Assignment: Please write a critical review of an academic article in your area of interest. To
complete this assignment, you will need to locate an academic article in your area of interest,
write a 5-7 page review that include three academic resources which support your critique. You
will be critiquing, the following:
Credibility
Readability
Effectiveness
Purpose:
1. The student will demonstrate their ability to locate an academic article in their area of
interest
2. Student will apply close reading, summarization, and critiquing an academic work
3. Student will practice locating academic sources
What is a critical review?
A critical review is the summarization and evaluation of the ideas and information in an
article. It expresses the writer’s (your) point of view in the light of what you already know on the
subject and what is acquired from related texts. Reviewing critically means thinking carefully
and clearly and taking into consideration both the strengths and weaknesses in the material under
review. Two skills to employ when asked to write a review:
Seeking information: Scanning the literature efficiently to become well-informed on the
subject.
Reviewing effectively: Questioning the information in the text and presenting an
evaluation, or judgement, of it. Efficient reviewing, or evaluating, requires an awareness of the
gist (central idea), the purpose and the intended audience of the text. The text is looked at from a
variety of perspectives (from related sources) and evaluated in relation to the theories,
approaches and frameworks of the expected task. This evaluation involves analyzing the content
and concepts of the text, separating them into their main components, and then understanding
how these interrelate, connect, and influence each other.
Some questions to ask when starting to write a critical review:
What is the main area under review discussion?
Where does the writer’s data and evidence come from?
What are the main issues raised by the writer?
What are the major interpretations made by the author in terms of the issues raised?
Is the text balanced? fair? biased?
How well does all this relate to other literature on the topic? Your own experience?
How can you summarize all of the above points?
Writing a critical review
Critical reviews require careful planning and drafting just like any other assignment. This guide
suggests what to focus on at each stage of the process.
1. Plan your approach
Read your assignment instructions carefully in order to:
determine your exact criteria.
find out what proportion of your review you should dedicate to summary and evaluation;
and
know whether the summary and evaluation should be presented as separate sections or a
combined section.
2. Make notes
Skim read the text and make notes about:
the main question or questions;
the author’s aim;
the methods used;
the evidence provided;
the key findings or answers; and
the implications and significance of the findings.
Evaluate the text
Judge the quality or value of the text (for other researchers, or to practitioners in the field,
or to students).
Consider the merits of the text in the short term as well as the long term.
Consider the merits of the text in comparison to other related text.
When evaluating the text you could answer some of the following questions:
Is the question the text tries to answer relevant, interesting, new, or useful? To who, and
why?
Does the text give new answers or interpretations to an old question?
Is the text detailed, or brief? Simple or complex?
Is the evidence presented to support the answer extensive? Strong? Weak? Relevant?
Persuasive? Contradictory?
Are the conclusions reached final, limited, qualified or preliminary?
4. Write it up
When writing and proofreading your critical review:
Stay focused on your evaluation criteria.
Read the text you are reviewing again to check that you have covered everything.
Requirements
5-7 pages
3 academic sources