Academic Critique

In order to effectively critique an academic article, one must learn to effectively read and describe an academic article first. In order to understand an academic article well enough to be able to effectively critique it, the article must be read carefully, slowly, deeply and repeatedly. One should take time to reread any sections of an article that are unclear to them. Additionally, one must make sure they are really understanding the article and the implications of the article. One should also be taking note of any questions or doubts that one has about the article—this will help with the upcoming critique. In addition to jotting down questions, make notes of anything particularly interesting or important, as this will also help with writing an upcoming

The first step, of course, is to choose an article. Assuming that one has already read and described an article, that step is done. However, one should write about a topic that interests them. This will make critiquing an article more satisfying. Also, one should choose a topic that is within their scope of knowledge to ensure that one is adequately prepared to evaluate the topic. Lastly, one should select a current article—within the last 12 months—due to the constant emergence of new developments in political science. Upon choosing, reading and describing an article, one can begin critiquing the article. The first step of writing a critique is to identify the article’s thesis and clearly state it. By doing so, one can immediately let their reader know the main topic and purpose of the article being critiqued. Next, one should critique the methods employed by the author of the articles. When doing this, some questions that should be answered are, in what ways did the author support the thesis? Were these methods appropriate and/or effective? Did these methods make sense? Did the author use said methods