Student Resources Study Guides and Tips How to Write an Article Critique Tips for Writing a Psychology Critique Paper By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." Learn about our editorial process Updated on November 01, 2023 Fact checked Verywell Mind content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Emily Swaim Fact checked by Emily Swaim Emily is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, Vox, and Verywell. Learn about our editorial process Print Cultura RM / Gu Cultura / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Steps for Writing a Critique Evaluating the Article How to Write It Helpful Tips Trending Videos Close this video player An article critique involves critically analyzing a written work to assess its strengths and flaws. If you need to write an article critique, you will need to describe the article, analyze its contents, interpret its meaning, and make an overall assessment of the importance of the work. Critique papers require students to conduct a critical analysis of another piece of writing, often a book, journal article, or essay. No matter your major, you will probably be expected to write a critique paper at some point. For psychology students, critiquing a professional paper is a great way to learn more about psychology articles, writing, and the research process itself. Students will analyze how researchers conduct experiments, interpret results, and discuss the impact of the results. At a Glance An article critique involves making a critical assessment of a single work. This is often an article, but it might also be a book or other written source. It summarizes the contents of the article and then evaluates both the strengths and weaknesses of the piece. Knowing how to write an article critique can help you learn how to evaluate sources with a discerning eye. Steps for Writing an Effective Article Critique While these tips are designed to help students write a psychology critique paper, many of the same principles apply to writing article critiques in other subject areas. Your first step should always be a thorough read-through of the material you will be analyzing and critiquing. It needs to be more than just a casual skim read. It should be in-depth with an eye toward key elements. To write an article critique, you should: Read the article, noting your first impressions, questions, thoughts, and observationsDescribe the contents of the article in your own words, focusing on the main themes or ideasInterpret the meaning of the article and its overall importanceCritically evaluate the contents of the article, including any strong points as well as potential weaknesses Evaluating the Article The following guidelines can help you assess the article you are reading and make better sense of the material. Read the Introduction Section of the Article Start by reading the introduction. Think about how this part of the article sets up the main body and how it helps you get a background on the topic. Is the hypothesis clearly stated? Is the necessary background information and previous research described in the introduction? In addition to answering these basic questions, note other information provided in the introduction and any questions you have. Read the Methods Section of the Article Is the study procedure clearly outlined in the methods section? Can you determine which variables the researchers are measuring? Remember to jot down questions and thoughts that come to mind as you are reading. Once you have finished reading the paper, you can then refer back to your initial questions and see which ones remain unanswered. Read the Results Section of the Article Are all tables and graphs clearly labeled in the results section? Do researchers provide enough statistical information? Did the researchers collect all of the data needed to measure the variables in question? Make a note of any questions or information that does not seem to make sense. You can refer back to these questions later as you are writing your final critique. Read the Discussion Section of the Article Experts suggest that it is helpful to take notes while reading through sections of the paper you are evaluating. Ask yourself key questions: How do the researchers interpret the results of the study? Did the results support their hypothesis? Do the conclusions drawn by the researchers seem reasonable? The discussion section offers students an excellent opportunity to take a position. If you agree with the researcher's conclusions, explain why. If you feel the researchers are incorrect or off-base, point out problems with the conclusions and suggest alternative explanations. Another alternative is to point out questions the researchers failed to answer in the discussion section. Begin Writing Your Own Critique of the Paper Once you have read the article, compile your notes and develop an outline that you can follow as you write your psychology critique paper. Here's a guide that will walk you through how to structure your critique paper. Introduction Begin your paper by describing the journal article and authors you are critiquing. Provide the main hypothesis (or thesis) of the paper. Explain why you think the information is relevant. Thesis Statement The final part of your introduction should include your thesis statement. Your thesis statement is the main idea of your critique. Your thesis should briefly sum up the main points of your critique. Article Summary Provide a brief summary of the article. Outline the main points, results, and discussion. When describing the study or paper, experts suggest that you include a summary of the questions being addressed, study participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, and study design. Don't get bogged down by your summary. This section should highlight the main points of the article you are critiquing. Don't feel obligated to summarize each little detail of the main paper. Focus on giving the reader an overall idea of the article's content. Your Analysis In this section, you will provide your critique of the article. Describe any problems you had with the author's premise, methods, or conclusions. You might focus your critique on problems with the author's argument, presentation, information, and alternatives that have been overlooked. When evaluating a study, summarize the main findings—including the strength of evidence for each main outcome—and consider their relevance to key demographic groups. Organize your paper carefully. Be careful not to jump around from one argument to the next. Arguing one point at a time ensures that your paper flows well and is easy to read. Conclusion Your critique paper should end with an overview of the article's argument, your conclusions, and your reactions. More Tips When Writing an Article Critique As you are editing your paper, utilize a style guide published by the American Psychological Association, such as the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Reading scientific articles can be challenging at first. Remember that this is a skill that takes time to learn but that your skills will become stronger the more that you read. Take a rough draft of your paper to your school's writing lab for additional feedback and use your university library's resources. What This Means For You Being able to write a solid article critique is a useful academic skill. While it can be challenging, start by breaking down the sections of the paper, noting your initial thoughts and questions. Then structure your own critique so that you present a summary followed by your evaluation. In your critique, include the strengths and the weaknesses of the article. Tips for Writing Psychology Papers 5 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Archibald D, Martimianakis MA. Writing, reading, and critiquing reviews. Can Med Educ J. 2021;12(3):1-7. doi:10.36834/cmej.72945 Pautasso M. Ten simple rules for writing a literature review. PLoS Comput Biol. 2013;9(7):e1003149. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003149 Gülpınar Ö, Güçlü AG. How to write a review article? Turk J Urol. 2013;39(Suppl 1):44–48. doi:10.5152/tud.2013.054 Erol A. Basics of writing review articles. Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2022;59(1):1-2. doi:10.29399/npa.28093 American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington DC: The American Psychological Association; 2019. By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit