Analysis

What does it mean to analyse something?

To analyse something means to examine it in detail, explain and interpret it. Analysing sources means examining their components like arguments, claims, reasons, methods and evidence, and explaining how they work together to make a point or an argument.

In the context of critical thinking, analysis is a key preliminary step before evaluation. Good analysis ensures that your evaluation is founded on evidence and understanding, rather than on first impressions or superficial reasoning.

Mastering analysis will help you better understand how the authors of your sources approach problems, use evidence and formulate arguments. It will also help you to identify trends, patterns and gaps in your sources or in current research.

Description: Who? What? Where? When?

Analysis: How? Why?

Evaluation: So What? What If? What Next?

As shown in the diagram, description and simple analysis must precede evaluation, which is where critical analysis lies. With your evaluative skills you must be able to ask yourself what all the description and analysis actually means, what it says about the author or topic and what its implications are.

Critical analysis is associated with a "deep approach" to your learning, which means that you relate new knowledge to what you already know. It also requires the examination of theoretical concepts and ideas; comparing and contrasting issues and perspectives to challenge your own understandings and to speculate and seek out implications. Furthermore, you must be able to distinguish between what is evidence and what is an argument. This involves questioning assumptions, recognising generalisations, and identifying bias in what you see, read and hear. Thinking critically helps you to uncover links across large and diverse bodies of knowledge enabling you to synthesise your own informed ideas.

How do I start to think and analyse "critically"?

In an academic context, critical analysis requires you to do the following in all your endeavours:

• Provide informed reasoning backed by evidence and ideas from trustworthy academic resources such as books and peer-reviewed journal articles.

• Identify context, background and/or bias that may lead to distortion within what you read and hear.

• Identify and question unfounded assumptions.

• Explain the significance and consequences of particular data, arguments and conclusions made by others (Drew & Bingham 2001, pp. 281 - 282)

Questions to ask when critically analysing information

• What do I already know?

• What do I need to work out?

• Is this fact or opinion?

• What evidence do they use to back their claim?

• What are the stated and unstated assumptions in this information?

• Are there other ways we can think about this?

• Is it convincing and relevant?