User:Imanqadir/Evaluate an Article

Which articles are you evaluating?

Refugee law

Asylum in the United States

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?

I chose these articles because they are most relevant to my research, which looks at the history of refugee law in the United States. It's important to add to information to this article because, globally, the number of refugees is rising. With increasing political crises around the world, more people are displaced and forced to seek refuge in other states. Consequently, there is an international need for competent refugee law and policies that aid in the resettlement of individuals. The articles have decent information, but sections on US refugee law and refugee quotas are very short and lacking a lot of key history and information.

Evaluate the article

Refugee Law: Overall, the article has a solid start on discussing refugee law around the world, but it can be greatly expanded upon by adding some key events in the creation of refugee law. The "Definition of Refugee" section is very well written and discusses the most important international document in creating refugee status, which is the UN 1967 Refugee Protocol. For this section, it could be helpful to add some more context regarding the 1967 protocol and its most important sections. The "international sources" section has a pretty good amount of international refugee laws listed and provides links to specific laws. The links seem to work and route people to the correct pages. In this section, it would be useful to add links to pages that discuss "customary law" and "international legal instruments," as these terms are listed but not defined, which leaves readers a bit confused. The section on "US Refugee Law" is pretty brief and could use a lot more key historical events and discuss important pieces of US legislation regarding refugee rights and law in the US. As people have already discussed on the article's Talk Page, the article would benefit from sections on other parts of the world, beyond the United States, and what refugee law looks like in those regions. Specifically, given the influx of refugees migrating to Europe, due to crises in the Middle East, North Africa, and other parts of Africa, the article should discuss refugee law in Europe and how it is potentially impacted by the laws governing the EU. In terms of tone, balance, and writing style, the article is well done. It is neutral in its presentation of relevant information and does not express an opinion regarding refugee law. Additionally, the writing quality is also good, however, some concepts are presented without providing further information on them. This makes the article a little more confusing for readers that are new to the subject. In terms of organization, I think it would make more sense to have the section on US refugee law come last, as it is a specific area discussion, rather than broader information on international refugee law.

Asylum Law: Overall, the article has a lot of information regarding the immigration process, but, as mentioned on the Talk Page, there is significant overlap between refugee and asylum law throughout the article. For much of the article, the information presented is about refugee policies and laws instead of asylum law, which a contributor pointed out in the talk page. Though the article does begin with an attempt to differentiate between refugees and asylum seekers, it then goes onto to conflate the two and focus primarily on refugees rather than asylees. However, the article does do a good job of defining what asylum is and how an individual may qualify for asylum. Similarly, the section on quotas focuses on refugees and does not discuss quota policies for asylum seekers, as the subject of the article is meant to be. I plan to add to this section and add information regarding how the asylum process is impacted by quotas. Beyond the scope of the content, the article is generally well-written and very thorough. It presents information without offering an opinion and remains neutral in its tone throughout. However, certain parts of the article do not seem to be relevant to the topic of asylum in the United States and seem generally out of place. One particular section that seems unnecessary for this particular article, is the section on "Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program," which would be more relevant under the "Refugee Children" page. In terms of organization, the article, the article flows well, starting with what asylum is, relevant rules and procedures, immigration programs, and obstacles for asylum seekers. Lastly, as suggested on the Talk Page, the article would greatly benefit from a refugee versus asylum seeker section to significantly clarify many important concepts and help readers understand the immigration system better.