How to Write a Critique Paper

You can write a critique paper about many types of books or articles.

After you read a book or article, you can write a critique about it. Critique basically means studying and analyzing the text in a critical way. You can talk about aspects of the book or article that worked or that were enjoyable to read, but the focus of the paper is on how the work could be improved and what needed further elaboration. Another way to describe a critique paper is a review of the book or article. Most books and articles that are critiques are works of nonfiction written to make an argument or prove a point.

Instructions

1. Introduce the work you're going to critique in the first sentence of the paper. You should introduce the work by giving the title, the author's first and last name and a summary of the author's thesis statement, or argument of the work.

2. Outline the author's major points in the next few sentences. List the points he uses to back up what he's trying to prove, including any evidence that's used in the argument.

3. Discuss the author's findings in the next few paragraphs. Focus on areas where the author could have improved the work, such as gathering more current evidence, acknowledging counterarguments, reorganizing his argument in a more logical way or finding evidence from more reliable sources.

4. Decide whether the author was successful in proving his argument. Include this information in the conclusion of the critique paper. Explain why or why not the author was successful. Even if the author could have improved his argument and used better methods, you may still feel that he proved his point. Remember, a critique paper is all about your interpretation and point of view.

References

• University of Waterloo: How to Write a Critique Paper