Critical-Review怎么写.doc

1、Critical Review怎么写 Writing a Critical ReviewThe advice in this brochure is a general guide only. We strongly recommend that you also follow your assignment instructions and seek clarification from your lecturer/tutor if needed.Purpose of a Critical ReviewThe critical review is a writing task that as

2、ks you to summarize and evaluate a text. The critical review can be of a book, a chapter, or a journal article. Writing the critical review usually requires you to read the selected text in detail and to also read other related texts so that you can present a fair and reasonable evaluation of the se

3、lected text. What is meant by critical?At university, to be critical does not mean to criticize in a negative manner. Rather it requires you to question the information and opinions in a text and present your evaluation or judgment of the text. To do this well, you should attempt to understand the t

4、opic from different perspectives (i.e. read related texts) and in relation to the theories, approaches and frameworks in your course.What is meant by evaluation or judgment?Here you decide the strengths and weaknesses of a text. This is usually based on specific criteria. Evaluating requires an unde

5、rstanding of not just the content of the text, but also an understanding of a texts purpose, the intended audience and why it is structured the way it is.What is meant by analysis?Analyzing requires separating the content and concepts of a text into their main components and then understanding how t

6、hese interrelate, connect and possibly influence each other.Structure of a Critical ReviewCritical reviews, both short (one page) and long (four pages), usually have a similar structure. Check your assignment instructions for formatting and structural specifications. Headings are usually optional fo

7、r longer reviews and can be helpful for the reader.IntroductionThe 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

8、topic of the text. Present the aim of the text and summarize 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.SummaryPresent a summary of the k

9、ey points along with a limited number of examples. You can also briefly explain the authors purpose/intentions throughout the text and you may briefly describe how the text is organized. The summary should only make up about a third of the critical review. CritiqueThe critique should be a balanced d

10、iscussion 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

11、 to get you started:Most important to least important conclusions you make about the text.If your critique is more positive than negative, then present the negative points first and the positive last.If your critique is more negative than positive, then present the positive points first and the nega

12、tive last.If there are both strengths and weakness for each criterion you use, you need to decide overall what your judgment is. For example, you may want to comment on a key idea in the text and have both positive and negative comments. You could begin by stating what is good about the idea and the

13、n concede and explain how it is limited in some way. While this example shows a mixed evaluation, overall you are probably being more negative than positive.In long reviews, you can address each criteria you choose in a paragraph, including both negative and positive points. For very short critical

14、reviews (one page or less) where your comments will be briefer, include a paragraph of positive aspects and another of negative.You can also include recommendations for how the text can be improved in terms of ideas, research approach; theories or frameworks used can also be included in the critique

15、 section.ConclusionThis is usually a very short paragraph.Restate your overall opinion of the text.Briefly present recommendations.If necessary some further qualification or explanation of your judgment can be included. This can help your critique sound fair and reasonable.ReferencesIf you have used

16、 other sources in you review you should also include a list of references at the end of the review.Summarizing and paraphrasing for the critical reviewSummarizing and paraphrasing are essential skills for academic writing and in particular, the critical review. To summarize means to reduce a text to

17、 its main points and its most important ideas. The length of your summary for a critical review should only be about one quarter to one third of the whole critical review. The best way to summarize is to:1.Scan the text. Look for information that can be deduced from the introduction, conclusion and

18、the title and headings. What do these tell you about the main points of the article?2.Locate the topic sentences and highlight the main points as you read.3.Reread the text and make separate notes of the main points. Examples and evidence do not need to be included at this stage. Usually they are us

19、ed selectively in your critique.Paraphrasing means putting it into your own words. Paraphrasing offers an alternative to using direct quotations in your summary (and the critique) and can be an efficient way to integrate your summary notes. The best way to paraphrase is to:1.Review your summary notes2.Rewrite them in your own words and in complete sentences3.Use reporting verbs and phrases (eg; The author describes, Smith argues that ).4.If you include unique or specialist phrases from the text, use quotation marks.