Strategies for Reading Critically
How to Read Critically
There is a difference between reading for fun and reading for a class. When you’re reading for school, you have a due date that you have to be finished by, which can be stressful, especially when you’re dealing with a new type of reading. Academic texts are filled with information that you’ll need to know, but it can be hard to keep track of everything in them. On top of that, not every source out there is going to be considered ‘credible’, or, a type of source that your professors will let you use for your assignments. So, how do you go about trying to figure out if a source is credible, then finish reading it, and process all of its information, all before your paper is due? It is possible to all get done, and here are a few strategies to help make it easier.
Beginning Questions to Approach Reading?
Who Wrote this Text?
As simple as it may be, identifying who the author or writer of a text is can help you understand what field and perspective (point of view) they are writing from and why. We are fueled by our passions, so it is safe to say that if a text gives a bio of the writer, then they are most likely going to write on a subject related to the field mentioned in their bio.
Knowing who the writer is also helps you to know if and how their work is relevant to your class, paper, research, and so forth. It helps you to know what to look for and highlight when reading. For instance, if you are reading a text written by a marine biologist, then you know that the subject will probably be a research study or have something to do with marine life.
However, there are times when finding the author of a text is as tricky as finding a needle in a haystack! Most academic texts list the author’s name near the title or the beginning of the introduction (Example 1). The author’s name can also be found at the top or bottom of a piece next to the page number (Example 2). This generally occurs in papers done in MLA format.
Example 1.
Example 2.
Please note that there can also be multiple authors for one text (sort of like how you do groupwork with your classmates), and they should all be grouped together. Knowing how many authors there are can help you when you are trying to cite them properly in your papers/assignments. Papers/articles done in APA format sometimes only give initials for the first and middle name of author(s) and can also list their degree qualifications (what qualifies them to write this piece) and the universities that they are affiliated with underneath their names. A quick Google search of the last name and text’s title will usually help you find the full name of the author.
Remember that it is also important to know the author’s name because the author might be big in their field or on a specific topic which helps you to know that their work isn’t taken lightly by others, and neither should it be by you. This piece could be an important part of your research or to understanding a topic in class.
What is the Background of this Text?
Whether you are reading a text from your friend or reading a poem for literature class, understanding the background of any piece helps you to understand the context or motivation for why the author might be writing. What time period was the piece written in? Where there any crucial movements that were happening during that time that might be reflected in the text? Was the author male or female? What was their lifestyle? Is it reflected in the text? Questions like these can bring you closer to understanding the purpose and audience of a text further mentioned below.
If you know the background of a text, you also are more able to find any hidden bits of symbolism or metaphor that the writer might try to hide in their work.
For instance, when you read the play “The Crucible,” which is set during the Salem Witch Trails in the 1690s, understanding that the author wrote the play during the second Red Scare, which is when a widespread fear of communism swept the United States in the 1950s where people were radically accused of being communists and questioned before the senate, allows you to deduce that the author wrote the play because the Red Scare had much of the same hysteria and fear that was expressed during the Salem Witch Trials. As the reader, you can now find and relate the symbolism in the piece through the events that it was based off of.
What is the Genre of this Text?
Genre (in the literary sense) says that a piece can be grouped under different categories depending on style and format. There are multiple genres in the world of writing, and you may have written under many of them without even realizing it. Genres also contain subgenres much like umbrellas. For example, the genre of analysis has many subgenres that include literary analysis, rhetorical analysis, exegetical analysis, and so forth. Understanding the genre of a piece can help you know how you might go about reading it. For instance, if you know that the text that you’re reading is a poem, from previous poetry pieces you’ve read, you know to look for symbolism, metaphor, rhythm, rhyme, meter, stanza, and so forth. Genre helps you have an idea of what might be important in a piece and where that might be located.
For some examples of the different types of genre reading you’ll do in college, explore our Writing Genres resource.
What is the Style of this Text?
Style is the way in which a writer chooses to write seen primarily through their word choice, tone, grammar, and sentence length. Much like the way you like to dress, a writer usually has a signature way that he or she writes. How someone writes usually determines how they sound or come off to the reader. This is what is known as “voice.” Once you become familiar with reading a certain author’s work, usually in fiction writing, you can begin to recognize the writer by their style.
Identifying the style an author uses when you are reading helps you to know what their intentions might be within the text. If a writer is using persuasive words or a more assertive tone in their piece, they might be using a persuasive style of writing in order to persuade readers to agree with them on a topic. A few styles of writing to look out for are:
- Expositive Style- Writers typically use this style to inform and explain concepts to the reader.
- An example of expository style would be a biologist writing to inform his readers of a new discovery he has made.
- Persuasive Style- Writers typically use this style to persuade a reader to look at a subject from their point of view or agree with their stance on a matter. This is used a lot in argumentative essays. Writers like to use the “Rhetorical Triangle” in persuasive writing.
- An example of persuasion style would be a literary student arguing why she thinks Shakespeare’s writing is superior to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing.
- Descriptive Style- Writers typically use this style to provide the reader with a visual or image of what they are writing about and to convey meaning.
