what is an article critique assignment

• Customer Reviews
• Extended Essays
• IB Internal Assessment
• Theory of Knowledge
• Literature Review
• Dissertations
• Essay Writing
• Research Writing
• Assignment Help
• Capstone Projects
• College Application
• Online Class

What is an Article Critique: Everything You Need to Know in 2021

by  Antony W

September 3, 2021

An article critique in formal writing is an assignment that requires you to read a piece of a research article, analyze its content, and then identify its key strengths and weaknesses.

It may include a summary. However, unlike an article summary, which shares the key points to help readers know what an article is about, article critique strictly focuses on the in-depth evaluation and analysis of the research article.

The assignment requires the willingness and discipline to read the research article, reflect on the content, and identify the strength and weaknesses of the article.

From your critique, a reader should be able to reflect not only on the effectiveness of the arguments presented in the article but also on the validity of the information provided.

Writing an article critique requires more than just reading. You need to have strong analytical skills and demonstrate critical thinking.

Through this, you’re able to easily figure out the correctness of an author’s viewpoint, easily tell between facts and fiction , and establish whether their research is up to the expected standards or otherwise.

Why is an Article Critique Important?

An article critique is an important piece of writing for two reasons:

It Helps Question the Validity of a Writer’s Message

If you look at it from the face value, an article critique may be just another assignment your teacher wants you to complete within a specific timeframe.

Things change when you give this a second thought, mostly because critiquing a research article helps you determine whether an author’s message is valid and reasonable or otherwise.

As you read the research article, you’re likely to come up with a few important questions that can you judge the content of the author:

• Does the author include a testable hypothesis in their research article?
• Can one go a step further and compare the hypothesis with a similar example?
• Has the author done enough research on the topic before presenting their arguments?
• What’s the application of the author’s research article in the real world?

Analyzing such questions will help you to come up with reasonable conclusions on the validity of the information that the author shares in the article.

It Helps Identify Biases in a Research

It’s important to read, analyze, and evaluate a research article to determine if the work seeks to profit the author.

A biased piece of research article often ignores existing contrary evidence or misappropriates them.

In such a case, an author’s intention to bring forward a conclusion different from the way it should be and giving the article a foundation that’s of less value to the targeted audience.

Even if biasness only appears narrowly in the research article, you have to be keen enough to flesh them out and criticize the work fairly.

Article Critique Outline: The Correct Format to Use

Our guide to writing an article critique teaches you the exact process to follow to put together a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of a piece of research.

The question then is in what format should you present that information?

Generally, your critique should have four main sections: an introduction, summary, critique, and conclusion.

Introduction

The introduction to an article critique is the most important part of the project.

Given that human attention span is only 6 seconds, your introduction should present a solid hook to grab that attention almost instantly and spark a desire to read the rest of the analysis.

Your introduction should include the title of the article and the name of the author. Follow this with the author’s main point to give readers a clear roadmap on what to expect later in the analysis.

Include a clear thesis statement   in the last sentence. It should be short, usually one sentence long although you can have a maximum of two sentence if required.

Follow the introduction with a short summary of the research article.

Since you’ve read the article, and you understand exactly what it’s about, you shouldn’t find it hard to explain the context in just a few words. Most importantly, you should write the summary in your own words.

The summary of your article critique should address the main (or most significant) points in the research article.

In a few words, mention the arguments the author presents in the article and, in the last one or two sentences, state the findings of the research article.

This is where you demonstrate that you have read the article carefully and have analyzed the contents of the research enough to present a comprehensive and reliable evaluation and analysis.

It’s important that your critique communicate two aspects of the research article:

• Identify and discuss the strength and weaknesses that you noted while reading the research article.
• Give an evaluation of the article, making sure you focus on the accuracy, clarity, and relevancy o of the information that the author presents in their paper. It’s important to use specific example from the article, as doing so will help to support your statements.

Divide the conclusion of your article critique into two parts: summary and closing remarks.

The summary shouldn’t be too long or too short.  Rather, it should be well written and concise, showing the significant points from the author’s arguments as well as the key points from your personal analysis.

End with the closing remarks. This part should be a sentence long. Your comment should be on the significance of the research as noted from the article you just read. If your evaluation demands, state whether and why there may be an opportunity for new research in the same field in the future.

Get Help with Article Critique Writing

Writing an article critique can be challenging, especially if you have an array of additional assignments waiting for you. Fortunately, you can take advantage of our writing service and get the work done within the best time possible. Our team of writers and editors is here to help. All you have to do is to reach out to us and we’ll offer you the academic assistance that you need to get the work done.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.