What is Critical Reading?

Critical Reading involves scrutinizing any information that you read or hear. Critical reading means not easily believing information
offered to you by a text. “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and
consider” as Francis Bacon stated in The Essays.
Critical Reading is an active process of discovery because when you read critically, you are not just receiving information but also
making an interaction with the writer. The interaction happens when you question the writer’s claims and assertions and when you comment on
the writer’s ideas.
The following requirement in critical thinking (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson (2006) ;
 The ability to pose problematic questions
 The ability to analyze a problem in all its dimensions-to define its key terms, determine its causes, understand its history, appreciate its
human dimension and its connection to one’s own personal experience, and appreciate what makes it problematic or complex
 The ability to find, gather, and interpret data, facts, and other information relevant to the problem
 The ability to analyze competing approaches and answers, to construct arguments for and against alternatives, and to choose the best
solution in the light of values, objectives, and other criteria that you determine and articulate
 The ability to write an effective argument justifying your choice while acknowledging counter– arguments

The following are some suggested ways to help you become a critical reader.
1. Annotate what you read– One of the ways to interact with the writer is to write on the text. You can underline, circle, or highlight words,
phrases, or sentences that contain important details, or you can write marginal notes asking questions or commenting on the ideas of the
writer. There are no clear and definite guidelines to annotating a text; you can create your own style. For instance, you can circle
unfamiliar words or underline ideas that you think are questionable.
2. Outline the text– In order to fully engage in a dialogue with the text or with the writer of the text, you need to identify the main points of the
writer and list them down so you can also identify the ideas that the writer has raised to support his/her stand, You don't necessarily have to
write a structures sentence or topic outline for this purpose; you can just write in bullet or in numbers.
3. Summarize the text– aside from outlining, you can also get the main points of the text you are reading and write its gist in your own words. This
will test how much you have understood the text and will help you evaluate it critically. A summary is usually one paragraph long.
4. Evaluate the text– The most challenging part in critical reading is the process of evaluating what you are reading. This is the point where the
other three techniques—annotating, outlining, summarizing– will be helpful. When you evaluate a text, you question the author’s purpose
and intentions, as well as his/her assumptions in the claims. You also check if the arguments are supported by the evidence and if the evidence
are valid and are from credible resources.
5. Questioning the text
Questioning the text involves asking specific questions on points that you are skeptical about. These may be topics that do not meet your
expectations or agree with your personal views. Alternately, you should also take note of things that you found impressive. The following
may be asked:
 What type of audience is addressed?
 What are the writer’s assumptions?
 What are the writer’s intentions?
 How well does the writer accomplish these?
 How convincing is the evidence presented?
 How reliable are the sources? Are they based on personal experience, scientific data, or outside authorities?
 Did the writer address opposing views on the issue?
 Is the writer persuasive in his/her perspective?
6. Keeping a reading journal
A reading journal is similar to keeping a diary, except you are writing your feelings and ideas in reaction to your reading assignment.
This process allows you to develop your impressions of the text and connect them to your personal experiences. This allows you to better relate
the essay and understand the author’s ideas.