English for Academic Purposes Program

 Critical Approaches to Writing a Review, Reaction, and Critique Paper

 Review Paper
- The purpose of a review paper is to succinctly review recent progress in a particular topic. Overall, the paper
summarizes the current state of knowledge of the topic. It creates an understanding of the topic for the reader by
discussing the findings presented in recent research papers.
- A review paper is based on other published articles. It does not report original research. Review articles generally
summarize the existing literature on a topic in an attempt to explain the current state of understanding on the topic.

 What is the Importance of a Review Paper?

- Can clarify the state of knowledge.
- Explain apparent contradictions.
- Identify needed research.
- Create a consensus where none existed before.

 What does a Review Paper Consist of?

- A review paper consists of an overview, a summary, and an evaluation/critique of the current state of knowledge
about a scientific area of research.

 Reaction Paper
- Is a form of writing in which the writer expresses his/her ideas and opinions about what has been read or seen.
- Reaction paper is evaluated due to the writer's communications skills and only then due to the unique ideas and the
content.

 Why Write Reaction Papers?

- Writing reactions usually call for an expressive writing style in which you can let your thoughts flow, be
imaginative, and experiment with language.
- Although reactions often seem like freewriting or reacting in continuous writing, you want to organize your
thoughts with a thesis, introduction, and conclusion, and supporting statements. In fact, your reaction may take the
form of a formal and informal argument.

 Consider these general steps as you plan your reaction papers:

a. First, free write in order to expand and speculate on the author's ideas.
b. Decide on your working thesis statement.
c. Select and prioritize the particular reactions you want to include.
d. Decide on your organization and format (e.g., online or formal writing assignment).
e. Draft your reaction paper.
f. Write your introduction and concluding paragraphs.
g. Revise your final thesis statement and draft.

 What is the importance of Reaction Papers?

- Reaction papers are often used as tools in a class-setting to encourage students to think critically about texts, and
how those texts are in conversation with each other or with a wider field of discourse.
- Reaction papers can also be used to generate ideas for a research paper.
- It can enhanced those skills that were using in a reaction paper including; summary, analysis, synthesis.

 Critique Paper
- Critique paper is to evaluate somebody's work (book, essay, movie, painting, etc.) in order to increase the reader's
understanding of it.
- Writing a critique paper requires two steps: critical reading and critical writing.

 Critical Reading
- Identify the author’s thesis and purpose.
- Analyze the structure of the passage by identifying all main ideas.
- Consult a dictionary or encyclopedia to understand that is unfamiliar to you.
- Make an outline of the work or write a description of it.
- Write summary of the work.

 Critical Writing
a. Describe: Gives the readers a sense of the writer’s overall purpose and intent.
b. Analyze: Examine how the structure and language of the text convey its meaning.
c. Interpret: State the significance or importance of each part of the text.
d. Assess: Make a judgement of the work’s worth or value.

 Critical Approaches
1. Formalism
- Emphasizes the form of a literary work to determine its meaning, focusing on literary elements and how the work to
 create meaning.
- Focus on the elements, structure, and principles that given a certain text, artworks, movies, books, poems, etc.

a. Poem (meter, figurative devices, imagery, theme)

b. Books/Stories (setting, character, plot)
c. Movies (sound effects, transition, shots)
d. Artistic expressions (lines, colors, shapes, rhythm, texture, sound)

2. Biographical Criticism
- Emphasizes the importance of the author's life and background into account when analyzing a text.
- Focus on the life and background of the writer/artist and connect it to the subject of your review or critic.

a. How did the life of Dr. Jose Rizal affect his written works?
b. How did Pablo Picasso's life experiences shape his painting style?

3. Historical Criticism
- Posits that every literary work is the product of its time and its world.
- Focus on them era and significant events that happened during the time the text/movie/book/art/poem was produced.

a. How did Juan Luna's 'Spoliarium' depict the happenings during the time it was painted?
b. How did Victor Hugo show the hardships and triumph during the French revolution, in his work, 'Les Misérables'?

