With Session 1 underway, you may be going through your course outline ready to start your assessments early.
Doing this, you may come across a new term that you haven’t heard before – critically analyse. You may also think you may have heard it before, but the meaning escapes you.
After a quick google search it seems like there are many different variations on how to critically analyse materials and apply these ideas in your assessment. It can be very confusing so to save you time we have a quick overview of what it means to critically analyse and how it can be utilised.
What does it mean to Critically Analyse?
There are two parts to be successful at critically analysing. The first is to be able to critically read and then be able to critically write.
Critically Reading
It is important to be able to develop ideas about your reading that are separate from that of the author. Always look at other articles or research reports in the area to develop your own opinion. To evaluate information, it is important to ask a series of questions, such as:
– Is the research objective? Is there any evidence of bias?
– How have other writers or researchers investigated the same topic?
– Are there any areas that were not well covered or delved into?
Afterwards, it is important to think about how other information relates to what you have just written. This will assist you with identifying and contextualising ideas to create a concrete foundation and base your ideas upon.
How do I perform a Critical Analysis?
Critical analysis can be applied to a huge variety of assessments. This can include an essay, a report, presentations or throughout the term in discussion posts.
To critically analyse a piece of writing, it is important to understand what the piece of writing is telling you. By identifying the thesis statement and the main points, it will help in developing your own ideas and stance.
Once you begin writing, you will now need to provide evidence from the text to support your analysis. To cross analyse a piece of work or ideas, it is even suggested that the writer utilises the works of others to provide an in-depth discussion.
One last important tip is to avoid using personal pronouns when writing. A good way to remember this is to remind yourself that you are writing this piece of work and the reader will already know that this is written by you. Keep the focus on the subject of your analysis and you will have a great critically analysed piece of work.
If you need further assistance check out CSU’s Study Support and Advice page.
