanks, corrected.
Consider using
this source, which has some text but more usefully a decent image
No further comments. I'm putting the article on hold for a week until 19 January to allow time for the issues raised to be addressed. Regards,
Amitchell125 (
talk)
13:51, 11 January 2022 (UTC)reply