From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

146 CHAPTER 6 | FRom FIndIng To EvAluATIng SouRCES

One of our students googled “English only” and clicked on the first

result, “Language Policy — English Only Movement,” which eventually

led her to James Crawford’s Language Policy Web Site & Emporium. On

the site, Crawford explains that he is “a writer and lecturer — formerly the

Washington editor of Education Week — who specializes in the politics of

language.”* He notes that “since 1985, I have been reporting on the English

Only movement, English Plus, bilingual education, Native American lan­

guage revitalization, and language rights in the U.S.A.” Between 2004

and 2006, he served as executive director of the National Association for

Bilingual Education. Perhaps most important, Crawford has authored four

books and a number of articles and has testified before Congress on “Official

English Legislation.” From this biographical sketch, the student inferred

that Crawford is credentialed to write about the English­ only movement.

Less certain, however, are the credentials of the writer who penned

an article titled “Should the National Anthem Be Sung in English Only?”

which appeared on another Web site our student visited. Why? Because

the writer’s name never appears on the site. An anonymous posting is

the first clue that you want to move on to a more legitimate source of

information.

■ evaluate the organization that Supports the Site

You have probably noticed that Internet addresses usually end with a suf­

fix: .edu, .gov, .org, or .com. The .edu suffix means the site is associated

with a university or college, which gives it credibility. The same holds true

for .gov, which indicates a government agency. Both types of sites have

a regulatory body that oversees their content. The suffix .org indicates a

nonprofit organization; .com, a commercial organization. You will need to

approach these Web sites with a degree of skepticism because you cannot

be sure that they are as carefully monitored by a credentialed regulatory

body. (In fact, even .edu sites may turn out to be postings by a student at a

college or university.)

Our student was intrigued by James Crawford’s site because he

appears to be a credible source on the English­ only movement. She was

less sure about the reference to the Institute for Language and Education

Policy. Is the institute a regulatory body that oversees what appears on

the site? How long has the institute existed? Who belongs to the institute?

Who sits on its board of directors? As a critical thinker, the student had to

ask these questions.

* Education Week has been published since 1981 by Editorial Projects in Educa­

tion, a nonprofit organization that was founded with the help of a Carnegie grant. The

publication covers issues related to primary and secondary education. If you are not

familiar with a publication and are uncertain about its legitimacy, you can always ask

your instructor, a librarian, or another expert to vouch for its reliability.

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