Critical Reading

By Xiaochi Liu in Scientific Writing

What does it mean to be critical?

REASONS FOR READING CRITICALLY?

  • Evaluating the usefulness of individual sources

  • Building a thorough understanding of the current state of knowledge

  • Identifying gaps in the research literature

  • Identifying debates and alternative approaches to your topic area

  • Selecting models/methods/approaches/tools for application to industry/profession

  • Building & demonstrating your independence as a researcher

  • Other reasons…

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ‘CRITICAL’ IN READING AND THINKING?

  • Asking questions

  • Analysing

  • Evaluating

  • Looking for problems or opportunities

  • Comparing alternative perspectives

  • Weighing the evidence

  • Joining a debate

  • Looking for better ways to do things

  • Going beyond the surface/obvious/face value

The essential parts of thinking and reading critically

  1. Understanding what is already there

  2. Analysing alternatives (current or possible)

  3. Finding evidence or reasoning for/against the alternatives

  4. Forming a view which is supported by evidence/reasoning

The “onion” model:

Critique is discipline-specific

Critical reading requires

  1. Target (i.e. specific aspect that you critique)

    • the type of data used

    • the methods used to analyse data/information

    • theoretical models

    • researchers' arguments/interpretations

  2. Criteria (i.e. values/measures you apply)

    • accuracy

    • statistical significance

    • real-world applicability

    • cost effectiveness

    • social justice

A step-by-step model for reading critically

  1. Identify key choices which have been made in the article.

    • What are some of the choices which have been made by the authors?

  2. Look for alternatives to those choices (real or potential).

    • Select one or two choices

    • In what ways could they have been different?

    • What could the author/researcher have done instead?

    • Do you know of research where someone has taken a different approach?

  3. Develop a point of view on those alternatives.

    • Select one choice and its alternatives

    • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the alternatives?

    • What makes the author’s choice better or worse than someone else’s approach?

    • What do you consider to be the best option?

  4. Gather the evidence for your point of view.

    • Consider your point of view about the alternatives.

    • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the alternatives? Which is best?

    • What makes the author’s choice better or worse than other approaches?

    • What kind of evidence would persuade peers in your discipline to agree with you?

    • Where would you find the evidence? What if you couldn’t find strong evidence?