More Meaningful Reading

Today's topic: Critical Reading

Critical reading means using critical thinking skills as we read.  It is a crucial step toward better writing (and, of course, better understanding of the material we read).  Many people underestimate the importance of close, careful reading.  This can lead to ineffective, shallow, or even plagiarized use of source material.  In this week's post, I offer you some quick tips for better reading.

1.) Play devil's advocate.  Don't automatically accept what you read at face value.  Granted, much of what you will read for class is peer-reviewed and published, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's perfect.  Flex your brain and put the author's arguments to the test.  Have an internal dialogue with him or her.  Ask questions like:

• What reasons does the author give to support his or her point of view?  Do these stand up to scrutiny?
• How current and reliable are the author's references?
• What objections might be raised to the author's point of view?
• Does the author seem to have an agenda?  What might that mean for the validity of his or her point of view?
• What are the author's qualifications?
• What are the author's unstated assumptions?  Are they acceptable?
• What are the gaps in the literature?  What's missing?  What other research should be done in this area?

This kind of inquiry is a crucial skill.  It can be especially important if you are preparing to write a literature review.  In that case, you'd need to consider some additional questions to critique the articles you are reading.  Here are a few examples, borrowed from Dr. Susan Frazier's terrific PowerPoint presentation on lit reviews (available on the Blackboard Writing Resources site):

• What are the results?  Are they credible?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the study?
• Is the problem/area significant?  It is relevant?
• Is the theoretical framework appropriate and clearly explained?
• Are gaps in knowledge clearly identified?
• Does the research purpose and specific aims/research question logically arise from the review of the literature?
• Are the chosen design and sample size appropriate and justified?

These are just a few examples, by no means a comprehensive list.

2.) Read meaningfully--analyze and synthesize.  As I've said before, good writing goes beyond simple summary and explanation.  Good writing involves analysis and synthesis of ideas, and the same is true of good reading.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, synthesis is the process of combining elements and drawing conclusions accordingly.  Nurses do it every day as they care for patients.  For example, let's say that an ER triage nurse is confronted with three patients.  One has terrible abdominal pain and is sweating profusely.  One has a high fever and has been throwing up.  One has a stab wound to the shoulder.  The nurse would have to look at 1.) the details of each patient's case--not only signs and symptoms, but also age, gender, medical history, etc.--and combine that information with 2.) her education--the knowledge she gained in nursing school and 3.) her experience--the knowledge and instincts she has gained from years of experience treating patients.  The nurse needs all three of these elements in order to make an informed decision.  This is a real-life example of synthesis.

Synthesis is also a vital part of reading and writing.  Since I mentioned literature reviews earlier, and since I know a lot of writers struggle with this kind of manuscript, let me offer this definition of lit review from M. Ling Pan's 2004 book Preparing Literature Reviews (I added the boldface for emphasis):

"...a synthesis of the literature on a topic.  To create the synthesis, one must first interpret and evaluate individual pieces of literature.  Then, the ideas and information they contain must be integrated and restated in order to create a new, original written work" (Pan, 2004, p. 1).

This process of interpretation, evaluation, and integration is true for literature reviews.  It is also true in many, many other types of writing.  That process of synthesis begins as you read through your source material.

 As you read, consider:

• How do this author's ideas compare with those of other authors who have written on this topic?
• How do the author's ideas compare with my own personal experience? 
• How do they compare with the experiences of my classmates, and the ideas I've heard in class discussions?  
• How do they compare with my professor's point of view?

You can also consider the context in which the author is writing--historical context, political context, healthcare-policy context, etc.  Think about the relationships between the ideas the author is expressing and the ideas of others.   

3.) Take good notes--you might even try using freewriting and/or clustering techniques as you read.  See my earlier post on conquering writer's block for specifics on freewriting and clustering.  It's crucial to take good notes as you read.  You can make these as formal or informal as you like; what works for one writer won't work as well for another.  The point is to write down your thoughts and questions and opinions as you go.  If something catches your attention, it can be a good idea to stop there and do a quick, five minute freewrite or cluster about it.  This can help ward off writer's block before you even get to the writing stage.  It can help you narrow down a topic, work out the answer to a puzzling question, decide whether you agree or disagree with the author's point, or finally come to understand a concept that eluded you until now.

In a nutshell, read meaningfully.  Don't take everything you read as gospel.  Ask questions, and think about how the ideas you're reading about might relate to other ideas.  If you can become a better reader, you will be well on your way to becoming a better writer as well. 

I hope you found this post helpful.  Happy scribbling!