Guideline on How to Write the 501 Article Analysis

-Basically, you are analysing (commenting/evaluating) a given article.

-It can be a positive or negative analysis, or a combination of both. The

most important is students can analyse based on what they have
learnt/been taught on the critical elements and use that to analyse a
reading material. (eg-how well authors present their main ideas, how
strong the evidence are, how much the sources can be trusted, how
clear the points are delivered, how the author feels about the
topic/issue, how strong the arguments are presented/supported, etc.)

-Each analysis must be supported with evidence from the given article.
(evidence in a form of types of supports used, words/phrases used)

-Length of the analysis-About 600-800 words.

-Cover page for the analysis (Refer to the last page of this file)

-Font and spacing-Arial 11, 1.5 spacing

Suggested Format/Organisation and Sample Content of Analysis:

Example 1:

1st Para: State the issue discussed and the author’s argument

- The topic of the article

- The issue/s discussed-Words/expressions that can be used: “The issue is…”,
”The issue discussed/put forward by the author is…”
- The author’s arguments/s-“The author’s argument/stand/position/view on
this topic is…”,
- ”The author thinks/believes/feels that…”
 Then state the author’s purpose for writing the article,

-Overall tone of the article-give examples of words/phrases used by the author

to indicate/reflect the author’s overall tone

-And intended -target audience-who should read this article?

e.g: The issue discussed by the author is whether organic food is better than
conventional food. This can be seen when the author’s main ideas focused on
the goodness of organic food, especially amidst the need for a healthier
lifestyle change. He mentioned benefits such as….The argument can be seen
stated clearly in the title of the article “......”. Therefore, the author’s stand is
that organic food has more …...than ….because of its….. The reason he wrote
this article is to convince readers to…..based on the benefits mentioned in each
paragraph. The article has a concerned and critical tone when the authors
listed health problems and risks due to years of consuming conventionally
grown food covered in chemical pesticides based on extensive evidence from
research done by….He used words such as….”...”, “...”,”...” and “...” to express
concern on….Thus, he is biased against…..

2nd para: - Then, evaluate/analyse/comment on the main reasons given by the

author to support the argument (whether acceptable/logical/…) and why

- Reasons/main ideas given by the author

-mention the reason given,
-e.g: (Based on “More than half of Americans…article)

- After that, comment on/analyse the supporting points/reasoning/evidence used

by the author to support his/her reason

Words/expressions that can be used:

-“The author supports his argument by saying/mentioning that…”

-“His first reason is….”then comment on the reason-“His first reason helps to
explain why….

-“His other reason is…”

-“His explanation is….”

e.g: His first reason is that exercising helps to boost metabolism. This reason helps
to explain the author’s argument on why exercising is so important. He supports
his reason by referring to strong evidence like research that can verify the benefit
of exercising. One is by WHO that found aerobic exercises helped increase
metabolism up to 50 percent. He also refers to statistics by The Malaysian
Wellness Society where metabolic rate goes up to 70 percent when performing
even brief and simple exercises like cycling and skipping rope. He then gave
another reason why exercising is important, which is helping to reduce stress. For
this, he managed to find strong proof on how exercising makes people feel better.
He mentions research done by a well known and trusted organization, which is
The National Fitness Organisation.

-“His/her next reason is…”

-“He begins explaining by saying/referring/mentioning…”

-“He used/managed to use strong/hard evidence to support….”/He was successful

in explaining by using strong…”/”Strong/hard evidence are used to…”

-“However, he did not use strong hard evidence to…”/”he failed to use
strong…”/”His evidence are weak/questionable

-“He did not elaborate/provide enough/any evidence on…/to support…

-“He did not offer any alternatives/suggestions/ideas to…”

-“The author simply/only…”

-“The author presents his/her argument by providing…”

-“The author presents his/her counter argument by saying/stating that…”/”The

author counter argues by…/refutes by….
-“The author presents the argument/argues by using an inductive/deductive
reasoning/approach”.

- Also comment on the type/s of reasoning used (inductive/deductive/a

combination/more inductive than…in organizing the paragraphs

-explain why it is inductive/deductive-give examples from the article

e.g: The author uses more inductive reasoning than deductive. This can be seen
when he started his article with many specific reasons/points/information in each
paragraph and ended it with possible conclusions/statements.

3rd para.: Next, analyse (evaluate) the author’s overall argument-valid or not?
complete or not?

Words/expressions that can be used:

-“The author’s argument is…This is because the evidence are…”/”The author’s

argument is…because/as he/she uses/referred to….”

-e.g: Overall, the author’s argument is valid as he has used many strong evidence
that can be verified to support his argument. He referred to many researches that
helped to show the strength of argument. His argument is also complete. He has a
counter argument that shows he was looking at a possible problem and managed
to refute the critics……

More expressions/words that can be used to analyse/comment on the

elaborations/evidence used to support an author’s argument in terms of
objectivity,validity,credibility and completeness

1) Positive evaluation
- Strong (for supporting points/evidence)
- Valid (for argument)
- Sound (for argument)
 - verifiable/can be verified (for evidence)
- hard (for evidence)
- enough/adequate (for evidence)
- successful in/managed to…(for evidence)
- plausible (for evidence)
- trusted organization/body/website
- reliable organization/body/website
- well known organization/body/website
- well established organization/body/website
- well supported/explained (for evidence)

2) Negative evaluation
- ….., there is a gap in the evidence
- (i.e:
- Questionable (can be used to analyse/comment on the evidence used)
- did not mention clearly (lack of explanations on the evidence. Only the
name of the evidence is provided)
-
- “…failed/unsuccessful in using…”(using strong and hard evidence)
- Weak (for evidence)
- Clear explanation/strong evidence is missing

*PRACTICE: Use the article above to practice writing an article analysis. Analyse
the article based on the general outline of analysis below:
Example 1:

General Outline:

-What is the topic and issue?

-What is the author’s argument/position/stand on this issue?

-What are the reasons given to support the argument?

-What are the types of supporting details/evidence used by the author to support the argument?

-Overall, are they valid,( complete, objective and credible)?

More than half of all Americans have at least one social media profile, and it seems once you’re
hooked, you’re hooked. According to StasticBrain.com, there are 1.2 billion people on Facebook
alone — and they spend 15 hours logged in, on average, per month. But could logging on so
frequently be damaging your interpersonal communication skills? I believe so.

Digital Contact vs. Human Interaction on Special Occasions

Once upon a time we’d line our mantles with Christmas cards collected during December, and store
treasured cards marking our birthdays in shoeboxes. However as Facebook and Twitter grow,
greeting cards are suffering. A decade ago, America’s leading greeting card company Hallmark sold
around six billion cards each year. Today those numbers have dropped to five billion, as Twitter
updates wishing friend’s season’s greetings and birthday greetings left on Facebook walls take their
place.

But it’s not just cards going the way of the dinosaur. Those same social network greetings tend to
stand in for the face-to-face catch-ups and long phone calls that traditionally marked such occasions.

Digital Stalking Keeps Us in the Loop

Do you remember the days when you’d need to call your friends and catch up over coffee to get the
skinny on their lives? These days Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites make sure
we’re aware of the milestones and mundane happenings of everyone in our social circle. The tweets,
status updates, and Instagram albums satisfy our natural curiosity, so we don’t feel such a strong
desire to actually connect. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that a whopping 86 percent of people
believe social media ironically makes our society less social.

Of course the argument could be made that we can easily interact online. The problem is that while
we can, many of us don’t. Facebook users tend to ‘like’ their friends’ content 14 times a month and
send nine personal messages. Considering that the average Facebook user has 229 friends to
interact with, these numbers are staggeringly low.

