How to Write a Critique

How to Write a Critique Paper for a Thesis

• Establish credibility with the reader

This can be done by opening with a hook and providing background information on why you should be qualified to write this critique.

• Explain your qualifications and how they make you uniquely qualified to provide criticism on the work in question.
• Provide your reader with a brief assessment of the work. You should critique its strengths and weaknesses as you see them. This should be followed by a more specific analysis of what works and doesn’t work about the essay, presentation, or other assignments.
• Do thorough research on the topic.
• When critiquing, provide the evidence the author used to make their argument. This will be important in your analysis. It also helps back up your claims and gives them credibility.

Additionally, you should provide evidence of how the topic relates to what has already been researched about this topic.

• Be clear and concise with your language. Your points should be direct and not convoluted or confusing to your reader. Also, make sure you explain any terms that may be unfamiliar to

How Do You Write a Critique for an Article?

1) Introduction

This critique section provides basic information about the publication you evaluate, including its title, author(s), date published, and central argument(s). You will also need to briefly describe your own academic background and area of specialization to establish how qualified you are to write this type of assignment.

2) Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is an argumentation structure where you make your perspective clear on the significance of the text to other scholars.

3) Body Paragraphs

A good critique paper should be over three body paragraphs:

·       First paragraph

This is dedicated to providing background information about yourself and the general assessment of the work. It is essential to provide your reader with a background on why you are qualified to write this critique. Your reader should also know the strengths and weaknesses of the work and how they can be improved upon.

·       Body Paragraph 2:

Make your argument and discuss your evaluations against the original work. Present your evidence. Remember to give facts, not opinions.

·       Last Paragraph: Conclusions/ Summary

Conclusions are used to summarize the author’s main points noted in the article. It also includes a summary of the main points from your own (personal) analysis-noted during critical evaluation. When writing the conclusion, discuss the significance of the research and give appropriate recommendations for future research.

4) Works Cited

Place the works cited section at the end of your article with all cited information in proper MLA format. Make sure you have a minimum of 3 sources.

Remember, a critique paper is not about you. It is about improving the work in question. Make sure to focus your critique on the work itself and not criticize the writer’s character or intentions.

Once you have finished writing your critique, the final step is to go back and revise it. Check for any spelling or grammatical errors, fix any awkward phrasing or sentences that do not flow well, and reword anything that might be confusing to the reader.

An Example of a Critique Article

Title: Black Feminist Intellectuals

1) Introduction:

This article discusses how black feminist intellectuals have been marginalized from traditional definitions of intellectualism that have excluded women, people of color, and those who do not hold degrees. The author argues that studying intellectual traditions within these groups can help scholars learn more about the role of race, gender, and class in shaping our understandings of intellectualism. This has important implications for how we think about who counts as an intellectual and how these groups have been marginalized from this definition.

2) Thesis Statement:

I agree with the central argument put forth by the author: black feminist scholars like Anna Julia Cooper, Mary Church Terrell, and Ida Bell Wells Barnett have been marginalized from traditional definitions of intellectualism because they do not fit the mold of the “scholar-celebrity.” Studying their work can help us to learn more about what role race, gender, and class played in shaping ideas about who counts as an intellectual during this time.

3) Body Paragraph:

I think this work has a lot of potential. The author makes a compelling argument that by studying these scholars, we can better understand the role race, gender, and class played in shaping who counted as an intellectual during this time. In doing so, she brings to light several vital points surrounding black women’s scholarly achievements that have been marginalized from traditional definitions of intellectualism. This work ultimately calls for a more nuanced definition of intellectualism than what has typically been advocated, especially by male scholars, who have tended to valorize certain qualities like degrees and celebrity status over actual knowledge production.

Conclusion

Overall, this work is significant because it provides an in-depth analysis of how black feminist scholars have contributed to our understanding of race, gender, and class. At the same time, this paper successfully counters stereotypes surrounding black women’s intellectual history and illuminates how these scholars have been marginalized from traditional definitions of intellectualism. The work’s main strengths [List your 3-4 strongest points]

Final Assessment

However, I would suggest that in future editions of this paper, the author provides a more in-depth analysis of the relationship between black feminists and other types of feminist theory.