How to Critique a Reading: Significance, Relevance, Accuracy, and Credibility

Task:
Critique a source (reading) by writing an essay. Categories that you may look at for your critique include significance, relevance, accuracy, credibility and/or authoritativeness. When you critique a source, you are evaluating how far you feel you can trust or recommend the source’s main argument. Even if you disagree with the issue, you may find the author has made a strong case with strong support. Alternatively, you may agree with the issue but feel the argument has been constructed weakly.

Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen your summary/response writing skills by critiquing a reading assigned by your instructor. In addition, researching various sources (democratic, newspaper-of-record, and academic) will contribute to providing a close analysis
of the text using textual evidence closely. You will also learn ways to integrate and document sources using APA format.
 
Learning Objectives
Conduct web-based research
Understand the uses and limits of different types of sources
Assess and analyze a variety of sources
Connect sources through intertextual conversation
Integrate and document research sources
Develop a thesis
Sequence ideas and develop strong paragraphs
Draft, revise, peer-review as part of a cyclical, design-centered writing process
 
Research Sources:
Use one other research source in addition to the main reading you are analyzing. You will use this research to develop and support your critique of the main source.