So, you are asked to critique a research paper of another student. Do you feel a bit confused at the moment? Most likely, you do. First, you do not feel like giving negative comments on someone’s “great job”. Second, you are not sure how to critique research papers correctly.
Well, do not worry. We have solutions to both of your problems.
- There is nothing special about commenting the work of another student. Keep in mind that you are not going to say something negative about the work of this student or his/her thinking abilities. Your major mission is to help this student improve the paper.
- If you have some doubts on how to critique research papers, use the tips presented below.
Well, here are some essential steps you should take in order not to leave empty comments on the research paper margins but make a proper research paper critique.
Step 1
Start your research paper critique with reading the whole paper, trying to get its general purpose and meaning. Make sure the paper is focused and answers its main research question.
Step 2
At this stage of your research paper critique, you should go back to the research paper introduction. Check whether it has a thesis statement. Is it clear and strong enough?
Step 3
Now, you can pass to the body paragraphs. At this stage of your research paper critique, you have to pay attention to the following:
- body paragraphs should refer to the thesis statement;
- body paragraphs should have one main point;
- body paragraphs should be well-supported.
Step 4
After that, read the concluding paragraph. What does it tell about the author’s findings?
Step 5
Pay attention to research paper citations. It should be mentioned in your research paper critique if the author does not cite some sources.
Read more
Most probably, you have nothing to do with
So, you have to prepare a
You like watching movies, and we are sure you have seen more films than you have read books. However, you do not feel the same enthusiastic about writing essays.