Skip to Main Content

Online Study Skills Hub: Critical Thinking & Writing

Competencies essential for academic and professional success

What is critical thinking and writing

Critical Thinking and Writing involve analysing, evaluating, and synthesising information rather than simply describing it. It's about questioning assumptions, interpreting evidence, and forming well-reasoned conclusions.

Descriptive vs. Critical Writing:

  • Descriptive Writing: Merely presents facts, summarising information without analysis. It tells "what" happened, focusing on the surface level of the content.
  • Critical Writing: Goes beyond description by analysing, evaluating, and interpreting information. It addresses "why" and "how," considering different perspectives and questioning the validity of arguments.

Approach for Academic Writing:

To make writing academic, students should:

  • Engage with Sources: Critically assess the reliability, credibility, and relevance of sources. Don’t accept information at face value; instead, ask who the author is, what their perspective might be, and how evidence supports their claims.
  • Develop an Argument: Formulate a clear thesis and support it with evidence from credible sources. Analyse and synthesise information to build a coherent argument.
  • Use Evidence Thoughtfully: Integrate evidence that strengthens your argument while also considering counterarguments to demonstrate a balanced and critical perspective.

Theory Behind Questioning Sources:

Critical thinking is grounded in the theory that knowledge is not absolute. Academic writing values skepticism and inquiry, recognising that information is shaped by context, bias, and perspective. By questioning sources, students practice intellectual rigor, ensuring their work is well-supported, unbiased, and reflective of a deep understanding of the topic. This approach fosters independent thinking and contributes to more sophisticated and credible academic writing.

 

 

Developing your argument

Developing Your Argument 

In academic writing, you are often asked to put forth an argument that you maintain throughout your piece of written work. An argument is based on carefully reading and research around your subject area which is used to draw your own opinion or observation. This is how you convey to your reader that you have understood what you have read and have critically engaged with your topic as a whole. 

Firstly, you would need to structure your argument by considering your assignment brief carefully and doing some general reading to determine which position you will be taking when writing your assignment. 

Secondly, you should be able to sum up your argument in one sentence. This is your claim and it can form the basis of your topic sentence and be introduced in your introduction, developed throughout your writing and summed up in your conclusion at the end. 

Finally, take the evidence you have gathered into account in developing your own argument and make it clear to the reader what your viewpoint is, Consider both sides of the debate and acknowledge where your argument (and those of others) has strengths and weaknesses.

Examples of how to structure an argument:

In contrast to earlier findings no evidence of X was detected.

Women and men differ not only in physical attributes but also in the way in which they …

The effects of X on human health are similar to those of Y.

These results are similar to those reported by (Smith et al., 1999).

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing

To paraphrase is to take information from an outside source (a book, a journal etc.) and express it in an essay in your own words. A paraphrase uses around the same number of words as the original source, or fewer words than the original if you only wish to summarise the main ideas.

Shared language

It is important to identify ‘shared language’ when you are writing a paraphrase. Shared language refers to words or phrases in the original source that should remain the same – you don’t need to rewrite the shared language. Examples of shared language are:

  • Proper nouns, e.g. President Obama, New Zealand, the United Nations
  • Common nouns (when there is no suitable synonym for the term) e.g. elephant, bed, helicopter
  • Dates and figures, e.g. July, 18%, 1977, 5,800
  • Specialised language, e.g. blood pressure, endometriosis, economic recession

Steps to writing a paraphrase

  1. Read and understand the original source.
  2. Note down any shared language (see above) on another piece of paper.
  3. Note down the details of the original in point form on the same piece of paper as the shared language.
  4. Using your notes rather than the original, try to rewrite the information in your own words.

Things you should do

  • Change the vocabulary
  • Change the word forms
  • Keep a similar number of words as the original – (unless you are summarising)

Things you should avoid

  • Changing the meaning of the source
  • Adding new information
  • Changing the shared language
  • Using more than three words in a row from the original

Adapted from: Chin, P., Reid, S., Wray, S. and Yamazaki, Y., (2012) Academic Writing Skills: Student’s Book 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.