Critical Analysis and Thinking Skills
Evaluation
Synthesis
Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge
What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is concerned with how
we:
• Understand information and ideas
• Consider an issue from different
perspectives
• Analyse and evaluate information, ideas
and perspectives
Critical Analysis – Thinking critically for university
• Critical analysis involves breaking a question
or topic down in order to consider all of its
elements.
• Critical analysis takes into account the
Context (including author, source-type, time
and place of publication).
• Critical analysis requires wide reading or
‘synthesis’ on all elements of a question or
topic.
• To ‘Critically Evaluate’ a subject is to make
considered judgements about the quality of
context, claim and content.
Critical evaluation involves bombarding a topic with a variety of questions.
What?
When?
Who?
Description
Analysis
Evaluation
Critical evaluation involves bombarding a topic with a variety of questions.
What?
When?
Who?
Why?
How?
Description
Analysis
Evaluation
Critical evaluation involves bombarding a topic with a variety of questions.
What if?
What?
So what?
When?
What next?
Who?
Why?
How?
Description
Analysis
Evaluation
A key element of critical thinking in university study is the
ability to engage with other people’s arguments and make
arguments of your own. It is, therefore, useful to consider
what an argument is:
An argument takes a particular
stand on an issue and provides
evidence to back it up.
An argument usually
responds to an existing
viewpoint or theory
Academic writing of any sort (e. g. your own assignments, books,
journal articles) has a main argument running through it.
Academic argument must be based on:
- Factual information (i.e. evidence)
- Previous theoretical claims
To critically engage with an argument you need to:
1. Identify the point of the argument. What is the author
saying/concluding?
2. Deconstruct the argument. What is it made of?
(evidence, reasoning, persuasion)
3. Appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the
argument (is the reasoning relevant and adequate?)
EXAMPLE
Evidence: the survey conducted this year at the University of
Chester (with a total of 105 L4 UG students) showed that 78% of
students prefer essays to exams.
Reasoning: This suggests that the majority of students would
benefit from a move to a 100% coursework-based degree.
Conclusion: The failure to move to a 100% coursework-based
degree model is likely to result in poor student recruitment and
attainment.
Is the reasoning Relevant? Is the evidence Adequate? Are you
convinced (persuaded) by the conclusion (i.e. argument)?
Deconstructing an argument:
Some questions for you to consider
a. What is the context (author, source-type,
time and place of publication) and why is it
important?
b. What is the main argument/conclusion or
recommendation?
c. What are the minor conclusions?
d. What are the measurable or observable
facts (evidence)?
e. What is implicitly or explicitly assumed to
be true without any support?
f. How does this information compare with
that from other sources?
Consider this source…
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and
Vulnerability…(2014)
•
•
•
•
What is the context – author, year, source type
What are the key findings/arguments?
What evidence is used to support the findings?
Are there any assumptions or bias?
Now compare to this source…
Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate
Change, Climate Change Reconsidered II (2014)
•
•
•
•
•
What is the context – author, year, source type
What are the key findings/arguments?
What evidence is used to support the findings?
Are there any assumptions or bias?
HOW DOES THIS SOURCE COMPARE TO THE FIRST?
To summarise, critically engaging with
academic sources involves routinely asking
questions of the material which may
include:
• What exactly is the author
arguing?
• Is the argument logical?
• Are there alternative
arguments of explanations
that need considering?
• Are you convinced by the
argument? Why?
• Does the evidence support
the argument fully or
partially?
• How strong is the evidence?
• How big is the sample?
• Is the source reputable &
unbiased?
Critical Analysis in your writing
Critical analytical writing
is all about making
informed and evidencesupported claims,
arguments and theories.
A claim, argument or theory is a statement of something you
believe or something you have discovered. It needs to be
supported by evidence and discussion of existing theories
(arguments) and their context and evidence. If your claim isn't
supported by these factors it becomes just an opinion…
• 1. Johnson (2006) states that the Harry Potter
books are fantasies of “conservative myths” (p.
222), but Henning (2007) refers to these books as
harmless fun.
• 2. Johnson, in an article for the The Sunday
Telegraph’s political section (12th November
2006) (context), states that the Harry Potter
books are fantasies of “conservative myths” (p.
222). But, Henning, in an interview for Children’s
Hour (2007) (context), predictably avoids such
controversy and refers to these books as
harmless fun.
Climate Change Arguments
• What information could we add to show
critical analysis in the following statement?
• The IPCC see climate change as a ‘crisis’
directly affected by human behaviour, but the
NIPCC claim that there humans have little
impact on climate change, and that there is in
fact no ‘crisis’.
To summarise, critical analysis in your
writing involves….
• Providing the sources of your
information/evidence
• Building your own argument
in response to the question
• Identifying the arguments put
forward by authors
• Using key points to support
your argument
• Discussing the context and
evidence used to support this
argument
• Synthesising arguments,
perspectives & evidence
• Providing evidence which
supports your key point &
arguments
• Putting your argument in
the context of existing
theories & perspectives