Critical Thinking

Your tutors and assessors will expect your points to be supported by relevant evidence from the research you have done. This may include statistics, quotations from specialists or even diagrams which should be chosen to help understanding of the points you are making. You will therefore have to assess the information you read and check that it is supported by evidence. According to Cottrell (2019, p. 259) you should look out for "statistics, examples, case histories, findings from experiments, surveys, questionnaires, case studies and details of events and sources." These may be a mixture of primary research where the writer is referring to the research they have carried out e.g. an interview or secondary research where the writer is referring to research that has already been done by someone else. Clues such as in-text citations or reference lists will help you to spot how much evidence is included.

You will also need to look out for techniques used by writers to encourage you to follow their line of thinking which may not be based on facts/evidence. These include statements founded on personal experience and nothing else, using emotional or passionate language to persuade you of their way of thinking or the inclusion of personal bias. If you feel the information you are reading may not be based on solid evidence, try cross-referencing it with another source and see if the same conclusions are made with evidence to support them. Remember that your tutor will look at the items in your reference list and will expect them to be well chosen, so choose the sources you use in your work wisely.

Complete the Evidence versus opinion quiz below (this will open in a new window/tab) to learn more about how to recognise evidence-based statements and assertive opinions. See if you can recognise examples of: passionate language, personal bias or statements where the line of reasoning is not clear. When you have finished, return to this page by clicking the link at the end of the quiz.

Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Grove Press.

When it comes to writing your assignments, you will have to show critical analysis within your work. By researching the subject critically, this will be easier as you have been analysing and evaluating throughout the information stage. Critical writing has certain characteristics which sets it apart from descriptive writing. Critical writing responds appropriately to instructional words e.g if the brief asks for you to assess something, it wants you to evaluate/show the value of something within the writing rather than just repeating what you have found out. Planning helps to develop critical writing skills as structuring information in a logical order shows you understand the importance of the information you are addressing. It is important to plan both the assignment as a whole and each individual paragraph.

Complete the corresponding quiz below to find out more about what critical writing should look like.

Critical research involves asking questions of what you read rather than just copying it and accepting it without analysis. Look at the slides below on 'Critical Questions' to find out the types of questions you could ask about what you read, see and hear.

Your written work will be separated into paragraphs and each of these will need to follow a set structure. A good paragraph structure enables analysis and demonstrates your critical thinking.

The main body of a paragraph needs to include:

• A topic sentence (or main idea sentence) that states your point

• An explanation of the point you are making which could include clarification of any key terms or abstract terms

• Evidence: Your point should be supported by some form of evidence from the research you have completed.

• Comment: This evidence will need to be analysed to show you understand it and how it relates to your point. You can do this by commenting on the significance or the impact of the evidence

• A concluding sentence that brings the paragraph to a close and shows you are considering the evidence in relation to the question

Complete the activities below to learn more about writing critical paragraphs.