A critical review is much more than a simple summary; it is an analysis and evaluation of a book, article, or other medium. Writing a good critical review requires that you understand the material, and that you know how to analyze and evaluate that material using appropriate criteria.
Read your assignment instructions carefully. Questions about your critical review? Ask your instructor or TA for clarification.
Create a working thesis statement.
Note that a working thesis will change as you work with your topic, and you will eventually create a final thesis statement.
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Choose the best sources for your assignment. Consider:
- Type of Source: Does it fulfil your assignment requirements and/or information needs?
- Relevance of Source: Is the source relevant to your research topic? Is it relevant to your discipline? How will it help you discuss your research question or thesis?
- Additional criteria: Consider the RADAR test to evaluate and select sources.
Develop an outline of your critical review.
Write a first draft. Be careful to construct a logical argument, with coherent paragraphs, and a strong introduction and conclusion.
Revise drafts of your work.
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