Question:
How to write an article critique?
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WRITING A CRITIQUE
A "critique" is a formalized, critical assessment of a text (or other media). It is also a personal response; yet writing a critique is considerably more rigorous than saying that the text is "great", "interesting", or "unsatisfactory". These are all responses, but they don't illuminate the subject for everyone. Therefore, you have to explain how you arrived at your conclusions.
Your task in writing a critique is to turn your critical examination of a text into a systematic evaluation in order to deepen your reader's (and your own) understanding of it. Among other things, you are interested in determining what an author says, how well the points are made, what assumptions underlie the argument, what issues are overlooked, and what implications can be drawn from such an analysis. Critiques, positive or negative, should include a fair and accurate summary of the text; they should also include a statement of your own assumptions. Stated or not, these assumptions underlie every evaluative comment you make. Therefore, you have an obligation, both to the reader and yourself, to clarify your opinions. In the process of writing a critical assessment, you are forced to examine your own knowledge, beliefs and assumptions. Ultimately, the critique is a way of learning about yourself.
How to Write a Critique
You may find in useful to organize your critique in five sections: introduction, summary, analysis of the text, your response to the text, and conclusion.
Introduction. Introduce both the text under analysis and the author. State the author's main argument and the point(s) you intend to make about it. Also, provide background material to help your readers understand the relevance or appeal of the text. This background material might include one or more of the following: an explanation of why the subject is one of current interest; a reference to a possible controversy surrounding the subject of the text or the text itself; biographical information about the author; an account of the circumstances under which the text was written; or a reference to the intended audience of the text.
Summary. Summarize the author's main points, making sure to state the authors purpose for writing.
Analysis of the text. Evaluate the validity of the author's presentation. Comment on the author's success in achieving his or her purpose by reviewing three or four specific points. You might base your review on one (or more) of the following criteria:
Is the information accurate/significant?
Has the author:
Defined terms clearly?
Used and interpreted information fairly?
Argued logically?
Your response to the text. Respond to the author's views. With which views do you agree? Disagree? As you discuss your reasons for agreement or disagreement, take a point of view and tie these reasons to both the author's and your own assumptions. You should also base your response on the following questions:
Is the text valuable?
Did you learn anything from the material?
Was the text entertaining?
How did the text contribute to your growing knowledge of the course's subject matter?
Conclusion. State your conclusions about the overall validity of the text- your assessment of the author's success at achieving his or her aims and your reactions to the author's views. Remind the reader of the weaknesses and strengths of the text.
Beware of simply responding mechanically to the discussion questions or your essay could degenerate into a series of short, disjointed responses. You need to organize your reactions into a coherent whole: the critique should be expressed as a consistent point of view.
These preceding guidelines are not a rigid formula for writing a critique. Thousands of authors write critiques that do not follow this structured method. However, until you are more confident and practiced in writing critiques, we suggest you follow these guidelines. They are not meant to restrict you, but to provide you with a workable method of writing a critical analysis that incorporates a logical sequence of development.