Generally, when we are reading any academic paper or work we have to read through the writer's thoughts, his or her point of view, opinion and interpretation. These opinions and point of view differ from person to person. Same thing is presented by different writers in different ways. When we are critically reading it means we have to find out limitations, exclusions, variations, flubs and opinions against what we are reading. Critical reading does not mean that we are satisfied and agree with what the writer has written. It means that the reader has to give his opinions on what he has read, what he has understood from it and how he values the writer's work. Critical reading involves following aspects:
- You are doing critical reading if you are taking notes and are able to paraphrase the text you have read in your own words. Or you are noting down the key points.
- You are doing critical reading if you write your opinions or comments on text you have read.
- You are doing critical reading if you are able to tell what the writer has described in the text by giving your own example or by relating it.
- You are doing critical reading if you are able to interpret the text.
- You are doing critical reading if you are able to comment on the writing style of writer, structure of text and presentation.
There are certain requirements for critical reading:
- The reader must be open minded which means he has the skills of viewing both sides of pictures. He can present both negative and positive aspects of a certain scenario or thing.
- The reader needs to be rational and logical. This implies that the reader views and judges the things on logical basis and keeps his feelings aside.
- Readers must have prior knowledge and understanding for accommodating new concepts and perspectives.
- For a reader doing critical reading it is compulsory to think critically.
- Readers must use judgement and discipline for processing what they have learned and keep personal bias aside.
Critical reading involves effective reading which means you need to be selective. You have to choose the best text for reading. It is very important to select the right text for reading, for this purpose you must know what you actually need to read. The index or abstract are very useful in deciding whether the book or article is worth reading or not. From the index, summary or abstract of a book or article, you can get an idea whether the certain book or article is related to what you are searching for. Before reading you must know what your purpose of reading is and what you already know about it. After selecting the right reading material you must seed read (skim-reading or scanning) it. Speed read or skim read helps to identify what is being described in text.
In this way you will get the required section or chapter you are looking for. After finding the required section or chapter you slow down your speed and read it thoroughly for fully understanding it in depth. You may have to read passages numerous times to understand the author’s point of view and arguments. During reading, you must highlight or read the important or main points. After understanding, you must interpret or paraphrase the text in your own words. After this, you must write your opinion about the text. This opinion must include your thoughts about who the author has presented a certain topic, how good or strong the structure was, was the writer's arguments valid and strong, and what your counter arguments for the writer's arguments are. Critical reading is a very important skill from an academic point of view and helps to get in-depth knowledge which helps an individual throughout his or her academic career.