Critical Reading Answers for in Another Country

What is disquisitional reading?

Critical reading is an important forerunner to critical writing. This Study Guide explains why critical reading is important, and gives some ideas nigh how you might become a more critical reader. Other Written report Guides you may find useful are:

• What is disquisitional writing?
• The fine art of editing

What is disquisitional reading?

The virtually characteristic features of critical reading are that you will:

• examine the evidence or arguments presented;
• check out whatever influences on the bear witness or arguments;
• check out the limitations of report design or focus;
• examine the interpretations fabricated; and
• decide to what extent you are prepared to have the authors' arguments, opinions, or conclusions.

Why exercise nosotros need to take a disquisitional arroyo to reading?

Regardless of how objective, technical, or scientific the subject matter, the writer(s) volition have made many decisions during the enquiry and writing process, and each of these decisions is a potential topic for exam and fence, rather than for blind acceptance.

Yous demand to be prepared to footstep into the academic debate and to make your own evaluation of how far you are willing to accept what you read.

A applied starting bespeak therefore, is to consider anything you read not as fact, just as the argument of the writer. Taking this starting point you lot will be fix to engage in critical reading.

Disquisitional reading does not have to be all negative

The aim of critical reading is not to detect mistake, but to assess the strength of the evidence and the argument. Information technology is only as useful to conclude that a study, or an article, presents very strong prove and a well-reasoned statement, every bit it is to identify the studies or manufactures that are weak.

Testify

Depending on the kind of writing information technology is, and the field of study in which it sits, unlike kinds of bear witness will be presented for you to examine.

At the technical and scientific end of the spectrum, relevant prove may include information on: measurements, timing, equipment, control of extraneous factors, and conscientious post-obit of standard procedures. Specific guidance volition be bachelor within specialties on what to wait for.

At the other end of the spectrum is writing where at that place is clearer scope for personal estimation, for case:

• analysis of individuals' experiences of healthcare;
• the translation of a text from a foreign language; or
• the identification and analysis of a range of themes in a novel.

In these cases the evidence may include items such as quotes from interviews, extracts of text, and diagrams showing how themes might connect.

The nature of the evidence presented at these two extremes is different, but in both cases you need to look for the rationale for the option and interpretation of the evidence presented, and the rationale for the construction of the argument.

Broadening the definition of testify

This Study Guide takes a wide view of evidence: it maintains that all that yous read can exist considered as evidence, non purely the actual data collected/presented. This encompasses:

• the report of the context within which the data were nerveless or created;
• the option of the method for data collection or selection;
• the audit trail for the analysis of the data i.due east.: the decisions made and the steps in the analysis procedure;
• the rationale for the interpretations fabricated and the conclusions drawn;
• the relevance of, and the utilize made of the theoretical perspective, ideology, or philosophy that is underpinning the statement.

Linking prove to argument

On its own, show cannot contribute to academic debate. The interpretation and presentation of that evidence inside an statement allows the evidence to make a contribution.

The term 'argument' in this context means the carefully constructed rationale for the enquiry, and for the place of its results within the academic arena. It volition explain for example:

• why the authors considered that what they did was worth doing;
• why information technology was worth doing in that particular way;
• why the data collected, or the cloth selected, were the almost appropriate;
• how the conclusions drawn link to the wider context of their enquiry.

Even in the about technical and scientific disciplines, the presentation of statement will always involve elements that can exist examined and questioned. For example, you could ask:

• Why did the author select that particular topic of enquiry in the first identify?
• Why did the writer determine to use that particular methodology, choose that specific method, and comport the work in that way?
• Why did the writer select that detail process of analysis?

Note taking

As you lot read, information technology tin be helpful to employ a table to tape the information that y'all know you lot volition need later. In addition to the usual bibliographical details, y'all tin devise your own list of extra data yous want to collect at the initial reading stage. Some suggestions are given beneath.

Two important points about using such tables are:

• it is essential that you devise your own list of information to collect from each source, based on what y'all know you volition need to comment upon; and
• realistically, it is probably best not to try to collect this information from every unmarried source you use, only from those yous decide to refer to in your report or assignment. Otherwise information technology could really deadening down your background reading, and result in the drove of a mass of material that y'all never use.

Descriptive details yous may want to record about sources

Setting	Type of data
Sample size	Employ of theory
Sample contour	Equipment
Follow upward	Style of writing
Statistics used	Measurements
Methods	Sources of bias
Questions raised	Limitations
Primary arguments	Intended audience

Some interpretative questions you lot may demand to enquire about sources

These are questions that need more than input from y'all as the disquisitional reader. You volition need to make judgements about your answers, and will demand to tape the reasons for your answers. This list is a mix of arts and science-based questions, as there are several areas of common interest.

• How well-developed are the themes or arguments?
• Did the theoretical perspective used introduce any potential bias?
• Are you lot convinced past the interpretations presented?
• Are the conclusions supported firmly by the preceding argument?
• How appropriate are the comparisons that are used?
• Did the response options, or measurement categories or techniques used affect the data that were collected?
• Have whatever ethical considerations been adequately addressed?

If you have a critical approach correct from the first of your reading and note taking, it can save a lot of time subsequently. When you come to write your assignment or thesis, you will demand to annotate on the validity of the writing that you refer to. So, if you take kept a systematic record of the results of your critical reading, you volition exist able to refer to it hands. If yous have not, yous volition find yourself wasting a lot of time re-reading cloth, and re-reviewing the evidence presented.

Helpful guidance from other sources

There are many sources of guidance on how to engage in disquisitional reading: some are in books on general written report skills; others are on the internet. Chapter 10 of the 'Study Skills Handbook' by Stella Cottrell (2003), is specially recommended. The following questions are based on cloth from that affiliate:

• Does the writing presume a causal connection when at that place may not be i?
• Are general conclusions drawn based on only a few examples?
• Are inappropriate comparisons being made?
• Might in that location be other explanations apart from the one proposed?
• Are in that location whatsoever hidden assumptions that demand to exist questioned?
• Is enough prove presented to permit readers to draw their ain conclusions?
• Does the line of reasoning brand sense?

Guidance bachelor via the net can exist found on the following websites

Academy of Toronto: Advice on academic writing

This site has many useful sections on styles of academic writing.

Original author: Academy of Leicester

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Source: https://www.bangor.ac.uk/studyskills/study-guides/critical-reading.php.en

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