Critical thinking

Critical thinking involves:

• making judgements and backing them up with evidence

• asking the hows and whys, not just the whats

• questioning everything you hear and read

• taking nothing for granted

• backing up everything you say

• structuring clear, sound arguments

Different assignments use different critical thinking skills. You can show your skills by:

• giving examples and explanations

• drawing comparisons

• considering alternative approaches

• discussing strengths and weaknesses

• making links to practice

Different disciplines focus on different skills:

• e.g. diagnosis, patient/client assessment, experiment design, hypothesis generation

• learning the kind of critical thinking important to your discipline will help you become a safe and effective professional

Study guide (opens in another tab) produced by Plymouth University.

Critical thinking advice for students (opens in another tab) produced by the University of Sydney.