INDEPENDENT

CRITIQUING
What is Independent
Critiquing?
▹ It gives the reader a sense of
the writer’s overall purpose
and intent 2

▹ It summarizes the main points

and describes how the creator
portrays them using techniques
Requirements for a
Good Article Critique
▹ The articles that are selected must
be current and not ancient, suitably
within 10 months or a year 3

▹ Critiques on the article must

comprise/be made up of the thesis,
methodology, supporting evidence,
literature contribution and
recommendations
Requirements for a
Good Article Critique
▹ It should cover content,
organization, style, and
correctness of the article; it 4

should be related to the article,

not something off-topic
▹ It should analyze and provide an
interpretation of the text, NOT
summarize, or review it
 1.
ARTICLE
CRITIQUE
 “
Article Critiquing requires a
student to critically read a
research article and reflect
upon it, identify the strong and
weak sides, to asses how well
the author interprets its
sources, and most importantly,
it requires Critical thinking

6
 2.
HOW TO CRITIQUE
AN ARTICLE: THE
MAIN STEPS
Step 1:
Reading the Article
1. Why is the
author
considered an 8

expert in their
field?
What makes the author sound valid?
2. What is the
author’s
thesis/hypothesi
s?
9

What is the main message the author

is trying to convey?
3. Who is the
article’s target
audience
10

Does it appeal towards a general

audience? Or towards a specific
audience?
4. Are the
arguments
presented
valid?
11

Are the sources used by the author all

over the place?
5. What are the
logical fallacies
in the author’s 12

viewpoint?
Are there any logical blindspots? How
much do they affect the outcome?
6. Is the
conclusion
clear and
logical?
13

Did the author arrive at a clear

outcome on his/her work?
 2.
HOW TO CRITIQUE
AN ARTICLE: THE
MAIN STEPS
Step 2:
Collecting Proof
1. Define whether the
author is following formal
logic
One of the key things to look for when
writing an article critique is the
presence of any logical fallacies such 15
as:
▹ Ad Hominem
▹ Slippery Slope
▹ Correlation vs. Causation
▹ Wishful Thinking
2. Search for any biased
opinions in the article
Evaluate the piece based on the
presence of biased opinions: the thing is
that people often pick sides of an 16

argument based on the outcomes rather

than the evidence.
3. Pay attention to the way
the author interprets other’s
texts. Does he or she look at
others’ viewpoints through
inappropriate political
lenses?
17

It takes a lot of experience and many

yeas of research practice to learn to
recognize the fingerprints of all the
political view that are out there.
4. Check Cited Sources
Another big step to writing a perfect
critique paper is to identify whether the
author of the article cited untrustworthy
sources or information. Learning this 18

requires paying a lot of attention to

local and international news.
5. Evaluate the Language
Used in the Article
Some words can place people, objects,
or ideas into the “them” side in the “us
vs. them” scenario 19
6. Question the Research
Methods in Scientific
Articles
This may not be always mandatory but
if you are writing an article critique for
a scientific piece, you are expected to 20

question and evaluate how the author

did their research
To do this, ask the
following questions:
▹ How is the design of the study? Are
there any errors in it?
▹ How does the piece explain the 21

research methods?
▹ Was there a control group used for
this research?
 2.
HOW TO CRITIQUE
AN ARTICLE: THE
MAIN STEPS
Step 3:
Formatting Your Paper
 Formatting Your Paper
Introduction Summary
▹ The name of the author and the title of the article ▹ The main idea of the article
▹ The core idea of the author ▹ The main arguments presented in the article
▹ A clear thesis that reflects the direction of your ▹ The conclusion of the article
critique
23

Critique Conclusion
▹ Highlight the strong and weak sides of the ▹ Summary of the key points of the article.
article ▹ Finalization or your conclusion with our
▹ Express an educated opinion regarding the comments on the relevancy of the research.
relevancy, clarity, and accuracy of the article.
Backup your claims with direct examples from
the piece.