WORKSHEET #9 - CRITICAL THINKING EXERCISE

DUE:  November 10  (In-class exercise)

 

 

Questions to ask when evaluating resources:

 

 

1.             Who is the author?   ____________________________________________________

 

2.             What do you know about the author? Occupation, title, education, experience?

 

                ______________________________________________________________________

 

                Where did you look?  ____________________________________________________

 

                                                        ____________________________________________________

 

3.             Why did the author write the article and do the research? What was his/her purpose?

 

                ______________________________________________________________________

 

4.             Who is the intended primary audience for the article?  (check one)

                                                                                                                                general public       ________

 

                                                                                                                                scholars ________

 

                                                                                                                                policy makers        ________

 

                                                                                                                                teachers ________

 

                                                                                                                                professionals        ________

 

5.             Has the author appealed to his primary audience in the writing style of the article? In the    presentation? How?

 

                _______________________________________________________________________

 

6.             Does the author show a particular bias or does the author make assumptions and do these biases or assumptions form the rationale for the research or the publication? Explain.

 

                _______________________________________________________________________

 

7.             What were the methods employed by the author to obtain the information or the research?

 

                _______________________________________________________________________

 

8.             Is the article based on         _____    public opinion

                                                                _____    interviews

                                                                _____    library research

                                                                _____    questionnaires

                                                                _____    laboratory experiments

                                                                _____    case studies

                                                                _____    standardized personality tests

                                                                _____    market research

                                                                _____    public polls

                                                                _____    other

 

9.             Does the author arrive at a conclusion?  If so, what is the conclusion?

 

                ________________________________________________________________________

 

10.           Are the author’s conclusions justified or supported satisfactorily by research or by experience?  Why or why not?

 

                ________________________________________________________________________

 

11.           How does this article compare with similar articles or similar studies?  How would you find similar studies? Explain.

 

                _________________________________________________________________________

 

12.                 Does this article defy conventional wisdom, established scholarship, professional practice, or other standards of practice?

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

13.                 Are there significant attachments or appendixes such as charts, maps, bibliographies, photos, documents, tests, or questionnaires?  If not, should there be?

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

 

14.                 Does the article form an articulated whole rather than simply a sum, or a bundle of different parts?  Is the information integrated?

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

15.           These standards should be at work when annotating a work (book or article).  What is an annotation?  Explain

 

                _________________________________________________________________________

 

                _________________________________________________________________________

 

                How does an annotation differ from an abstract? Explain

 

                _________________________________________________________________________

 

Adapted from:      Engeldinger, Eugene A. "Bibliographic Instruction and Critical Thinking: The Contribution of the Annotated Bibliography," Research Quarterly, Vol. 28,   Winter 1988, p. 195-202