Critical Analysis/Critique Assignment
Critical Analysis Assignment
Description: Critical analyses (also known as critiques) are skilled evaluations of other authors’
works. These evaluations do more than simply point out all the “bad” parts of a text; they also
can carefully and thoughtfully consider what is good about a text. More importantly, however,
they offer some explanation as to why and how those things are happening in the writing. In
other words, critics identify the key elements of a piece of writing and then offer their own
thoughts about how effective the piece is (or isn’t) in doing what the author seems to intend to
do. Further, the critic offers some examples (the why & how) from the text that support her or his
critique.
This assignment has two parts: two (2) bibliographic entries and one (1) short critique.
You should be thinking about how this assignment can aid you or be relied upon for your final
paper (the researched persuasive paper). In that assignment you will need to make an argument
about your topic that you can support with evidence. The research you gather now can help you
build your own position by either agreeing with you OR disagreeing with you. Sources that take
a similar position as you do can be used to further your argument. Sources that take a dissimilar
position as you do might be something you wish to respond to or to refute (prove the argument to
be weak).
Part 1
You will create an annotated bibliography with a minimum of two (2) entries. In addition, you
will complete a web evaluation of each source, if the source is not found in print. By now you
should know some more about evaluating sources. For these entries I set no limits to the kind of
research you could use.
Each bibliographic entry must be at least two paragraphs and include a summary plus a critique
of the source. The critique should examine the following:
(1) Aims & Research methods
(2) Usefulness (to your research/ to a particular topic)
(3) Limitations
(4) Conclusions
(5) Reflection (explain how this work illuminates your topic or how it will fit in with your research)
Part 2
You will write a critical analysis of the argument in Now You See It: How the Brain Science of
Attention will Transform the Way We Live, Work and Learn. Analyses should be about 1000 to
2000 words, 4-8 pages. You should incorporate quotes and paraphrases. Follow MLA format
including a Works Cited page.
Organization: There are several ways you could organize your critique. Following are two ideas
for structuring your critique.
1. Introduction: This/these paragraph(s) should introduce the piece you are critiquing. Included
in this paragraph should be the author’s name, the title of the piece, the author’s main argument
and the points you will make about it.
Summary: This paragraph can summarize the text you are critiquing. Remember that summaries
don’t offer your thoughts about the piece. Instead you should cover the main points and some
examples of the text. You can also offer the author’s purpose for writing the text and the
intended audience for the piece.
Analysis: These paragraphs should provide your critique of the author’s work. You can look for
weaknesses that you perceive in the piece such as poor arguments, badly defined terms,
unorganized presentation, inaccurate information, etc. You may also decide that the author
makes convincing points that other authors don’t make, provides good research that helps further
an idea, demonstrates good logic in forming an argument, etc. Don’t limit yourself to only bad
things about the author’s work.
Response: This/these paragraph(s) should reveal what you think about the author’s position. Do
you agree? Disagree? Why or why not? Does the other research you conducted agree or disagree
with your position?
Conclusion: This/these final paragraph(s) are where you end your discussion of the critique. Here
is where you should draw some conclusions that are directly based on what you presented earlier.
Now is not the time to introduce something new, so be careful that you don’t conclude with
something that doesn’t appear elsewhere in your writing. Reminding readers of the weaknesses
and strengths of the text is a good way to wrap things up, but be sure that your conclusion does
what your introduction says you intended to do.
2. Another way to organize you work is to introduce the work, offer some of the author’s main
points followed immediately by your reflection and your critique (with evidence). Next,
transition to another key point you wish to critique, followed by your reflection and analysis.
Conclusion.
Due:
_____________________________________________________________________________
Last revised: January 2011
Checklist for Evaluating Web Sites
Why evaluate Web sites? No one judges the quality or accuracy of information found on
the World Wide Web before it is published, so you must evaluate what you find for yourself.
Some sites are created by experts; for example, the University of Maryland Libraries site is
authored by librarians who have expertise in the field of information science. However, the
vast majority of World Wide Web sites are designed and authored by non-experts.
DIRECTIONS
1. Carefully read through and answer each question.
2. After filling out the page, hand it in to your instructor.
3. Attach a printout of the first page of the Web site you are evaluating to this
checklist.
What is the URL or Web address of the Web site you are evaluating?
http://
What is the title of the Web site?
AUTHORITY AND ACCURACY
Anyone who knows a little HTML coding and has access to a server can create and load a
Web page. It is important to find out the author's identity and his or
her qualifications orexpertise, in order to determine the credibility and reliability of the
information.
Who is the author of the Web site?
I couldn't tell
The author is:
What authorship clues did the URL (Web address) provide? Check all that apply:
company (.com)
non-profit organization (.org)
academic institution (.edu)
country-specific site (e.g., .uk)
U.S. Government agency
personal Web page
(.gov)
(e.g., www.jamieoliver.com)
U.S. military site (.mil)
Other? Please describe:
network of computers (.net)
What are the qualifications of the author or group that created the site?
I couldn't find this information
The author's qualifications are:
PURPOSE AND CONTENT
Determine the purpose of the Web site by looking closely at the content of the information.
Some sites provide links to information (e.g., an About Our Organization or Mission
Statement page) detailing the purpose in creating the Web site, while the purpose of others
might not be obvious at first. Take the time to thoroughly explore a Web site to determine if
the information is mostly subjective (biased or opinionated), objective (factual), or mixed.
What is the purpose of the Web page or site? Check all that apply:
A personal Web page
A company or organization Web site
A forum for educational/public service information
A forum for scholarly/research information
For entertainment
An advertisement or electronic commerce
A forum for ideas, opinions or points of view
Other? Please explain:
In your own words, briefly describe the purpose of the Web site.
What does the Web site provide? Check one:
Balanced, objective or factual information
Biased, subjective or opinionated statements
(Are the arguments well supported?
Yes
Both objective and subjective information
I couldn't tell
Other? Please explain:
No)
Does the Web site provide any contact information or means of communicating
with the author or Webmaster?
No
Yes, the site provides:
CURRENCY
The currency or regularity of updating information is vital for some types of Web sites, and
not so important for others. For example, Web sites that provide historical information,
such as the presidential papers of George Washington, do not have to be updated as often
as sites that provide news stories or stock market information.
When was the Web site last revised, modified or updated?
I couldn't tell
It was updated:
Is currency important to the type of information available on this Web site?
Yes. Please explain.
No. Please explain.
Is the site well-maintained?
I couldn't tell
Yes
No
Are links broken (do you receive error messages)?
I couldn't tell
Yes
No
DESIGN, ORGANIZATION AND EASE OF USE
Design, organization and ease of use are important considerations. Web sites can provide
useful sources of information. However, if they are slow to load or difficult to navigate,
search and read, then their contribution and usefulness will be lost.
In your opinion, how does the Web site appear overall? Check all that apply:
Well designed and organized
Poorly designed and organized
Easy to read and navigate
Difficult to read and navigate
HELP screens are available
HELP screens are unavailable
A search feature/site map is available
A search feature/site map is unavailable
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Last modified: January 28, 2011