How to Analyze an Article the Right Way

    How to Analyze an Article the Right Way

    How to Analyze an Article the Right Way

    Millions of articles are written and published on a daily basis. They address different topics, argue various concepts and some end up proposing solutions that, in the writer’s point of view, ought to make sense. But there is no guarantee that the article would be received by the audience in the same spirit that it was written. Why is that?

    Although the process has one common description, it is often utilized differently by people, based on self-created criteria which, again are based on how much they know. 

    What is the right way to do it?

    As a student, you would have times where you would be asked to evaluate written literature as part of your assessment. There are things you should and shouldn’t do when examining such work:

    1.Scan through, then opt out – con

    You have barely scratched the surface of the whole work, and you are already jumping to writing an analysis? It doesn’t work that way. The process of analyzing is like examining a cell under the microscope – you won’t get an immediate understanding from a quick glance. Settle down to read the article after skimming through; 

    2.Take notes –pro

    You would need to identify the major ideas that hold up the article. Trying to memorize would only waste your time and drain you out. Taking notes is way easier and wiser - plus, you can always refer back to them if the need arises.

    In case you feel at a loss on what to focus on, you could examine the following aspects of the work:

    • Do the arguments hold their ground?
    • Are the sources credible?
    • Do they address issues in-depth or just scratch the surface?

    Questions like these tend to engage you, allowing for a deeper look between the lines of the article and for different viewing angles on one perspective.

    3.Mindless criticism – con

    If you are intent on writing constructive criticism on any published work, using only your own words would be a big mistake. For every one of your opinions you need concrete evidence from the article, showing where such an idea was mentioned or such a proposition made. Using your own words without referring to the article is like carrying out a research paper buy online without having a specific topic it’s meant to address – it’s baseless. People who would read your opinion will see you as someone that ‘jumps to conclusions’ without proper research.

    4.Identifying the gaps – pro

    There is no such thing as a perfect article due to the fact that information upgrades every day. Even the most brilliant articles aren’t exempted from missing out on certain facts and updates. Being able to identify the missing links in an article goes a long way to prove that you did a thorough research, and you weren’t just looking for words to fill the pages.


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