What is meant by critical?
At university, to be critical does not mean to criticise in a negative manner. Rather it requires you to question the information and opinions in a text and present your evaluation or judgement of the text. To do this well, you should attempt to understand the topic from different perspectives (i.e. read related texts) and in relation to the theories, approaches and frameworks in your course.
What is meant by evaluation or judgement?
Here you decide the strengths and weaknesses of a text. This is usually based on specific criteria. Evaluating requires an understanding of not just the content of the text, but also an understanding of a text’s purpose, the intended audience and why it is structured the way it is.
What is meant by analysis?
Analysing requires separating the content and concepts of a text into their main components and then understanding how these interrelate, connect and possibly influence each other.
Reading the Book
It is best, when writing a book review, to be an active reader of the book. Sit at a desk with pen and paper in hand. As you read, stop frequently to summarize the argument, to note particularly clear statements of the book’s argument or purpose, and to describe your own responses. If you have read in this active way, putting together the book review should be quick and straightforward. Take particular note of the title (does the book deliver what the title suggests it is going to deliver?), the table of contents (does the book cover all the ground you think it should?), the preface (often the richest source of information about the book), and the index (is it accurate, broad, deep?).
The Research paper on Contemporary Marketing Book Text Chapter
ANALYZING "CONTEMPORARY MARKETING WIRED' ANALYZING "CONTEMPORARY MARKETING WIRED' Essay, Research Paper 163 STUDENT ID# ANALYZING "CONTEMPORARY MARKETING WIRED' WITH THE USE OF ADDLER AND VAN DOREN'S "HOW TO READ' Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements of BUS 120 Principles of Marketing DUE DATE: Thursday, February 5, 1998 PLEASE NOTE: Submittal Time is of the Essence ...
Some questions to keep in mind as you are reading:
* What is the book’s argument?
* Does the book do what it says it is going to do?
* Is the book a contribution to the field or discipline?
* Does the book relate to a current debate or trend in the field and if so, how?
* What is the theoretical lineage or school of thought out of which the book rises?
* Is the book well-written?
* What are the books terms and are they defined?
* How accurate is the information (e.g., the footnotes, bibliography, dates)?
* Are the illustrations helpful? If there are no illustrations, should there have been?
* Who would benefit from reading this book?
* How does the book compare to other books in the field?
* It can be worthwhile to do an on-line search to get a sense for the author’s history, other books,
* University appointments, graduate advisor, and so on. This can provide you with useful context.
STRUCTURE OF BOOK REPORT
Introduction
* A general description of the book: title, author, subject, and format. Here you can include details about who the author is and where he/she stands in this field of inquiry. You can also link the title to the subject to show how the title explains the subject matter.
* A brief summary of the purpose of the book and its general argument or theme. Include a statement about for whom the book is intended.
* Your thesis about the book: is it a suitable/appropriate piece of writing about the problem for the audience it has identified?
Body
* A summary of the intended purpose of the book and how it contributes to improving academic life and operations and to the discipline of college planning generally.
Johnny Tremaine Essay Book Part Author
PLOT OUTLINE By: Ivan Tarnawsky This book starts in the pre-revolutionary time. At the beginning of the book, Johnny T remain, is working as an apprentice to Mr. Lapham. Mr. Lapham is a blacksmith. Johnny's parents died in a fire several years before, and this is why he lived with the Laphams. He worked there with enthusiasm for several years until he hurt his arm, scolding it in hot metal. After ...
* A description of the way the author approaches his or her topic, the rigor of the research and scholarship, the logic of the argument, and the readability of the prose.
* A comparison with earlier or similar books in the field to place the book in the existing literature.
* An evaluation of the book’s merits, usefulness, and special contributions, along with shortcomings you think are necessary to point out.
* What is the writer’s style: simple/technical; persuasive/logical? How well does the organizational method (comparison/contrast; cause/effect; analogy; persuasion through example) develop the argument or theme of the book? Give examples to support your analysis.
* What evidence does the book present to support the argument? Give examples: maps, charts, essays by experts, quotations, newspaper clippings.
* How convincing is this evidence?
* How complete is the argument? Are there facts and evidence that the author has neglected to consider?
* Here you may use a comparable book on the same topic to illustrate what has been omitted.
Conclusion
* This is usually a very short paragraph.
* Restate your overall opinion of the text.
* Briefly present recommendations.
* If necessary some further qualification or explanation of your judgement can be included. This can help your critique sound fair and reasonable.
References
* If you have used other sources in you review you should also include a list of references at the end of the review.
Questions to ask yourself after you are complete:
* Does my introduction clearly set out who the author is, what the book is about, and what I think about the value of the book?
* Have I clearly presented all the facts about the book: title, author, publication details, and content summary?
* Is my review well organized with an easily identifiable structure?
* Have I represented the book’s organizational structure and argument fairly and accurately?
Book Review On Tavris The Mis
Carol Tavris's The Mismeasure of Women offers the reader insight into the inequality and problems women face in society. I approached this book with the assumption that it would glorify women and belittle men. I figured that the author would blame all the problems women face on men. After completing the book I had a very different opinion. The author looked to society for the actual source of ...
* Have I presented evidence from the book to back up statements I have made about the author, his/her purpose, and the structure, research and argument of the book?
* Have I presented a balanced argument about the value of the book for its audience? (Harsh judgements are difficult to prove and show academic intolerance.)