4. Marxist Criticism
- Emphasizes on how power, politics, and money play a role in literary texts and amongst literary societies and
characters.
- Focus on how class, power, race, and economic status affect the content and theme of a certain work.

a. In what way did the story/movie reflect the socio-economic status of the characters?

5. Feminism Criticism
- Emphasizes on the roles, positions, and influences of women within literary texts.
- Focus on how women are portrayed literary work, in arts, in commercials, in a certain in movie, etc.

a. Are women viewed as inferior beings in the movie? How were they portrayed?
b. What aspect of the painting mirrors the patriarchal ideology in our society?

6. Reader-Response Criticism
- Emphasizes that the meaning of a text is dependent upon the reader's response to it.
- Focus on the meaning you created while reading a text, watching a movie, or looking at a certain object. It focuses
on your personal connection with and understanding of the subject of your review.

a. What emotion did you experience after reading the poem?

b. What is your interpretation of the painting?

 Writing a Balanced Review, Reaction, and Critique Paper

 Why balance is important in Academic Writing?
- In your academic writing, balancing your original ideas and insights with those of others allows you to make a
meaningful contribution.
- It also helps you demonstrate academic integrity. Scholars rely on the work of others to strengthen and give evidence
for their original ideas and insights on a topic.

 How to Write a Review Paper?

1. Introduction
- Hook, thesis, transition

2. Body
- Main point, introduction, examples, explanation, conclusion that ties to thesis, transition

3. Conclusion and future directions

- Restated thesis, concise summary of the body and how it ties to thesis, signal for the end of essay.

4. Literature Cited
- Alphabetical listing of all the published work you cited in the text of the essay.

 If you need to write a Review Paper but don’t know where to start, keep some of these:
- Choose a topic that is not too broad and not too narrow for the type of review you would like to write.
- If you want to write a shorter review, pick a narrower topic. But if you are going to write a longer review or you'd
like to explore a more general area of interest, choose a topic that is wide enough so that you will be able to find
 enough articles to discuss.
- A review is meant to be a survey of the current state of a field - and the less you know about a field or topic at the
outset, the more work you're going to have to do in order to have an authoritative voice that can provide insight
about the research that has been done.
- Choose a topic that will be interesting to others whether it's currently receiving a lot of attention, it's a controversial
topic, or it's in a well-established field. You want to contribute to the knowledge base and understanding of other
scientists so make sure it centers around a topic that has a good-sized audience.

 Steps in Writing a Review Paper

a. Check the journal’s aim and scope
b. Define your scope
c. Finding sources to evaluate
d. Writing your title, abstract, and keywords
e. Introduce the topic
f. Include critical discussion
g. Sum it up

 The purpose of and contributions associated with review papers can vary depending on their specific type and
research question, but in general, they aim to:
a. Resolve definitional ambiguities and outline the scope of the topic.
b. Provide an integrated, synthesized overview of the current state of knowledge.
c. Identify inconsistencies in prior results and potential explanations.
d. Evaluate existing methodological approaches and unique insights.
e. Develop conceptual frameworks to reconcile and extend past research.
f. Describe research insights, existing gaps, and future research direction.

 How to Write a Reaction Paper

- Reaction papers usually start with a brief summary of a texts that will be discussed in the paper. It is necessary to
include the author(s) for each text. A summary in a reaction paper should capture the thesis statement or main
argument/idea from the text within a few sentences.
- However, because the main purpose of the reaction paper discussed text, it is important that summary section is not
too long; one paragraph is usually to analyze and synthesize the sufficient.

1. Introduction
2. Body – Personal thoughts
3. Conclusion
4. List of citations and sources

 Recommendations for a complete outstanding reaction paper:

- Read the original article carefully and highlight the main ideas and points you want to discuss.
- Describe your point of view and back it with additional information if needed and you may use vivid examples.
- Use various sources to make your statement more argumentative.
- A reaction paper requires you to formulate analysis and reaction to a given body of material such as readings,
lectures, or students presentations. The purpose of a reaction paper is to focus your thinking on a topic after a close
examination of the source material.

 In Writing a Reaction Paper, do the following:

a. Identify
b. Write
c. Condense
d. Direct quotations
e. Summarize
f. Concise
g. Objective and Factual

 How to Write a Critique Paper?

