CRITICAL READING & CLAIMS

• Critical reading involves evaluating claims, seeking definitions, judging information, demanding proof, and questioning assumptions, not taking anything at face value
• To be a critical reader, one should interact with the material being read, look for connections between texts, and use a variety of approaches, strategies, and techniques to create meaning
• Techniques in critical reading include keeping a reading journal, annotating the text, outlining the text, summarizing the text, and questioning the text
• Explicit information is any idea stated in the text, while implicit information is understood but not stated, requiring inference based on available information
• Claims are the position or central argument of the text, explicitly or directly stated, defining the paper’s direction and scope
• Characteristics of a good claim include being argumentative & debatable, specific & focused, interesting & engaging, and logical
• Claims of fact refer to conditions that have existed, exist, or will exist, and can be verified through data, scientific observation, and research
• Claims of value assert judgments based on morals, standards, and norms, supporting claims by establishing the standards used to measure the topic
• Claims of policy argue that something should or should not exist, be believed, banned, etc., using the problem-solution technique to convince the audience of the need for change
• To defend your claim of Policy you should convince your audience that the problem exists and needs to be addressed
• To defend your claim of policy you should make your proposal clear and concise.
• To defend your claim of policy you should establish that there is a need for change.
• To defend your claims of value you should Keep in mind that you and your readers may differ about their relative importance.
• To defend your claims of value you should use testimonies from other people to prove that knowledgeable and highly regarded people share your values.
• Comparisons and contrasts are especially helpful in defending your claims of value
• To examine the author's claim you should ask : "Are the author’s claims backed by research findings?", "Did the author use a credible source of information?", " Did the author accurately deliver the data presented by the original source or was the statement a product of his or her own conclusion?"
• The quality and complexity of the reading depend on the claim because the claim defines the paper’s direction and scope.