For your critique assignment, you will write a review of an article that the instructor provides.
You will want to take some notes while reading the article. You need to have enough information to be
able to give a broad overview of the main idea/argument of the work, as well as to discuss some details
of how effectively the author presents his or her information.
Formatting:
Minimum/ Maximum length: 600 words (plus or minus 10%).
APA format (see the student paper format in the JRSSB Style Guide to see an example of the
format)
APA-style citations and references
Content:
If desired, introduce the issue the article discusses with an opener to “hook” your audience.
This could be a provocative statement, a question, recent news story, or interesting statistic.
Your opener must be specific, not a sweeping generalization.
Summarize the main idea/argument/points of the work. Explain why this information is relevant
or interesting.
Include a thesis statement with the main point or idea in your critique.
In a series of paragraphs, evaluate the content of the article and the way the content is
presented. You may comment on some (but not all) of the following aspects: content/ideas, the
way the argument is developed, whether the advice presented is solid, organization, audience,
writing style, tone, reading level, graphics/pictures/diagrams, layout.
Conclude with an interesting or witty statement that clearly describes why the work is important
or useful as a vehicle to inform the reader about this subject (or why it has failed to achieve its
goals).
*A critique is a formal academic essay. As a result, you are aiming for an objective tone, not a
subjective tone. You will talk about “the reader” NOT “you” or “I”. You are presenting an objective
evaluation of the work, not discussing whether you personally like it or think it is good or bad. For
this critique you will use third person pronouns (“the author,” “the reader,” “the audience”). NO
Personal Opinions!