writing an outline and critique

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Writing a Critique & Organization

Organization

Your PRM 346 papers should be organized by the use of headings. The following headings are suggested.

	Title page: This is the first page which includes the class name and number, title of paper, author, date. A title page does not have a page number and is not counted in the total pages required.
	Introduction : This is the purpose or topic of the paper, and it should be considered a brief, concise paragraph or two that summarizes the content of the paper.
	Literature Review: This is the main section of the paper and includes information based on paragraphs. Remember paragraphs should have one main idea that is in direct support of the thesis statement. Within each body paragraph, there will be a topic sentence (main idea of the paragraph) and supporting idea..
	Conclusion or Summary: This is the portion of the paper where you will offer concluding or summarizing comments. It is a brief review and basically tells the reader what the outcome of the paper means.
	References: Any literature used in an analysis must be accurately cited in order to avoid plagiarism. See APA guidelines for the proper APA format for citing a work within the text. When quoting or paraphrasing an author's work, the cited text must be followed by an in-text citation as indicated above.

Writing a Critique

This information can be used in Assignment number 2.

What is a critique? A critique is an analysis of a written text based on evidence, which is extracted from the document itself. A critique can also be applied to media images as well as spoken discourse; however, for the purpose of this document, I will focus exclusively on the criticism of written documents.

Initially, in assessing written works, the work itself must be understood. If the content is misunderstood, then the critique will be misapplied. Read through the piece at least twice- first for content, and then for analysis. When analyzing text, it is important to mark areas that are of significance.

Underline key terms and phrases. Also, if there are areas that are unclear or confusing, those sections should be marked. Be sure to ask questions about areas that are not fully understood as these may be critical to the analysis being conducted. Once the text has been read and understood, the text which has been analyzed can be broken apart, and a critique can be written.
Critiques serve to examine an author's claim/argument. Certain questions should be posed of the text.

	What is the author's main claim or thesis statement? If no such statement exists, what serves as the focus of the work?
	How clearly does the author present the problem or thesis statement?
	How does the author achieve the goal of the work? Does he/she do so effectively? Why or why not?
	What is the particular evidence used to support the author's claim?
	How well does the author describe methods or supporting evidence?
	Does the author logically support his/her argument with an organized structure and coherent development?
	Do the sections make sense as presented? Why or why not?

Once these questions are answered, the critique can be written, analyzing the text that has been assessed. In writing a critique, both strengths and weaknesses of the argument should be acknowledged, beginning with the main claim of the specific text. After discussing the claim's efficacy, the supporting evidence should be examined for pertinence and importance. Has the supporting information been used appropriately and accurately? Each piece of "important" evidence should be addressed for strengths and weaknesses, but it is important to remember that when assessing individual pieces of evidence, each piece should be looked at individually or in one paragraph to avoid confusion in organization. All too often, writers try to analyze a chunk of text that is too big for a short analysis paper and the important elements can become lost. Small sections of text should be assessed for a higher level of examination accuracy.

Another important component in critique writing is establishing transitions and continuity between discussion topics. As the author of the primary text has attempted to draw links between the claim and supporting evidence, the sections of the critique should attempt to develop links between claims made regarding the textual information.

An organizational tip- make an outline to assist in the development of ideas and arguments.

Prepared by Susan Hansen, Writing Consultant, March 2000

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