Article Critique

General Directions

Using all library databases available, locate a journal article related to school leadership. Read it carefully and reflect on it, then follow the attached guidelines and rubric to help craft your critique. Articles should not be older than two years old.

Reading and Thinking:

• Read the article SLOWLY. Don’t criticize anything just yet. Try to really understand the author’s logic rather than questioning it.

• Mark key points and transitions as you read. Try to isolate at least one central point in each paragraph.

• Review introductory and closing sections closely. Think about how the author moves from opening statements to conclusions via the body of the article.

Writing:

• Begin your written analysis with a blanket statement summarizing what the author does in the article. Sometimes the author explicitly gives you his or her agenda in the introduction and/or in the conclusion. You should be able to relay this in one or (maybe) two sentences.

• Summarize the key ideas used by the author in achieving his or her agenda. Look at the parts of the article you have marked. Try to indicate how the author progresses from idea to idea in the article.

• List important evidence used to support key ideas in the article. Indicate why the author finds this evidence convincing.

Critiquing:

• Carefully describe any biased, illogical, or inappropriate use of evidence in the article. Take into account the author’s purpose and perspective, as any apparent misuse of evidence may be attributable to these factors.

• Note any avoidable lack of evidence in the article.

• Note the strong points of the article.

Finalizing:

• Proofread your writing. Read it aloud. Try to use active verbs and concise modifiers.

• Verify that your analysis would be helpful to someone who hadn’t read the article. Don’t assume that your reader can intuit what you mean by anything.