Critical Reading

1. Critical Reading Brought to you by Ryerson’s Learning Success Centre and Jessica Barr

2. What is Critical Reading? • Critical Readers: • Evaluate what they read in terms of the accuracy and credibility of the content. • Engage actively in the process of reading to improve comprehension and retention.

3. Why is it Important? • Improves your judgment of sources • Improves your credibility • Improves your research skills • Improves your comprehension • Improves your retention

4. How do I do it? • Step 1: Set aside your own biases • Step 2: Carefully select the sources you read • Step 3: Carefully evaluate the content • Step 4: Use an effective reading process

5. Step 1: Setting Aside Biases • What is a bias? • A bias is a flaw in reasoning that causes errors of judgment. To read effectively at the post-secondary level, one must strive to eliminate errors of judgment. Therefore, one must strive to remove the biases that cause them. • The first step is to identify what biases we may have and only then can we strive to remove them.

6. Types of Bias What does the critical reader do? • Seeks evidence that conflicts with her/his judgment. • Avoids hastily equating information with evidence and seeks alternative viewpoints. • Sifts through the “noise” to focus on only the relevant information that can be used. • Favours cold hard facts over subjective accounts.

7. Types of Bias There are many biases. Your job, as critical readers, is to do the following: • Be aware of the importance of bias • Identify your own biases • Understand how biases create errors in thought • Work hard to suppress your biases as you read

8. Step 2: Selecting Sources • Ask these questions when selecting a source. If the answer is ever “No”, then exercise caution: • Is the author known? Trustworthy? • Does the author have relevant qualifications? • Is the publisher known, reputable? • Is it in an academic journal? Peer reviewed? • It is current? • Is there a motive involved? (e.g. selling something)

9. Selecting Sources • The best way to be confident in the sources you choose to read is to consult with the librarian or use the library databases to search for sources. Professors and T.A.s can also help! • For other sources, such as general internet sources, you will have to do your own evaluation. Your checklist should include: • Are the author's qualifications, such as education, occupation or position listed? • Does the publication include a reference list or bibliography showing that the author has researched the topic? • If the author is a group, educational institution or government body, is it known to be knowledgeable about the subject? • Based on the date of publication, will the facts or opinions given in this publication be outdated for your purposes?

10. Step 3: Evaluating Content • Ask these questions when evaluating the content of a reading: • What is the author’s purpose? • Who is the intended audience? • What is the author’s main idea? • How is the text organized? • What evidence is used? • What is the author’s tone?

11. a) Author’s Purpose • Is it clear? • Does the author want to persuade you? • Did the author actually persuade you?

12. b) Intended Audience • Are you part of the intended audience? • Is the language suitable for you? • What assumptions has the author made about her/his audience?

13. c) Author’s Main Idea • Is there a main idea or thesis stated? • What is it? • What ideas are included that relate to the thesis? • Do all the passages relate to the thesis? • Are there contradictions?

14. d) Organization • Does the reading have an organizational pattern? • Is it well organized? • Is it confusing?

15. e) Evidence • What kinds of evidence are used? • Are they effective? • Are they credible? • Are they varied? • Are assertions backed up with evidence?

16. f) Tone • What is the author’s tone? • Does the tone distract from or enhance the reading? • Were there recurring themes and use of language? What were they? • Does the author rely on tricks of persuasion (e.g. emotional language)?

17. Tone: Omissions • Many authors will attempt to persuade you by presenting only one side of an issue and fail to acknowledge opposing views. • This is misleading and poor scholarship and you should read such authors with caution.

18. Step 4: The Critical Reading Process • Reading for pleasure vs. reading critically…

19. The SQ3R Method:An Active Reading Strategy • Survey • Question • Read • Recite • Review

20. Survey • Before reading: • Skim the introduction and conclusions. • Skim through the main body of the reading looking for topic headings, bold-faced words, pictures, charts, and graphs. • This “preview” can give you an idea of the general structure and content before you begin reading.

21. Question • During the Survey phase, write questions that come to mind on cue cards (one question per cue card) • Questions can come from anywhere – a critical reading checklist, questions about content, questions for further inquiry, etc.

22. Read! (Actively) • Well-defined purpose: to answer the questions you wrote on the cue cards • As you come across answers to your questions, write them on the back of the corresponding cue cards

23. Recite • Once the reading is finished, take your cue cards and read questions and answers out loud for a quick review • This will help you to learn the material in a different way – through speech and hearing.

24. Review • Organize your cue cards and/or reading notes so that they are easy to find. • Periodically review throughout the semester – a very effective strategy for long-term learning.

25. Summary • Remember the four steps to critical reading: • Step 1: Set aside your own biases • Step 2: Carefully select the sources you read • Step 3: Carefully evaluate the content • Step 4: Use an effective reading process

26. Summary • Your goal as a university student, among others, is to become a discerning consumer of information, an active participant in your learning. • Engaging in the steps to critical reading will help you to fulfill this goal!