MLA Standard

General Background Questions:

I. What are the parts of a scholarly article? How do these parts differ from the parts of a book? How are they similar? How does an article’s publication differ from a book’s publication?

II. What do you need to know about the author(s) in order to determine her or his expertise? How can you find out this information? By what criteria can you evaluate an author’s expertise on the subject of the article? What role does your means of accessing the article play in evaluating the source’s credibility?

Questions that your critical analysis must answer:

What is the name of the author(s) of the source you selected for this assignment?

What is the source’s title?

Write the MLA citation for this source here:

How long is the source?

List the source’s parts:

What is the author’s thesis? Include a quotation here. If there is no clear single-sentence thesis statement, include passages that you used to help you determine the author’s thesis.

What is the essay’s major claim? What are the underlying claims that support the major (thesis) claim?

How is the information organized and developed? Does the writer compare and/or contrast? Does the writer discuss causes and effects? Does the writer narrate? Does the writer describe?

What details does the writer include to support her or his thesis and supporting claims? What statistical information, quotations, anecdotal examples, or other forms of information does the author include as evidence?

What sources does the writer use to support her or his claims? What documentation style does the author use to show these sources? Does the author include any information to identify the expertise of these sources?

What indications do you see that there may be bias in the article? What questions do you have about the author, the information, or the sources used? Does the article inspire you to consider any new questions about the subject? What are these?

What conclusions did you draw about this source’s viability as a credible, expert source of information on your subject? What information did you use to evaluate the source’s viability?

Have three references per critical paper part 1