part3

• Book review or article critique

  A specialized form of academic writing in which a reviewer evaluates the contribution to knowledge of scholarly works such as academic books and journal articles
• Book review or article critique

  • Usually ranges from 250 to 750 words
  • Not simply a summary
  • A critical assessment, analysis, or evaluation of a work
• Structure of a book review or article critique

  1. Introduction (around 5% of the paper)

  2. Summary (around 10% of the paper)

  3. Review/Critique (around 75% of the paper)

  4. Conclusion (around 10% of the paper)
• Questions to ask when writing a book review or article critique

  • What is the topic of the book or article?
  • What is its purpose?
  • Who are its intended readers?
  • Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
  • What theoretical assumptions are mentioned in the book or article? Are they explicitly discussed?
  • What are the contributions of the book or article to the field?
  • What problems and issues are discussed in the book or article?
  • What kinds of information are presented in the book or article? How are they used to support the arguments or thesis?
  • Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or thesis aside from the information used in the book or article? Is the author silent about these alternative ways of explanation?
  • What is your overall reaction to the work?
• How to start writing a book review

  1. Identify the book by author, title, and sometimes publishing information

  2. Specify the type of book

  3. Mention the book's theme

  4. Include background, if necessary, to enable reader/s to place the book into a specific context

  5. You may also use an interesting quote, an interesting fact, or an explanation of a concept or term
• What to do with the content

  1. For nonfiction books: pay primary attention to the major points (the argument) the author is putting forth and to the sources the author has drawn upon to back up his/her point of view

  2. For fictional works: Pay attention primarily to the novel or book's setting, plot, style, characters, theme/s, use of language and voice

  3. Provide your reactions to the book

  4. Describe the book

  5. Respond to the author's opinions and analyze it

  6. Explore issues the book raises
• How to conclude


  1. Relate your argument to other books or authors

  2. Relate the book to larger issues

  3. Tie together issues raised in the review

  4. Briefly restate your main points and your thesis statement

  5. Indicate how well the book has achieved its goal, what possibilities are suggested by the book, what the book has left out, how the book compares to others on the subject, what specific points are not convincing, and what personal experiences you've had related to the subject
• How to revise the draft

  1. Allow time to elapse, at least a day, before starting your revision

  2. Correct grammatical mistakes and punctuation as you find them

  3. Read your paper through again looking for unity, organization, and logical development

  4. If necessary, do not hesitate to make major revisions in your draft

  5. Verify quotations for accuracy and check the format and content of references