How to read critically

What does it mean to read a text critically? How does it differ from “normal” reading and how can it enhance your understanding of what you read for school projects? Follow these three steps and see if they are effective in helping you evolve into a more active and critical reader.  

• Step #1: Be prepared before you start reading
• Step #2: Stay active while reading 
• Step #3: Take organized notes after reading 

Instead of jumping right into a dense text (and then feeling lost and frustrated), first spend some time familiarizing yourself with the topic and the new terminology, concepts, and ideas that might make it difficult to fully understand it.

Next, try to figure out the structure of your reading by looking at headings and subheadings (or if there is one, the table of contents) and guessing what each section of the text might be about. You can repeat this on the paragraph level by only reading each paragraph’s first sentence and trying to piece together the whole argument. You might be wrong, but trying to fill the gaps and guessing will make you a more active reader, which is the first step in becoming a critical reader.  

When ready to give reading the text a try, stay active and engaged by annotating as you read. Try highlighting main ideas, underlining keywords, and summarizing your understanding of each paragraph or section.

To engage critically with the material, question each main point by assessing evidence, evaluating arguments, and finding connections inside and outside the text, all the while recording your thoughts, reflections, and questions. This means that your goal is not just to understand what the author(s) say but also to respond to them at your own level.  

Once you finish this first reading, go back and take more notes (this time in a different document). Use a table like this, to keep both summaries of the reading’s main points and your responses to them.

You can even combine notes from multiple readings in a synthesis grid, which allows you to see when certain topics from different readings intersect. This helps you to take information from different sources apart (analyze) and then put it back together in new ways (synthesize), both key requirements for critical reading and writing.