Slide 6

Elements of a scientific report
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Background / Rationale
• Method
• Data
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References

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Slide 8

A critique of a piece of writing does the following
1)describes it, to give the reader a sense of the writer’s overall purpose and meaning;
2)analyses it, to show how it is put together by dividing it into its main sections or aspects;
3)interprets it, defining the significance (meaning and importance) of each part;
and
4) assesses it, making a judgement of the work’s worth or value.

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Slide 10

Questions to think about when doing a critique
• Is the title of the article appropriate and clear?
• Is the abstract specific, representative of the article, and in the correct form?
• Is the purpose of the article made clear in the introduction?
• Do you find errors of fact and interpretation?

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Slide 11

Questions to think about when doing a critique
• Is all of the discussion relevant?
• Has the author cited the pertinent, and only the pertinent, literature?
• Are the author’s statements clear? Challenge ambiguous statements.
• What underlying assumptions does the author have?
• Has the author been objective in his or her discussion of the topic?

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Slide 13

Format of a critique
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

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Slide 14

The Introduction provides
• the name of the author and the title of the work being critiqued;
• a general overview of the subject/content and a summary of the article’s argument;
• a focussing sentence (thesis statement) indicating how the critic plans to divide the work under discussion or the particular elements the author will discuss.

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Slide 15

The Body provides
• an objective description of a major point in the work;
• a detailed analysis of the article’s logic and the relationships between its points;
• an interpretation of the concept.

** Note: the body repeats the description, analysis and interpretation for
each major concept covered.

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Slide 16

The Conclusion provides
• an overall interpretation;
• a short discussion of the relationship of particular interpretations to the subject as a whole;
• a summarising critical assessment of the value, worth, or meaning of the work, in both negative and positive terms.