What is Critical Writing?

• How do I criticise the work of established

academics/practitioners?
– By reading other established academics/
practitioners that may have different views!
– By looking for practical evidence that may
support or refute the established theory.
 What is Critical Writing?
• How can I criticise other’s work?
– Check for logical coherency of the arguments.
– Are the reasons linked with each other and with the
conclusion?
– May the author be biased?
• Cultural, gender, professional biases, etc.
– Does the author clearly outline his/her theoretical
base?
– Are the author’s arguments supported by relevant
evidence and other people’s work?
– Are the author’s methods trustworthy?
 What is Critical Writing?
• Is critical writing about criticising other’s work?
– Yes but it is only a small part.
• It is also about:
– Integrating different sources of information (books,
articles, etc.) to provide a fuller picture of your topic.
– Telling a “story” of your topic:
• What are the key themes, arguments and conclusions?
• How were they developed?
• Do the authors in the area agree/disagree with each other?
• What does the theory in your topic mean for practice?
– Providing practical evidence to illustrate and support
your arguments.
 Key thing in critical writing is:

Wide and critical reading!