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Introduction to critical reading

Texts are composed of intricate structures created by individuals with varying intentions and goals. The meaning of a text is not just what the author intended to convey, but is instead a result of a collaborative process between the writer and reader. To fully understand the meaning of a text, the reader must critically evaluate it by considering various factors that may not be obvious, such as the writer's background, motivations, and assumptions.

This means evaluating the author's arguments, determining if they present facts or just express their opinions, and being mindful of one's own biases and opinions that may affect the interpretation of the text. Additionally, the writer's purpose for writing should also be taken into account, as this can influence the arguments they choose to include or exclude in their writing.

When reading, or just approaching a new text, you should ask yourself at least some of the following questions.

Purpose and background

• Why am I reading this text? What is my purpose?
• What type of text is it: research report, essay, textbook, book review?
• What do I know about the subject of the text?
• What else has been written on the subject of the text?
• What controversies exist in this area? How does this text fit in?

The author and the text

• Who wrote the text? What do I know about the author? Does the author have any authority?
• Who does the author write for? In other words, who is the intended audience?
• Is the author following any specific purpose? What can be the reasons for writing?
• What are the sources of the text? Who published the test?
• When was the text published? Is it still relevant to my topic?
• What is the writer's attitude towards the topic?
• What conclusions are drawn?

Evidence used

• Is there a clear distinction between fact and opinion?
• Is evidence used to support arguments? How good is the evidence?
• Are there any unsupported points? Are they well-known facts or generally accepted opinions?
• How does the writer use other texts and other people's ideas?
• Are the writer's conclusions reasonable in the light of the evidence presented?

Assumptions made

• What assumptions has the writer made? Are they valid?
• What beliefs or values does the writer hold? Are they explicit?
• Look at the language that is used, e.g. active/passive verbs, nominalisations, pronouns, ergative verbs, articles, etc. Is it always possible to identify participants and processes? e.g. compare: the government increased taxes; they increased the taxes, taxes were increased; taxes increased; the taxes increased, there was an increase in taxes
• Look for emphatic words such as it is obvious, definitely and of course.
• Look for hedges: possible, might, perhaps.
• Look for emotional arguments, use of maximisers: completely, absolutely, entirely, or minimisers: only, just, hardly, simply, merely.
• How else could the text have been written?

Source: http://www.uefap.com