1. Introduction
2. Summary
3. Critique
4. Conclusion

 2 Writings
A. Non-fiction
a. Introduction
- Name of author and work.
- General overview of the subject and summary of author’s agreement.
- Focusing sentence indicating how you will divide the whole work for discussion or the particular elements you
 will discuss.

b. Body
- Objective description of a major point in the work.
- Detailed analysis of how the work conveys an idea or concept.
- Interpretation of the concept.
- Repetition of description, analysis, interpretation if more than one major concept is covered.

c. Conclusion
- Overall interpretation
- Relationship of particular interpretations to subject as a whole.
- Critical assessment of the value, worth, or meaning of the work, both negative and positive.

B. Fiction/Literature
a. Introduction
- Name of author and work.
- Brief summary or description of work as a whole,
- Focusing sentence indicating what element you plan to examine,
- General indication of overall significance of work.

b. Body
- Literal description of major detailed analysis interpretation
- Literal description of second major element detailed analysis
- Interpretation including (if necessary) the relationship to the first major point and so on

c. Conclusion
- Overall interpretation of the elements studied
- Consideration of those elements within the context of the work as a whole
- Critical assessment of the value, worth, meaning or significance of the work, both negative and positive.

 Ways to Elucidate a Concept

- These words are vital in creating a concept paper, and how can you elucidate concepts or ideas for the paper

 Concept
- Is an abstract idea or general notion that occurs in mind. Thus, something conceived in mind.
- They are understood to be fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts, and beliefs.

 Definition
- It clarifies the meaning of a word, or a concept and it also limits the scope of that particular word or concept.

 Explication
- Is an attempt to reveal the meaning by calling attention to implications, such as the connotations of words and the tone
conveyed by the brevity or length of a sentence

 Clarification
- It is a method of explanation in which the points are organized from a general abstract idea to specific and concrete
examples.

 Concept-Making
 Concept Paper
- The concept paper defines an idea or a concept and explains its essence in order to clarify the “whatness” of that idea
or concept. It answers the questions: what it is and about it (Dadufalza 1996:183). A concept paper starts with a
definition, either formal or informal, of the term or the concept and proceeds with an expanded definition and an
analytic description of the aspects of the concept.

1. Come up with a research topic that genuinely interests you.

2. Write down the research questions.
3. Develop a research hypothesis.
4. Gather the Data.
5. Present the Data.

 Purpose
1. To clarify meaning of words, or to correct misinterpretations, or misuse of a term. 
2. To stipulate the meaning of a term by limiting, extending, or redirecting the sense in which a term is usually
understood; to use a term, borrowed from another field of knowledge, in a special way.
3. It helps determine the feasibility of the project before it is implemented.
4. It is used to gather important feedback regarding the presented ideas before preparing the full blown proposal.

 Definition Techniques
 1. Formal
- Follows a pattern or equation: term + genus + differentia (differentiating characteristics)
- Example: A robot is a machine that looks like a human being and performs complex acts of a human being
(Webster)

2. By synonym
- Using a word or phrase that shares a meaning with the term being defined.
- Example: Hashish – Marijuana

3. By origin or semantic history

- Example: Yoga comes from the Sanskrit “to join”.

4. By Illustration
- Example: Known for shedding their leaves in the fall, deciduous trees include oaks, maples, and beeches.

5. By function
- Example: A thermometer measures temperature change.

6. By analysis
- Breaking down wholes into parts, aspects into levels, and a process into steps.
- Example: The republican form of government has three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary.

 Signal Words for Clarification

a. After all g. To put it in another way l. Especially
b. For instance h. To be specific m. To clarify
c. Namely i. Consider the following n. For example
d. That is examples o. In short
e. As an example j. In particular p. Stated differently
f. In other words k. Specifically

 Academic Research Concepts

- This type of concept paper is the most common type and the one most people are familiar with. Concept papers for
academic research are used by students to provide an outline for their prospective research topics.
- These concept papers are used to help students flesh out all the information and ideas related to their topic so that
they may arrive at a more specific research hypothesis.