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Mini-module: Quick Guide to Critical Writing

The top ten tips for showing critical thinking in your writing. This mini-module is for you if you are being a critical thinker, but you are not sure how to show this in your writing.

First Tip:
Show more than one source 

Two rivers joiningPage 3 of 13

Read more than one source and notice the similarities and differences. Show this in your writing. Show connections or contrasts between authors / groups, then use this to support a point you are making.  Here is what you can do:

  1. Find similarities so that you can group authors together. (This is sometimes called synthesis.) 
  2. Bring an opposing view into the paragraph. This shows that you are aware that there is more than one point of view.
  3. Conclude with a combination of both

For example:

  1. Mortimer (2012) and Pike (2013) recommend studying at home [Shows that there is a group with one view]
  2. Brown (1999) and Johnson (2007) encourage studying at the library [Shows another group with an opposing view]
  3. It appears that it is better to study at home usually, but at the library when doing research [Conclusion and Synthesis]

Also compare these:

Smith and Jones both think the main issue is X in contrast to Brown and Black who emphasise Y. [Shows that there are two different groups of authors who disagree about an issue]

Smith thinks X. Brown thinks Y. [Not very good. Just reports two authors' views without synthesis]

Our results contradict the findings of Brown (1999) and Smith (2005). However ... [Shows synthesis]

How does this help you to show critical thinking?

It gives you an opportunity to show that you have actively processed, understood, and engaged with what you have read (rather than just repeating it). It also indicates that you have read widely, giving readers a positive feeling about your engagement. 

 

Quick practice activity for using more than one source

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