User:Morg1374/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: Indian Child Welfare Act
 * Given a newfound appreciation for the struggle of Native Americans and recent exposure to the difficulties encountered by Native Americans at the hands of federal agencies and policies, this article seemed like a great introduction to the U.S. legislation that pertains to Native Americans today.

Lead evaluation
The article begins with an overarching synopsis that though recognizes the main piece of legislation that the article is set to discuss, the Indian Child Welfare Act, it altogether fails to describe the articles sections or additional contents including case studies. The lead could be improved by a more robust description of the law's functioning as understood now in a modern context, but is otherwise satisfactory in scope and detail.

Content evaluation
The content of the article is incredibly relevant to the topic but unfortunately concise in certain areas. The article does a satisfactory job of describing the reasons for which the Act was made and the demands it places on state governments, but fails to provide comprehensive examples of states' abuse of Indian Children such that federal government involvement would be necessary. This connects to the article's later discussion on recent issues that also fails to include the shortfalls of the Act, especially those now understood in this modern context. For this reason, one might consider the article to be somewhat out-of-date, despite the inclusion of court cases with in the last three years that relate to the upstanding of the Indian Child Welfare Act, given revent revelations to the cancerous behavior the Act fostered in the U.S. social service agencies.

Tone and balance evaluation
The article is mostly neutral despite moments that could be characterized as somewhat favorable to the U.S. Federal Government compared to U.S. State Government. The article leaves no lasting argument and no palpable attempt to persuade the reader of a specific viewpoint or understanding. However, one cannot ignore that large feeling of indifference for the very populace of that is affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act: Native Americans. The article, understandably but still disappointingly, is hyper-focused on the Act itself, including its structure and interpretation, rather than the social implications it has or that occurred soliciting its fabrication.

Sources and references evaluation
The core reference material for the article is all reliable, with most sources being critical analysis of the Indian Child Welfare Act itself or academic papers discussing cases relating to it or Native American interaction with legislation as a whole. Unfortunately, all core reference sources are out of date, with a few additional sources noted in the footnotes a bit more recent. Most sources are not equipped with links and those that are generally do no work.

Organization evaluation
The article does exhibit a general appearance of organization but fails to maintain a clearly structured narrative as it delves into the specifics of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Large categorizations are used to combine somewhat unrelated subtopics which contributes to a slight feeling of incompleteness in the article due to a lack of clarity. Later sections on recent legal cases concerning the ICWA and the greater subject of Indian child welfare are particularly disappointing in their lack of breadth which is worsened in the way in which they are presented.

The overall writing quality of the article is also relatively good, but greater attention to the integration of quotes would be a fantastic addition that would add backing to most statements regarding the components of the legislation and the suggested meaning; the running narrative could be reinforced with palpable evidence.

Images and media evaluation
The article includes only two photographs, one of which is the Great Seal of the United States, which both fall into the sphere of public domain, meaning that their usage does not violate U.S. copyright laws or laws the relate to the usage of national emblems. The article could benefit from the inclusion of more photographs that depict Indian children in the U.S, giving the reader a greater understanding of who the Indian Child Welfare Act is affecting.

Talk page evaluation
The Indian Child Welfare Act is rated at a C-Class or low-importance for WikiProject Law and WikiProject United States but mid-importance for WikiProject Indigenous people of North America. The conversation occurring between editors is incredibly cordial and hyper-focused on the development of the article in such a way that gives clear understanding to the legislations scope and meaning for Native Americans in particular. Unlike most articles analyzed in class, this particular page has note seen a considerable amount of editing traffic and has thus faced only one major revision that has been haphazardly added onto, making a rather unorganized and confusing page of information.

Overall evaluation
The article does an exemplary job of explaining what the Indian Child Welfare Act quintessentially is, why it was made, and the general issues related to it. It could benefit from the use of more visual aids, the implementation of a more in-text citations, and a more robust organizational structure. The inclusion of legal proceedings, community issues, and individual complaints with the legislation as it relates to indigenous persons would help the article articulate its meaning and purpose. Due to the sizable gaps present in the article, I would describe this article as underdeveloped and would give it a middling status. It has potential to be much stronger and as a result, more important to the WikiProjects it is currently a part of.