DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

Critical Review Assignment
A Critique is an analysis and evaluation of an argument, essay or report. Its purpose is to determine the following:
the author’s thesis, methods of development, and conclusion
how the thesis is supported, developed, and documented
the assumptions & premises that underlie the argument
the limits to the methods and results/conclusions
the author’s bias or slant and its impact, if any
implications which can be drawn from this analysis
Format: The critique is usually 3 – 6 typed pages using an appropriate documentation format (MLA, APA, etc)
Outline & Development: the critique should include the following:
Introduction: to provide the title of the article, the source and date of publication, the author’s name & credentials, and sufficient background information for a general reader to understand the context of the critique.
Abstract or Summary: a short summary of the main points of the article, including the author’s purpose, the methods of support, and the conclusions. In describing the methods of support, identify how the author develops the thesis, and what evidence, examples, statistics, etc are used to arrive at the conclusion. State clearly both the author’s purpose and conclusion (quote them if necessary). The abstract is an objective summary, so keep your criticism and opinion out of it.
Analysis & Evaluation: to explain the author’s argument and evaluate the methodology, logic and conclusions ~ consider these questions as well as those explained in the Comparative Review analysis section:
Are the methods of support appropriate and relevant?
Is the evidence verifiable, documented, and specific?
Is the logic sound? Are there any logical fallacies?
Are there any unsupported assumptions or generalizations?
Does the author consider opposing viewpoints fairly?
Does the author have a bias that influences the argument?
Are there any unanswered questions or undeveloped ideas?
Conclusion: consider what the article offers to its field of study. What is its specific contribution? What is its most significant point? How does it relate to other research on the subject? How does it contribute and correlate to your own knowledge and research on the subject? What are the limits of this article’s findings? What are the implications for further research?