How to Write an Article Critique

A good way to develop critical thinking and analytical skills is by completing college and university writing tasks. However, students are often hindered in completing such tasks successfully due to a lack of knowledge and writing competencies. Often, the guidelines teachers give in class are not enough to help students develop a good writing piece.

Cheer up! There’s no need to feel discouraged. Academic writing is easy when you follow explicit writing instructions. Our detailed guide will help boost your competence and guide you in composing an article critique with very little effort.

Step 1. Understand what an article critique is

First, let’s take a closer look at what is involved in writing a critique. So, an article critique is a kind of feedback a student offers after reading an article. Some students, however, are confused by the word ‘critique.’ They think they are supposed to criticize the author or the ideas presented in the text. In fact, the opposite is true. The purpose of a critique is to identify and summarize the author’s main ideas, express why these ideas are important, and whether the author is able to effectively present his ideas. In addition, the student can consider how reliable the author’s sources are and how the author organizes his writing.

Step 2. Read the article attentively

To write an article critique in a proper way, you have to read the article more than once. You might read it the first time to get a general understanding as to what the article is about and how it is organized. Then, read the article again to identify the main ideas and supporting details. You can make notes as to what kinds of support the author uses for his main ideas and how reliable those sources are.

When writing your critique, keep in mind that the information you provide differs from presenting ordinary feedback, such as whether you like what you read or whether you agree with what the writer has to say. Instead, the purpose of any article critique is to determine what the writer has to say and how well he explains or supports it.

Once you have a clear understanding of the author’s purpose, you can cope with this assignment much easier than you might otherwise expect.

Step 3. Use practical guidelines

Below are tips to guide you in completing an article critique.

Start by presenting general information such as the title of the article and its author.

The next paragraph can consist of analyzing the text itself. Include answers to the following questions:

1. Imagine that you are the editor of a newspaper or magazine. Would you print that article? Give reasons for your decision.
2. Is the article well-written? Determine the tone in which it is written. Is it serious, humorous, or satirical? Determine who the intended audience is. Does the writer provide a reason why his readers should be interested in the article?
3. Is the information presented logically? Analyze the organization of ideas presented. Evaluate the coherence and unity of the writing piece.
4. Does the author provide any type of research? Determine if the evidence is credible. Mention whether it contains any statistics or any sort of historical context.
5. Highlight the strong/weak points of the text.
6. Summarize the main ideas.

Step 4. Choose an appropriate writing style

Make sure you select the most appropriate writing style for the critique. Doing so will indicate to your professor that you are a high-achieving, successful student.

• Do not mention unimportant details.
• Avoid unnecessary repetitions.
• Use general terms to define ideas or concepts.
• Comment on the main idea of the text.

The more you practice, the better the outcome will be. Stick to a detailed plan to reduce the time and effort spent in completing complex writing tasks such as article critiques!

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