- An example of descriptive style would be Emily Dickson’s poem “A Bird, Came Down the Walk.”
- Here one is able to see that Emily Dickson’s use of vivid imagery regarding nature as well as distinctive capitalization in odd places with lots of dashes is distinctively know as her style, or the way in which she chooses to write to convey meaning and voice as mentioned above.
Who is the Intended Audience?
Intended audience is the audience or readers that a writer keeps in mind as he or she is writing since their piece is written directly for that specific audience to read. For example, a literary analysis’ intended audience is typically those in the literary community or readers who are interested in the specific piece of literature that the writer is analyzing. Audience can be those who are experts on the subject or those who know nothing about the topic. In a classroom, this depends on the writer and on the prompt.
You can typically tell who a text’s intended audience is through word choice. Word Choice refers to writer’s selection of particular words and phrases to express ideas. What techniques (simile, metaphor, strong verbs, etc.) does the writer use to make the word choice more specific, more memorable, and more effective? Why do you think this? Are they trying to persuade you on a subject? Does the writer use discipline specific words? Do they reference theories? If so, their piece is probably intended for a scholarly audience or specific discourse community. Like biologists writing for other biologists. Sometimes a writer will even state who they are writing for so pay close attention when reading.
Learning who the intended audience is can help you understand how you should read a piece. If the audience is composed of scholars, then, as the reader, you know that concepts may not be explained in layman terms, and you may have to look up words or points in the text as you read. Take your time! Audience can sometimes determine the pace of your reading and comprehension.
What Purpose was it Written for?
As you read, ask this question “Why did the author write this?” The answer will come to you as you read. Most people do not do anything without a reason, and this is true for writers too. Every text has an intent of some kind, whether that intent is to entertain, inform, persuade, etc., which is usually found in the topic/concluding sentences of a paragraph mentioned below. You can also always identify the purpose when you read carefully and highlight the main points of a text or things that jump out at you. Doing this will help you understand what the writer is trying to convey and why.
Reading Strategies for Each Section of a Paper
Organization refers to the order of ideas and the way the writer moves from one to the next within a text. As you read, ask yourself: how is this piece organized and why? Your answer(s) will usually include many of the topics listed under “Beginning Questions to Approach Reading,” such as “It is organized for the intended audience who are scientists.” or “It is organized this way because the genre of the text is literary analysis.”
Introduction
This paragraph typically introduces the reader to the main focus or topic that will be discussed, argued, or researched within the text. It tells what research or writing has been done on the topic of the text, where the gaps in previous writer’s ideas or research are, and how the writer plans to fill those gaps in the following paragraphs.
The Thesis Statement is also included in this paragraph. Typically, at the conclusion of the paragraph, it tells what the text will focus on and how the writer plans to achieve this.
Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentences tell the intent and focus of the paragraph. They can sometimes be used to attract the reader’s attention to a certain issue or point by giving a preview of what the paragraph is about which propels them to keep reading. What draws your attention during reading? Why is that? Topic sentences are typically found at the beginning and ending of a paragraph to introduce and then sum up the points mentioned within the paragraph.
Sentence Flow is the rhythm and flow of the language as we read it aloud. What kinds of sentence constructions does the writer use? Are they simple or complex, perhaps, a mixture of both? How does the writer vary the beginnings and lengths of sentences? Do they use transitions or connect ideas from different sources? How does the writer use “sound” effects like alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm? Is there a method to “the sentence madness” that you recognize as you read? Why do you think the writer writes this way? What are they trying to convey to you as the reader?
Transitions words or sentences are used to transition the reader from one paragraph to the next or from one thought to the next. They can sum up or connect what we have been reading with a further point or the next paragraph/section by telling why a point could be expanded upon, dismissed, or challenged. How do you use transitions in your writing? What about your everyday life? How are they similar? How are they different?
Sometimes a simple transitional word to connect paragraphs or thoughts within paragraphs is sufficient, such as however, therefore, additionally, in accordance, in contrast, etc.
Ideas are the heart of the piece —what the writer is writing about and what the writer chooses to reveal about it. How does the writer reveal the main idea? Do they use topic sentences to convey this, or what about a real-life example to the reader in? What types of details does the writer use? How does the writer achieve his or her purpose? Do they support their sources with ideas?
Sources (which differ depending on the genre and style of the text) are used to support the reasoning, thoughts, research, persuasion and/or argument of the piece. How do the sources help you understand the topic?
This can include other people’s research, thoughts, or ideas found in books, articles, websites, etc. Why do writers use certain sources?
Sources are typically expressed through paraphrasing, direct quotation, or summary. How does the writer incorporate their sources into the text? Why do you think they use quotes in some places and paraphrasing in others?
Conclusion
The conclusion paragraph is a place where the writer summarizes their main points to leave a last impact on the reader. This is what they found and why is it important. It is the last chance to really drive home the focus of the text.
Hint: If you’re not understanding a piece, read the intro to see what will be focused on then skip down to the conclusion to see how the writer achieved this and what the outcome was. This is a quick connect the dots. Then backtrack and read the body paragraphs, and this will fill in any remaining gaps or questions you have about the text.
For further help, check out our Read Like a Writer document.