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    Writing Critiques and Review Papers: Some Organizing Questions To Get You Started

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    MELISA MARIE CLORES
    The document provides guidance on writing critiques and reviews of various works. It explains that a review critically examines another work and should include: [1] background on the author and work; [2] an overview of topics covered; [3] what the author did well/the work's contribution; and [4] analysis of areas for improvement. It offers questions to consider when reviewing like the work's purpose, conclusions, innovative aspects, strengths, and weaknesses. A sample review format is outlined containing an introduction, sections to place the work in context and summarize it, a section to evaluate it, and a conclusion.

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    Writing Critiques and Review Papers: Some Organizing Questions To Get You Started

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    MELISA MARIE CLORES
    57 views2 pages
    The document provides guidance on writing critiques and reviews of various works. It explains that a review critically examines another work and should include: [1] background on the author and work; [2] an overview of topics covered; [3] what the author did well/the work's contribution; and [4] analysis of areas for improvement. It offers questions to consider when reviewing like the work's purpose, conclusions, innovative aspects, strengths, and weaknesses. A sample review format is outlined containing an introduction, sections to place the work in context and summarize it, a section to evaluate it, and a conclusion.

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    The document provides guidance on writing critiques and reviews of various works. It explains that a review critically examines another work and should include: [1] background on the author and work; [2] an overview of topics covered; [3] what the author did well/the work's contribution; and [4] analysis of areas for improvement. It offers questions to consider when reviewing like the work's purpose, conclusions, innovative aspects, strengths, and weaknesses. A sample review format is outlined containing an introduction, sections to place the work in context and summarize it, a section to evaluate it, and a conclusion.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    57 views2 pages

    Writing Critiques and Review Papers: Some Organizing Questions To Get You Started

    Uploaded by

    MELISA MARIE CLORES
    The document provides guidance on writing critiques and reviews of various works. It explains that a review critically examines another work and should include: [1] background on the author and work; [2] an overview of topics covered; [3] what the author did well/the work's contribution; and [4] analysis of areas for improvement. It offers questions to consider when reviewing like the work's purpose, conclusions, innovative aspects, strengths, and weaknesses. A sample review format is outlined containing an introduction, sections to place the work in context and summarize it, a section to evaluate it, and a conclusion.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Writing Critiques and Review Papers

    A review of a book, movie, or theatrical performance depends upon a detailed breakdown of the
    reading or viewing experience. General comments such as "I really liked this book" or "This was
    a terrible movie" are not particularly useful in this kind of review because they don't offer any
    concrete reasons for the reviewer's opinion.

    A review, which is sometimes called a critique or an evaluative paper, critically and carefully
    examines another writer's work, almost like a peer review. Reviews usually provide 1) some
    general background about the author and the work, 2) an overview of the topics the author
    covers, 3) an acknowledgment of what the author does well or of the contribution the work has
    made to the field, and 4) an analysis of what could have be done better.

    Some Organizing Questions to Get You Started

    • What kind of work is it, and who is its intended audience?


    • What was the work about? Consider including a brief summary of the plots or the events
    described.
    • What seems to be the author's main purpose? To offer advice, make practical suggestions,
    solve a specific problem? To critique? To establish the truth?
    • What is the principal point, conclusion, thesis, contention, or question?
    • What patterns or categories does the work use to divide up the subject matter being
    discussed?
    • What is new, different, or controversial about the work in terms of the course text?
    • How does the work fit into its genre? In other words, how does it measure up to similar
    books/movies/performances/etc?
    • Did the author do anything innovative or creative? If so, what?
    • Was anything done exceptionally well? If so, what?
    • Was anything done exceptionally badly? If so, what?
    • What could have been done better? Are there any particular improvements you would
    have suggested?
    • For book reviews, consider the writing. Was the book well organized? Were the
    sentences easy to follow and to understand?
    • For movie reviews, consider people other than the director and actors who may have
    contributed to the film. In particular, think about costume designers, screenwriters, music
    directors, and cinematographers.
    • For reviews of plays and other performances, consider people other than the director and
    actor who may have contributed to the performance. In particular, think about costume
    designers, set designers (and builders!), playwrights, music directors, and lighting
    directors.

    A Sample Format for Reviews

    Introduction

    • Introduce the work fully (e.g., Author, title, publisher, year, # of pages).

    Temple University Writing Center www.temple.edu/wc 1


    • Briefly describe the kind of work being reviewed, its main subject, audience, purpose.
    • Summarize your evaluation, especially any problem or question you will tackle later.

    Section I

    • Place the work into some context--that of the course, your own experience, or the
    academic discipline, in terms of the problem the work addresses.

    Section II

    • Summarize the main points of the work, using paraphrase and quotation to highlight the
    contents.
    • Be sure to distinguish between your summary and your reaction to the text

    Section III

    • Evaluate the work by discussing it in terms of what you have learned about the subject
    from the course text and your own experience. Be critical; if you see problems with the
    author's argument or methods, note them.
    • How do the categories it uses compare to those of the course text? Do they extend the
    categories, conflict with them, argue with them?
    • How do the conclusions compare?

    Conclusion

    Synthesize the questions you raised in the previous section, so that you can place the work in the
    larger context of the issues raised by the course overall.

    Temple University Writing Center www.temple.edu/wc 2

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