WRITING A CRITICAL REVIEW What is a critical review? A critical review is much more than a simple summary; it is an analysis and evaluation of a book, article, or other medium. Writing a good critical review requires that you understand the material, and that you know how to analyze and evaluate that material using appropriate criteria. Steps to writing an effective critical review: Reading Skim the whole text to determine the overall thesis, structure and methodology. This will help you better understand how the different elements fit together once you begin reading carefully. Read critically. It is not enough to simply understand what the author is saying; it is essential to challenge it. Examine how the article is structured, the types of reasons or evidence used to support the conclusions, and whether the author is reliant on underlying assumptions or theoretical frameworks. Take copious notes that reflect what the text means AND what you think about it. Analyzing Examine all elements. All aspects of the text—the structure, the methods, the reasons and evidence, the conclusions, and, especially, the logical connections between all of these—should be considered. The types of questions asked will vary depending on the discipline in which you are writing, but the following samples will provide a good starting point: Structure What type of text is it? (For example: Is it a primary source or secondary source? Is it original research or a comment on original research?) What are the different sections and how do they fit together? Are any of the sections particularly effective (or ineffective)? Methodology Is the research quantitative or qualitative? Does the methodology have any weaknesses? How does the design of the study address the hypothesis? Reasons/Evidence What sources does the author use (interviews, peer-reviewed journals, government reports, journal entries, newspaper accounts, etc.)? What types of reasoning are employed (inductive, deductive, abductive)? What type of evidence is provided (empirical, statistical, logical, etc.)? Are there any gaps in the evidence (or reasoning)? Conclusions Does the data adequately support the conclusion drawn by the researcher(s)? Are other interpretations plausible? Are the conclusions dependent on a particular theoretical formulation? What does the work contribute to the field? Logic What assumptions does the author make? Does the author account for all of the data, or are portions left out? What alternative perspectives remain unconsidered? Are there any logical flaws in the construction of the argument? Writing Formulate a thesis based on your overall evaluation. A strong thesis will acknowledge both strengths and limitations. E.g. While the article reports significant research supporting the view that certain types of computer use can have a positive impact on a student’s GPA, the conclusion that game playing alone can improve student achievement is based on a misinterpretation of the evidence. Not: This article misinterprets key evidence to support the conclusion that game playing can improve GPA. Ensure that your thesis answers the assignment. If you are asked to write a review of a single text, with no outside sources, then your essay should focus strictly on the material in the text and your analysis and evaluation of it. If you are asked to write about more than one work, or to draw connections between an article or book and the course material, then your review should address these concerns. Choose a structure that will best allow you to support your thesis within the required page constraints. The first example below works well with shorter assignments, but the risk is that too much time will be spent developing the overview, and too little time on the evaluation. The second example works better for longer reviews because it provides the relevant description with the analysis and evaluation, allowing the reader to follow the argument easily. Two common structures used for critical reviews: Example 1 Introduction Example 2 Introduction (with thesis) Overview of the text Point 1: Explanation and evaluation Evaluation of the text
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Point 4 …(continue as necessary) Point 2: Explanation and evaluation Conclusion Conclusion Point 3: Explanation and evaluation (continue elaborating as many points as necessary) Important: Avoid presenting your points in a laundry-list style. Synthesize the information as much as possible. “Laundry-List” Style of Presentation Synthesized Argument. The article cites several different studies in support of the argument that playing violent video games can have a positive impact on student achievement. These studies refer to educational games and other types of computer use. The argument is not logically well constructed. Educational games are not the same as violent video games. The article also ignores data indicating that people with the highest GPA are those that reported low computer use. Also, different types of computer use could include things like researching or word-processing, and these activities are very different from playing violent video games. The evidence cited in the article does not support the overall conclusion that playing violent games improves GPA. One study only examines educational games in relation to GPA, so it is questionable whether the same findings will hold true for other types of games. Another study does not distinguish between different types of computer use, making it difficult to assess whether it is game playing or activities such as research and writing that contributed to improvements in GPA. Further, the author disregards relevant data that indicates that students with the highest GPAs are those who report low computer use, which means that a direct correlation between game playing and GPA cannot be supported. © Allyson Skene. The Writing Centre, University of Toronto at Scarborough. See terms and conditions for use at http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~tlsweb/TWC/webresources/terms.htm Chapter 9 LEARNING TO FLY by Susan H. McCord With over 20 years of experience as a career and personal coach in a variety of environments, here are some things I know for sure: - We all really do know what we want to do with our careers, but sometimes we let others, including our own inner-critic, decide for us. - We avoid taking risks or coloring outside the lines of our career because “failure” is so harshly judged in our culture. The cost of pursuing the practical, safe and expected path may be that we miss expressing our unique gifts, making the contribution we are here to offer, and feeling fulfilled – what a waste! - Everyone faces challenges with career decision-making, even career coaches! My own experiences have contributed significantly to my offerings as a coach – more depth, insight and a richer understanding of the personal side of the process. Here’s my story. Nurse, teacher, secretary. These were the career options girls were encouraged to pursue when I grew up in the late 50’s and 60’s, and they were just in case we didn’t get married and become homemakers. Mom was a high school history teacher until she and Dad (a physician) started a family, then