Article analysis

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Outline for Formal Written Critique I

Three written critiques are assigned throughout the course, each worth 10 percent.

Critiques must be submitted at the class. Written critiques will not be accepted

subsequently, except under extraordinary circumstances. Following the return of the

graded critique, a corrected version must be re-submitted. Failure to submit the corrected

version will incur a 25 percent discount on the assigned grade.

Each critique assignment is a bit different. This is Outline only for Critique 1. The

intention is to evolve your communication and analysis with new challenges for each

critique.

1. Critiques must be type written. 2. Length is minimum 550 words, maximum 650 words plus a cover page. 3. All text must be double-spaced. 4. All margins are 1 inch (2.5 cm). 5. All text must be in 12-point pitch. 6. Cover page requires paper title, student name and number, course section and word

count.

Here are some helpful

style points: write in the

third-person, present tense,

do not use contractions,

avoid colloquial

expressions, and be

succinct. Never use two

words when one will do,

avoid superlatives unless

really deserved, and keep

your paragraph length to

five or six crisp sentences.

Avoid repetition,

redundancy and run-on

sentences. Any sentence

over 25 words is likely

better expressed as two sentences. Be precise in word use: that and which are not the

same; because, as and since mean different things. Above all, make every word count.

Critique I Guidelines

The content of the critique should be divided roughly into four parts: a brief synopsis of

the paper, comments on the strengths of the paper, comments on the weaknesses that

could be improved, and a section in which you outline key findings or issues that you

have learned from the paper. In terms of the reader, assume that you are providing an

opinion on an article for your future boss.

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Evaluation Ideas

Abstract

An abstract is an encapsulation of the paper:

• What is the paper about (scope)? • What did the author(s) want to do (objectives)? • How did they go about doing it (methodology)? • What did they find (conclusion)?

If you were to write a sentence or two to answer each of these questions, you would have

the essence of an abstract.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Here are some questions you can consider as you prepare the critique of the paper:

1. Is the article well written and easily understood with clear objectives and reasonable conclusions?

2. Does the author(s) address a tangible problem in society and provide an insightful discussion?

3. Does the author(s) present convincing data and other evidence to support their position?

4. Is the methodology technically sound and appropriate for the data collected? 5. Does the author(s) make a useful contribution to the knowledge of transportation

and could it have long term value?

6. Does the author(s) make good use of the diagrams, figures or data to support their arguments? Are any missing, that should be there?

7. Do the conclusions flow from the material presented in the paper?

What did you learn?

This is your opportunity to assess the intrinsic value of the paper from your own

perspective.

Pace yourself

“The first draft of anything is shit”

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

American novelist, short-story writer, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954

An important part of writing a good critique is proper planning. Sometimes people leave

writing assignments until the night before the deadline. Do not do it! Submitting a

rushed, first draft results in poor learning and low-quality critiques. Worse still, it is

obvious in the product you will produce. Give yourself adequate time to write, refine,

and re-write. A first draft can always be improved – try to complete the first draft at least

three days before the deadline