critical analysis 86
Choose a peer- reviewed article on any topic relating to your major, and write a critical analysis of it. “Analysis†means that you are required to look closely at the article to understand how it works. Your submission should include the following:
•In the first paragraph, the article’s title, the name(s) of the authors, the journal, issue number, and year of publication, and pagination; a brief statement of its topic and purpose; and a thesis statement indicating your main reaction to the work
•A summary of the article’s contents
•Discussion of the contents
•Discussion of how the work is structured/organized, and the general writing style
•The article’s effectiveness in presenting its views, and its treatment of its subject
•Its likely appeal to its readership
•Anything else you think is important
Word limit:
1,200 words
Voice: 3rd person
Note: A critique is not a simple description of the article! You must use at least one other article to inform and reinforce your critique of the main article
Formatting requirements
•APA cover page with the 5 cover page elements
•APA formatting (text, spacing, running heads and page numbers on all pages)
•Title on the first page of text (p. 2)
•In-text citations where necessary
•References page
•Do not use headings in a paper of this length
You may wish to ask yourself the following questions in order to help generate ideas for your paper:
•What is the article about, and what is the argument –what is the author trying to prove (or disprove)?
•What is the nature of their attitude towards their subject?
•What have others written on the subject, and what is the author’s attitude towards the opinions of other authorities?
•How does the author get their data?
•Do they interpret that data effectively?
•If they offer a theory to explain trends in the data, are there any possible loopholes or exceptions to that theory? If so, do they recognize them?
•What sort of language and imagery does the author use?
•What conclusions do they reach, and how reliable are they?