Social Media Removes Us from Our Nearest and Dearest

While it makes sense that time on social media is cutting in to the hours we spend with our social
circle, it’s frightening to realize it’s also encroaching on family and couple time. More than 29
percent of social media fans use the sites while they’re eating or drinking at home, and 19 percent
don’t think twice about logging on when they’re out for a bite. It seems 18- to 34-year-olds are the
worst offenders, with 47 percent of people in this age bracket using social media and SMSing during
their meals.

Even the bedroom isn’t off limits, with 76 percent of Gen-Yers checking Facebook after they get into
bed or before they rise each morning.

MIT professor Sherry Turkle says mobile technology allows us to only pay attention to the things
we’re interested in. Once there’s a lull in the conversation we can easily disconnect from the people
around us and find something more riveting on a social networking site.
She says this makes us, “expect more from technology and less from each other.”
While it’s great that internet providers help us stay connected, it’s important that we don’t become so
consumed by the virtual world that we disconnect from the physical one

Sample part of analysis:

e.g:

In the article “(title)”, the author discusses an issue on…….The argument is……..

The author presents his first reason by mentioning how interpersonal

communication is affected through digital contact and human interaction. He
mentioned how interactions used to be done through greeting cards but
interaction through cards has been destroyed by interaction through social
networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. He supports this using a strong
evidence, by providing a statistic on the declining number of greeting cards sent to
show how human interaction has been reduced…

Example 2:

Article Analysis Practice (Source of article: Elder, Janet ,pp. 293-294)

Outline of the analysis:

Topic of the passage?

- Note: Regulating /the regulation of Junk food

Complete analysis: The topic of the passage is the regulation of junk food in
the U.S. The writer states it very clearly in her title: “Heavy Duty:…….”

What is the issue discussed?

-Whether the U.S gov. should regulate junk food

Analysis: The issue that is discussed in the passage is whether the

U.S……../Whether the U.S gov should……is the issue being discussed in this
passage/The issue is….

What is the argument posed by the author?

 - The U.S gov should not regulate junk point
- Stated clearly in the title
Analysis: The author is arguing that the U.S gov should not regulate junk
food, which is clearly stated in the title./The argument is the U.S gov should
regulate junk food. This is clearly stated in…../The author’s point of view
is/view is/stand/position/claim is……

What are the reasons (main ideas) given?

-para.1 –Post Editorial – although tobacco unique, disastrous-but will not affect
other industries

-para. 2- no difference bet. Ronald and Joe-create the same effects – smoking and
eating junk food

-eating junk food can cause preventable disease like smoking

Para.3- anti fat supporters deny eating is just personal choice-can be influenced
by merchants’ sales strategies

- Obese people cannot control-they’re victims of marketing pressure

Para.4- cannot use tobacco-fat analogy – nicotine is poisonous but fries are not
toxic

-Are they logical/acceptable reasons to support the argument?

-Is the argument objective, credible, valid and complete?

-What are the types of supporting points used as evidence to support the main
ideas?are they basically strong/weak?(Refer to other words that can be used to
analyse the evidence on p.4)

-para.2- EO – Kelly Brownell (head of Yale’s center for eating and Weight
Disorders)-opinion on no difference between tobacco and junk food
-david satcher (surgeon general)- obesity cause preventable diseases

-statistics-300,000 deaths due to obesity and overweight

-comparing with 400,000 deaths due to smoking

Para.3:

EO- anti fat advocates

-by Nestle in an interview – opinion on unnerving similarities bet. tobacco and

junk food

*Do these details make the argument objective?

-details are strong and hard evidence are used.

-no feeling or emotions , no personal opinion used to support argument

Is the passage written in an inductive or deductive manner? (organization)

-deductive organization

-examples from the paragraphs

*A teaching material developed by Siti Nurshafezan

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

ELC 501
 ENGLISH FOR CRITICAL ACADEMIC
READING

ARTICLE ANALYSIS: (Title of the article)

NAME: (STUDENT ID)

NAME: (STUDENT ID)

DATE OF SUBMISSION: