Critical Reading Review

Possible Focus Questions

Summary of Possible questions you could ask of a text for your critical reading Review

Criteria Possible focus questions
Significance and
contribution to the field
  • What is the author's aim?
  • To what extent has this aim been achieved?
  • What does this text add to the body of knowledge? (This could be in terms of theory, data and/or practical application)
  • What relationship does it bear to other works in the field?
  • What is missing/not stated?
  • Is this a problem?
Methodology or
approach (This usually applies to more formal, research- based texts)
  • What approach was used for the research? (eg; quantitative or qualitative, analysis/review of theory or current practice, comparative, case study, personal reflection etc…)
  • How objective/biased is the approach?
  • Are the results valid and reliable?
  • What analytical framework is used to discuss the results?
Argument and use of
evidence
  • Is there a clear problem, statement or hypothesis?
  • What claims are made?
  • Is the argument consistent?
  • What kinds of evidence does the text rely on?
  • How valid and reliable is the evidence?
  • How effective is the evidence in supporting the argument?
  • What conclusions are drawn?
  • Are these conclusions justified?
Writing style and text
structure
  • Does the writing style suit the intended audience? (eg; expert/non-expert, academic/non- academic)
  • What is the organising principle of the text? Could it be better organised?

Introduction

The length of an introduction is usually one paragraph for a journal article review and two or three paragraphs for a longer book review. Include a few opening sentences that announce the author(s) and the title, and briefly explain the topic of the text. Present the aim of the text and summarise the main finding or key argument. Conclude the introduction with a brief statement of your evaluation of the text. This can be a positive or negative evaluation or, as is usually the case, a mixed response.

Summary

Present a summary of the key points along with a limited number of examples. You can also briefly explain the author's purpose/intentions throughout the text and you may briefly describe how the text is organised. The summary should only make up about a third of the critical review.

Critique

The critique should be a discussion and evaluation of the strengths, weakness and notable features of the text. Remember to base your discussion on specific criteria. Good reviews also include other sources to support your evaluation (remember to reference).

You can choose how to sequence your critique. Here are some examples to get you started:

Conclusion

This is usually a very short paragraph.

References

If you have used other sources in you review you should also include a list of references at the end of the review.