ESSAY 1? CRITIQUE of an academic article - BGSU Blogs

ESSAY 1 – CRITIQUE of an academic article
Dr. Ethan t. Jordan
GSW 1120
Draft due 1/23, Final Draft 2/3
In a similar vein as an essay in 1110 (the evaluation based on criteria), this paper asks you to
critique and evaluate a written academic article. This essay’s purpose is twofold – first, you will
be working to critically read and analyze a piece of writing and, second, you will be working
toward the kind of evaluation required for future essays in the course. In addition, the articles
read for this essay will carry over into your next, so it is vital to read them critically and
thoughtfully. Your paper will be using specific criteria to show your evaluation of the written
article and how effectively it meets its purpose according to the criteria you’ve chosen. This is
the same process you will use in future essays to determine whether or not the article chosen
is a good one to use as evidence.
Step 1 – Choose an article from the following:
“I Feel So Damn Lucky” (Peters 230-232)
“Fixed and Footloose: Work and Identity in the Twenty-First Century” (Huws 214-219)
“The Untouchables” (Friedman 238-241)
Step 2 – Re-read and annotate the article carefully
Step 3 – Write a short summary of the article (this will most likely be incorporated fully into
your essay, although it may need expanded or cut) – This summary will be completed as a
homework assignment
Step 4 – Choose your criteria for evaluation
You’ll want to determine the purpose and audience for the article – is it written to
persuade? Is it meant to inform? Is it written for an audience that requires specific
knowledge of jargon used? Does the author talk down to the audience?
Possible criteria:
Argumentation – is the author using the rhetorical strategies of ethos/logos/pathos? If
so, why? Is this an appropriate argumentative strategy for their purpose? This
isn’t about whether you agree or not, but whether the argument the author is
making helps the purpose and is appropriate for the audience.
Amount of Information – does the author present enough material to make the claims
persuasive? Does the author leave out vital info?
Quality of Information – does the author give information that is not related to the

purpose or audience? Does the information given seem credible? Does the
author contradict himself or herself?
Organization – does the author’s organizational strategy make sense for the purpose
and audience? Does the order of the piece make it difficult to see the author’s
argument clearly?
Authenticity – Is the author manipulating statistics or information to suit his or her
goals? Is the author credible? Is the evidence given appropriate for the audience
and purpose?
Language – Does the text have any style elements that help/hinder the purpose or seem
appropriate/inappropriate for the audience. For instance, if the author uses a
metaphor or gives an anecdote, does that seem to fit the author’s purpose in a
scientific report? Likewise, does the lack of interesting language make this a
difficult read? Does the author’s use of language make the piece more persuasive
or informative?
(adapted from C. Hoy)
Step 5 – Structure your essay to include:
(These individual sections can often be more than one paragraph in many cases.)
An introduction that gives the author, article title, and publication. Indicate the
author’s thesis (from the article), purpose, and intended audience. Have a
thesis statement that gives your evaluation of the article based on the
criteria chosen (3 or 4 criteria).
A summary of the article (from the one produced in class) – keep this short (less
than a paragraph or two) and only give readers an idea of the key points
and argument made.
Discussion and analysis of the article according to the three or four specific
criteria chosen. Clearly identify the individual criteria, your evaluation of
the article according to those individual criteria, and the specific examples
from the text used to support your evaluation. Use MLA citation to
include relevant quotations or paraphrasing as needed. This will be the
major component of the paper in building your own argument about the
text, so this will likely be three or more paragraphs long.
Counterargument of the overall evaluation. If the article is generally effective,
you’ll want to find one criterion to use to show an ineffective component
(and vice versa). For instance, if the article uses language powerfully,
makes a strong argument, and gives quality information, it may lack in
overall organization. You’ll want to refute this counterargument to show
that although the text has this specific weakness/strong point, it does not
take away from your overall evaluation of the piece.

A conclusion that reinforces your thesis based on the material you’ve discussed.
In other words, you’ll want to show, once more, that your evaluation of
the article based on the criteria chosen either meets or does not meet
the author’s purpose or works for the audience.
Step 6 – Give the paper a good read-through out loud – it may seem silly, but it really works. If
you are not the reading out loud type, save your paper as a separate document
and change the font to something unfamiliar to you and read!
Final Advice:
Make sure you deal with each criterion individually (can be more than one paragraph).
You’ll get more details in, and it will be easier to read).
Use metadiscourse to refer back to your thesis and evaluation – remind readers why
what you are presenting demonstrates your thesis.
Pull quotations as you read to make your work easier. Make a document for the article
and quote everything you feel is important, so that when it comes time to write,
you can copy and paste.
Timeline:
Your first draft is due on 1/23/2012 at the start of class. (Late drafts forfeit the right to instructor feedback.)
Your final draft is due on 2/3/2012 at the start of class.
You are unable to revise this essay again, so make it count!
Length:
The word count for this assignment is 1000-1500 words, or roughly 4 pages typed and double
spaced (shoot for the word count, not the page count). Double space your essay, use 1-inch
margins, and the page count is based on Times New Roman font. Center the title of your essay,
and please do not create a title page.
Final Packet Contents:
For the final draft of this essay, you will need to turn in:
- Your purple page for this essay (Audience and Values Exploration from portfolio)
- Your first draft of the essay with my comments (printed)
- Your final version of the essay (printed)
- Your yellow rubric page filled out with your name and paper info at top (from portfolio)
Need Additional help?
Bounce ideas off of the writing consultants at the Learning Commons
Make an appointment with me during office hours.
GOOD LUCK!