WRITING A CRITICAL REVIEW

What is a critical review?A critical review is much more than a simple summary; it is an analysis and evaluation of a book, article, or other medium. Reviewing critically means thinking carefully and clearly and taking into consideration both the strengths and weaknesses in the material under review.

Steps to writing an effective critical review:

Reading1. Skim the whole text to determine the overall thesis, structure and methodology.This will help you better understand how the different elements fit together once you begin reading carefully.

2. Read critically. It is not enough to simply understand what the author is saying; it is essential to challenge it. Examine how the article is structured, the types of reasons or evidence used to support the conclusions, and whether the author is relying on underlying assumptions or theoretical frameworks.

Analysing1. Examine all elements. All aspects of the text - the structure, the methods, the reasons and evidence.

The types of questions asked will vary depending on the discipline in which you are writing, but the following questions will provide a good starting point:

What are the main issues raised by the writer? What are the major interpretations made by the author in terms of the issues raised? Where does the writers data and evidence come from? Is the text balanced / fair / biased? How well does all this relate to other research on the topic or your own experience?

THE CONTENT OF A CRITICAL REVIEW

A critical review is generally one to four pages in length and has a structure similar to the one given here.

INTRODUCTION

Starts with opening sentences that state the writer, the title and give a brief explanation of the topic of the text. The aim of the text and a summary of the main findings or key argument are presented. Summary should not be longer than 30% of the article. At the end of the introduction, a brief statement of the evaluation of the text is given.

MAIN BODY

Discusses and evaluates the strengths, weaknesses and important features of the text. The discussion should be based on your knowledge, as well as research on the issue.

CONCLUSION

Concludes the review with a restatement of the overall opinion of the text. It can also include recommendations and some further explanation of the judgement to show that it is fair and reasonable.

REFERENCES

A list of references should be included at the end if other sources have been used.

Exercise

Read the passages below and write a critical review for each question.

1. A recent survey revealed some shocking results. One in five teens does not know that if you take out a loan, you must pay interest in addition to repaying the loan. One teen in four has the mistaken notion that financial aid will take care of all their college expenses. And one teen in three thinks that Social Security payments will provide all the money they need when they retire.

2. Studies have shown that nearly one hundred percent of all criminals drank milk as children. This is even true of those who have committed violent crimes. The occasional drinking of milk by street gang members has been estimated at over 96 percent. Nearly 97.3 percent of hard-core gamblers have confessed to bouts of milk drinking. Moreover, the evil effects of milk not only warp peoples attitudes and sap their moral fiber but also lead to inevitable physical debilitation. Professional athletes who have continued their milk-drinking past the age of forty have found their reflexes slower, their speed reduced, their strength diminished. Most importantly, the effects of milk drinking are not reversible. Exhaustive research has failed to discover even one milk-drinker born prior to 1880 who is still alive. All the rest have perished. We must take action against this scourge today.

3. Sexism extends even into the area of automobile driving, it seems. Believing that they are far better drivers than women, men consider women drivers incompetent, inattentive, and even dangerous behind the wheel.

However, statistics prove that women are, in fact, safer drivers than men. For example, insurance rates for women are 20 percent lower than they are for men. Another proof is that more accidents are caused by male drivers between the ages of 18 and 25 than by any other group. Although women are criticised for being too cautious, they are really just being safe drivers.

The reasons for women drivers safer driving habits can perhaps be found in the differing attitudes of the sexes toward automobiles. Women drivers regard the automobile as a convenience like a washing machine. On the other hand, men regard the automobile as an extension of their egos, using it as a weapon when they feel particularly aggressive or using it as a status symbol.

All in all, women are safer drivers because of their attitude. Men can learn to become safe drivers if they adopt the attitude that an automobile is merely a convenience.

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