she managed our household with four active children. They shared a strong core value of service; all work is honorable, but the best careers are those that contribute directly to the benefit of others. Within those parameters, the only career I ever seriously considered was counseling. I double-majored in Psychology and Social Work with the hope of becoming a licensed therapist in private practice some day. I struggled through statistics and experimental psychology, but I was fascinated with my courses in abnormal psychology, group dynamics, family systems, and the emotional toll of poverty. My majors reflected the values I’d been raised with, but my fascination was deeply personal. I was a confused adolescent from a somewhat dysfunctional family – like almost all my friends – and my coursework reflected my longing for a better understanding of myself and my background. I took the Strong Interest Inventory as part of a career development course. The results showed, as I expected, that my interests correlated highly with those of women in traditionally female occupations, but my highest score was funeral home director. Needless to say, I was surprised and confused, as mortuary science was not something I felt matched my 42 ..........Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL......Fall 2012 skills and goals at all! “Not to worry,” my professor reassured, “think of it more broadly as something that demonstrates your keen interest in supporting people through a time of crisis”. It would take me 15 years to really understand what she meant. Like many of the recent college graduates I have worked with, I was unable to get a job when I graduated because I had very limited relevant experience – only one internship, as a counselor at a residential alcoholism detox center. I interviewed for several social work positions, and I even explored jobs in human resources, although the thought of working for a business didn’t align well with my mission of doing my part to save the world. Then a good friend introduced me to the executive director of an adult education center called EduCom. This was my first experience with the power of networking. EduCom provided clients referred by the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Veteran’s Administration with basic literacy, GED preparation, and college preparatory classes. I’d hit the mother lode – teaching and social work all in one job! I landed a tutoring position and contributed there for three years. It was here that I learned the ins and outs of full time employment, including the deep satisfaction that work can provide. I discovered that I love to teach, something I have done in every position I’ve held since then. I figured out how to make sure my manager knew what I‘m accomplishing so that when a position opened up, I was the one they chose to promote. I also learned how good it feels at the end of the day to have worked hard and helped improve the quality of someone’s life. I loved what I was doing – helping people reach their goals and watching them experience the joy and increased confidence from achieving them. I also learned that managing my career was my responsibility, not my employer’s. I was laid off one day, along with everyone else in a middlemanagement role, due to the organization’s challenging financial situation. I packed my stuff and left, and after eating an entire sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, I went to the library and checked out What Color Is Your Parachute? Richard Bolles became my career coach, albeit indirectly. His book provided ideas and strategies for the job search process that I had felt so clueless and alone with the first time around. I’m an introvert, like so many of my clients, so despite Bolles’ emphasis on the importance of networking, I relied on the check-the-paper-every-Sunday method. It took a while (we all know why!), and I landed a job with the Hamilton County Dept. of Human Services. Like many of my clients, I ignored the non-verbal messages of the people working there during my interview visits (heads down, dead quiet, Fall 2012......Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL......... 43 tension-filled air) because the money and benefits were great and it was in my field. I took the job and lasted six months, when physical problems due to stress brought on by the job forced me to resign. My position required that I make home visits to women in impoverished neighborhoods who wanted to be certified or re-certified as day care providers. The women were great, as were the children they cared for. It was the drug addicts (sometimes the women’s husbands) and others in the neighborhoods I visited that threatened me physically. I was frightened for my own safety as well as for that of the children I was trying to protect, and I realized for the first time that I might not have thick enough skin to do the kind of work I’d prepared for in college. I decided to take a break to re-think my career, and I was grateful that my mother had made me learn to type just in case. I took a job as an administrative assistant at a consulting engineer firm in my neighborhood. Two valuable lessons came from this job: I became computer literate and I experienced how working hard at something I don’t value is way more tiring than working very hard at a job that resonates with my interests, skills and strengths. I applied for and was thrilled to be hired as the director of a women’s career center for the Cincinnati YWCA where I worked for three years. As you know, not-for-profits are a great way to develop skills and gain experience, and this is where I got my credentials as a career coach. I designed programs, developed and facilitated small group seminars, and I coached women re-entering the workforce, most of whom came from our abuse shelters. I also started a program for professional women interested in a job or career change. I learned to be a leader, initiate and complete large projects, create new programs, and I honed my training skills. I’d found my niche professionally - as a career coach. I loved this job and when my son was born, I planned to continue at the YWCA part-time and also pursue a master’s degree in counseling parttime. Very soon, however, I began to feel like I wasn’t doing any of my jobs very well. Despite what felt like a lot of cultural pressure to have it all, I resigned my position to enjoy my new roles as mother and graduate student, a decision I have never regretted. This choice give me a great deal of understanding for women I coach who are torn between their personal and professional lives and who struggle with work/life balance. And I pass along the wisdom I was given at that time: we can have it all, just not at the same time. With a graduate degree and the experience I’d gained at the YWCA, I was able to negotiate a part-time position with a regional career management firm after my daughter was born. Our primary business was 44 ..........Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL......Fall 2012 outplacement, and my job was the perfect blend of training and one-onone coaching. The compensation was three times what I’d earned in my not-for-profit roles, and I was working with a team of professionals who I respected and from whom I learned a great deal. Plus, the results of the Strong Interest Inventory I’d taken many years earlier became clear to me - I was the funeral home director for people who’d lost their jobs; I was supporting them strategically and tactically through a crisis. I felt like I’d finally come home with my career, and I stayed for 18 years in positions of increasing responsibility. This work leveraged my strengths and offered the opportunity to build on all my skills, values and interests. In my last role as Vice President, Director of Professional Services, I managed a team of 18 consultants, directed career centers that served hundreds of candidates, managed a caseload of 70-80 mid- and senior-level candidates, developed and facilitated training, and played a key role on the senior leadership team. Most importantly, I learned that it’s possible to have a career that plays to our strengths, skills and interests, do it in an organization whose mission, values and culture are in line with our own, and be well compensated for the contributions we make. Most of my clients don’t believe this when we begin our work together, and my continuous refrain is “don’t settle”! For those who insist on honoring the best they have to offer, extraordinary things result. As often happens though, life intervened, and I was very fortunate at the time to be able to resign my position and spend time with my father who had a terminal illness as well as care for my own nuclear family. As you might expect, I learned huge life lessons during this time. A major bit of wisdom I acquired, which had a profound impact on my coaching, was that many people’s careers take side trips. It is not the unexpected or mistaken turns that derail or slow down our career progression, it’s whether we demonstrate effectively that what we learned and the skills we developed on our tangent will contribute to the employer’s mission and bottom line that makes all the difference in our continued career growth. After a two-year break, I returned to career coaching. But this time I wanted to have an impact earlier in people’s professional lives with the hope of preventing some of the mistakes I’d seen people make through my outplacement experience. I had worked with many mid-career professionals who felt invisible and not valued – what a waste of talent and productivity! I secured a position with the University of Cincinnati coaching MBA and other graduate business students in the career planning and job search processes. It was a great job with wonderful students and a fun group of colleagues. In the six years I contributed there, my position grew to include oversight of career services to 2,500 undergradFall 2012......Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL......... 45 uate students and alumni as well as all corporate relations. While at UC, I had the opportunity to also serve as a coach for a women’s leadership development program offered through the Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce. Through my participation in this program, I realized that while I enjoyed my work as a career coach, I was ready for a change. I wanted to have a broader impact on people’s lives than traditional career coaching provided, so I enrolled in and completed a rigorous coach certification program with Coaches Training Institute. I now have the best job in the world. I enjoy a busy private practice, I continue to coach for the Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce, and I also provide executive coaching and career transition consulting for two Cincinnati-based career development firms. As a highly skilled and experienced career and personal coach, I support people as they create extraordinary lives for themselves. How cool is that?! We talk about how they want to be as well as what they want to do, how they can best honor their values, goals and dreams so they play big in their personal and professional lives and step into their best selves. It’s a partnership, and I hold that they have more courage, strength and answers than they think they did until they discover it for themselves. Then I watch them fly. About the author Susan McCord is an accomplished coach with over 20 years of experience in career transition, career management, and personal leadership coaching. She has contributed in a variety of environments including academe, private industry, and not-for-profits, as well as her own private practice. In her current role as Principal at McCord Coaching (2011-Present), she consults in the areas of career transition and executive coaching, and personal leadership development. Her experience includes training and coaching for performance improvement, career transition and management, work/life balance and retirement planning. She served as director of career services at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business (2005-2011), where she was responsible for assisting MBA and MS business students in all aspects of the career planning and job search processes. She played a key role for the College in developing and managing strategic relationships with regional business leaders to significantly impact graduate enrollment and placement. Her work in the private sector began in 1988 when she began consulting for Lee Hecht Harrison, a global career management firm, where she enjoyed a progressive career culminating in the role of Vice President, Director of Professional Services (1998-2005). Here she coached mid- and seniorlevel executives, trained and managed a staff of 18 consultants, directed career centers, developed and facilitated a broad array of professional 46 ..........Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL......Fall 2012 development seminars, and played a key role on the senior leadership team. Her early career includes six years in not-for-profit environments, including teaching and managing staff at an adult education center, and directing a women’s career transition center at the Cincinnati YWCA. She is active in several professional associations, including International Coach Federation, American Society for Training and Development, and the Greater Cincinnati Human Resource Association. She has presented at numerous conferences and professional association events, and she is active in the Greater Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce as well as the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. She earned the Master of Arts in Counseling at the University of Cincinnati in 1995, and the Bachelor of Arts at Miami University in Psychology and Social Work (1976). She was certified as a Co-Active Coach by Coaches Training Institute, and she is certified to administer the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory, Career Leader and 16PF. She is also Board Certified by The Institute of Career Certification International. Contact her as folllows: Susan H. McCord 2927 Pineridge Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45208 513-607-3852 e-mail: susan.mccord8@gmail.com Fall 2012......Career Planning and Adult Development JOURNAL......... 47 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
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