Writing

Critiques
Subtitle Hhmm...
Time to be critical!
Has the author defined terms
clearly?

What are the argument/s of the

author? Do you find it/ them
logical? Why or Why not?
Which argument do you
agree or disagree with
him? Why? Explain.
 What are the words or
phrases that imply the
evaluation of the author?
 Evaluative Language
Nouns success failure
Verbs succeed fail
Adjectives successful unsuccessful
Adverbs successfully unsuccessfully
 VERBS
•The article succeeds in demonstrating how
bio-gas has improved the daily life in
Nepal.

•The article fails to serve teachers who

clearly need to make much more complex
judgments about their students than the
four stage model implies
 ADVERBS
•The article successfully demonstrates how
bio-gas has improved daily life in Nepal.

•Early papers unsuccessfully attempted to

use cross-section distributions of accident
counts to distinguish between true and
spurious state dependence.
 ADJECTIVES
• The protocol described in the paper is
successful at accurately tracking randomly
moving targets over a wide range of speed.

• The article is unsuccessful at convincing

readers of the benefits of new taxes on all-
electric vehicles to compensate for highway
budget.
 Describe the difference in the strength of claim
between the two statements.
• Early papers unsuccessfully attempted to use
cross-section distributions of accident counts to
distinguish between true and spurious state
dependence.

• Early papers failed to use cross-section

distributions of accident counts to distinguish
between true and spurious state dependence.
CRITIQUES
Critiques
•Formalized critical reading of a
passage or personal response

•Explanation of your response to the

text
Consider the following in writing critiques
• What the author says

• How well the points are made

• What assumptions are considered in the argument

• What issues/ are overlooked

• What implications can be drawn from such an

analysis
In writing critiques,
• Have a fair and accurate summary of the text

• Gather information and ideas from other sources

• State your points of agreement or disagreement with

the author, and support them with specific examples
or logic

• State your own assumptions

Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)

•Introduce
•Summarize
•Assess the Presentation
•Respond to the presentation
•Conclude
 Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)
Introduce

 Introduce the text and the author

 State the author’s main argument/s and the points you

intend to critique

Explain why the subject is worth discussing

 Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)

Summarize

Summarize the main points

State the purpose/ objective of the author

 Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)

Assess the presentation

Evaluate the validity of the author’s presentation

State your points of agreement

Comment on the success of the author in achieving

his purpose in writing
 Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)
• Is the information accurate?

• Is the information significant?

• Has the author defined terms clearly?

• Has the author used and interpreted the information

fairly?

• Has the author argued logically?

 Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)

Respond to the presentation

Discuss your reasons for agreement or

disagreement
 Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)
Conclude
State your conclusions about the overall validity of the
journal article

Assess the author’s success in achieving the purpose of the

study/ in answering the research questions

Give your reaction about the author’s views

Remind the readers of the strengths and weaknesses of the

journal article, and briefly support with an explanation
Guidelines for Writing Critiques
(Behrens and Rose, 2012)

•Introduce
•Summarize
•Assess the Presentation
•Respond to the presentation
•Conclude
 Questions to consider in Writing Critiques
(Dobson & Feak 2001, in Swales and Feak, 2012)

1. Who is the audience?

2. What is the purpose of the article?

3. What are the research questions or

hypotheses in the journal article? Are they
relevant?
 Questions to consider in Writing Critiques
(Dobson & Feak 2001, in Swales and Feak, 2012)
4. What conclusions does the author draw from
the research? (Does the author answer yes or no
to the research questions?)

5. What kind of evidence was collected to answer

the research questions? Is there an evidence or
data that must have been collected and included
but was not? How good is the evidence? How
well does the evidence support the conclusion?
 Questions to consider in Writing Critiques
(Dobson & Feak 2001, in Swales and Feak, 2012)
6. Are the author’s conclusion valid? Why or why
not? How does the conclusion relate to what you
learn in class?

7. Are there any important assumptions in the

article? How do these influence the conclusion?

8. Are the charts, and figures clear? Do they

contribute to the article?
 Questions to consider in Writing Critiques
(Dobson & Feak 2001, in Swales and Feak, 2012)

9. Does the research make an original

contribution to the field? Why or why not?

10. Is the research consistent with material, best

practices, and perspectives presented in class?
 Critique Paper Assignment
• Download an journal article from the library’s
online databases that is very close to your
topic.

• Following the Guidelines in Writing Critiques

(Behrens & Rosen, 2012, and Dobson & Feak, 2001), write a two to four
pages critique about the journal article.
 Critique Paper Assignment
• Format • Deadline
October 29, 2015
Short bond paper (8.5x11) (Thursday) in class
Times New Roman
Font Size 12
1.5 spacing
1 inch margin (all sides)
Stapled
References:
Behrens, L. & Rosen, L.J. (2012). A Sequence for Academic Writing (5th ed.).
United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc.

Swales, J.M. & Feak, C.B. (2012). Academic Writing for Graduate Students
(3rd ed.). United States of America: The University of Michigan Press.