university critical analysis 600-800 worlds

Critical Analysis Sample Guide

Your critical analysis should include:

 A title

 An introduction

 A summary of the article, which should be no more than a paragraph (5-7 sentences)

 Body paragraphs to support your thesis statement

 A conclusion

Please note that including all of the below information in your assignment will not guarantee that

you will get a good grade. It is your job to analyse the article and provide evaluative information.

Your essay should have a strong thesis statement about your opinion on/analysis of the text, and

your analysis should be supported by examples and evidence within the article.

Introduction

o Have I provided general information about the article’s topic? o This can be background information about the subject matter. o For example, if your article is on cell phone use, you may want to begin your

essay by discussing peoples’ dependence on digital technology and/or

technological advancements that have made it easier to access a breadth of

information from around the world.

o Have I identified the author(s) and the journal articles? o Have I briefly identified the objective of the article?

o Have I stated my thesis with supporting evidence? o Topic + Controlling Idea + Evidence o Is it clear and specific? o What is my opinion about the article? Did I like it?

 Avoid using “I” statements.

Summary

o Have I identified the thesis of the article? o Have I identified the main ideas of the article? o Did I use quotation marks properly? Did I cite my sources?

o Please note that anything copied from the article must be in quotation marks. Paraphrased sentences and/or paragraphs should also have proper in-text citations.

 REFER TO PURDUE OWL MLA or APA

Body Paragraphs

o Have I provided evidence that supports my thesis? o Do I explain my supporting evidence?

o Does each body paragraph have a clear topic and supporting evidence? o Did I consider:

o Organisation? Style? o Effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the article?

o The author’s supporting evidence for his/her argument? o The strengths and/or weaknesses of the article? o The methods the author used for his/her study?

 Was the evidence/results objective?  How did the author interpret the results?  Did the results provide new information?

o Language? o Audience? o Limitations? Ideas for future research? o The author’s bias? o The readability of the article?

*Please note that your body paragraphs should focus on your thesis statement. Your

paragraphs may not include all of the above questions or may include questions not on

the list.

Conclusion

o If I argued a particular point, did I acknowledge that others might have different views? o For example, if your thesis argues that the article is strong and persuasive, you

should also briefly identify that others might not agree because of x, y, and z.

o Do I summarise my argument without re-stating my thesis statement word-for-word? o Does my conclusion interesting? Does it leave an impression on the reader?