7.2 Critiquing Your Sources

Why critique my sources?

In the previous module [Chapter 6], you evaluated your sources. So, now you may be wondering, if I evaluated my sources, why do I need to critique them? When you evaluated your sources, you were determining whether or not they met the criteria you determined to be included in your project. When you critique your sources, you evaluate their arguments, strengths, and weaknesses to determine how you can converse with them about your topic. An analogy might be a party—evaluating sources is like determining who you invite to the party. Critiquing sources is like figuring out what to talk to party attendees about once they’ve arrived.

Academic critique writers will often compare and discuss several works that are similar to each other to make a larger point. In other words, instead of simply commenting on whether something was good or bad, academic critiques tend to explore issues and ideas in ways that are more complicated than merely “good” or “bad.”

Critiquing sources is a valuable part of the research writing process. In order to do this well, you need to critically read: that is, you pay careful attention to whatever it is you are reading, apply appropriate criteria in order to evaluate it, to summarize it accurately, and ultimately make some sort of point about the source.

Steps for Critiquing Sources

1. Close Reading: Begin by closely reading and taking notes on your source. Close reading is a type of reading where the reader critically engages with the text in order to understand it, question it, evaluate it, and form an opinion about it. This is a method of reading where the reader must slow down and think through each step. The reader furthers their understanding of the text by writing as they read and by stopping to look up any unfamiliar words in a dictionary. Ultimately, after completing a close reading of a text, the reader has a set of notes to use in forming an opinion about the text.
2. What is the source’s argument or main point? What are your thoughts about the argument? In a sentence or two, summarize the source’s position. Then, using your own expertise about the topic grounded in the research you’ve been doing, respond to that position. You may agree or disagree entirely with the argument, but you’ll likely find yourself somewhere in between: agreeing in some ways, but disagreeing in others. Write down that response and explain your thinking.
3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the source? There is no perfect source, so each has its strengths and weaknesses. You can draw from these questions to determine what a source does well and where it falls short:
   • Has the author interpreted the material fairly?
   • Has the author defined terms clearly?
   • Does the writer support their point with good research and reasoning?
4. How does the source fit into the scholarly conversation on your topic? For this question, you want to think about how your source is situated within the whole body of scholarship on your topic. Does it contribute to new knowledge, support a consensus on the topic, or change the direction of the field? Even if you haven’t read extensively on your topic, your source will likely include a section where they discuss how they fit in with the existing body of scholarship, so you can use that as a starting point.