International Academic Support Lectures: POSTGRADUATE SEMESTER 1 WEEK 2

Critical Thinking
Your lecturer today

• Adam Thomson

• Economics & Business tutor

• adam.thomson@stir.ac.uk
Outline of today’s session…
The aim of today’s session is to help you develop your
critical thinking and writing skills in line with postgraduate
expectations. We will:

• Consider what is expected at postgraduate level and

discuss some common problems.
• Discuss strategies to overcome these problems and to
help you find your research voice.
• Revisit Critical Thinking and consider how this shapes
your academic writing.
• Introduce the Source Evaluation Grid

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What is critical thinking?
• Critical thinking is…
• careful, reasoned thinking, based on
analysing and assessing the knowledge
you encounter, rather than accepting it
at face-value.

• Why is critical thinking important at

university?
• because it shows you can think for
yourself.
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Critical thinking involves a number of skills:
• Being able to form and to follow arguments.
• Logical reasoned thinking.
• Knowing when to take information at face value
and when to challenge.
• Analysing and evaluating information/ Selecting
the right knowledge for the task.
• Understanding issues from perspectives other
than your own.
• Your writing should be argumentative rather
than descriptive.
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 Triangulation
Researcher

Literature Participant

• A key feature of study involves the process of developing an

argument using the process of triangulation.
• The process of triangulation allows you to verify and validate
your argument by incorporating several viewpoints.
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How do we know what a fact is?
• The conclusions, reasons, and assumptions people use
to support their argument are usually based on factual
claims.

• So the first question to ask is ‘Can I verify this fact?’

• If you can not verify the fact, then it is an assertion,

which is a statement that has no evidence to back it up.

• The greater the quality and quantity of the evidence

supporting a claim, the more likely we can depend on it.

• Only then can we verify something as truly factual.

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Evaluating Source Materials

Evidence is key in providing an argument.

When you are reading you should always think critically about the
evidence/source material. Remember, you are becoming an
expert; a purveyor of knowledge.

• CRAAP is a useful framework to use to evaluate a source. It

stands for:

–Currency
–Relevance
–Authority
–Accuracy
–Purpose

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Currency
Currency: To determine if the date of
publication of the information is suitable
for your research.

What is the copyright, publication, or

posting date? 
How recent is the data it presents?
Does the date matter? Is the information
outdated?

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Relevance
Relevance: To determine how
applicable the information is for
the purpose of your research.

For what audience or level is the

information written (general public,
experts/scholars, etc.)?

Explain why you would or would not

quote/reference the information
from this source in your research.

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Authority
Authority: To determine if the source
author, creator, or publisher of the
information is the most
knowledgeable.
Who is the author, creator, or publisher
of the source or what organization is
responsible for the source?
How do you know if the author is an
expert on the topic (e.g examine the
author’s credentials and/or
organisational affiliation)?

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Accuracy
Accuracy: To determine the reliability,
truthfulness and correctness of the content.

What indications do you see that the

information is or is not well researched or
provides sufficient evidence?

What kind of language, imagery and/or tone

is used (e.g. emotional, objective,
professional)?

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Purpose
Purpose: To determine the reason
why the information exists.

Why was this source written (e.g.to

inform, teach, entertain, persuade)?

How might the author's affiliation

affect the point of view, slant, or
potential bias of the source?

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Spectrum of Critical Views
One way of looking
Accepted by a Generally
at it, but there are Valid
small number of valid, but
other valid views only in Partly valid
scholars at the there are
cutting edge but limited but not the
Probably true, exceptions
not yet widely contexts whole
well argued and
known picture
evidenced
Used to be
Likely to be
widely
true as other
accepted, now
literature
superseded
supports it
Long
established Flawed,
as not
orthodox, credibly
not (yet) argued
challenged RIGHT WRONG

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/WDCNewcastle/getting-the-most-from-your-reading
intostudy.com/stirling