Your professor hands you a ten page article and says, "Write a critique by Friday." You read it twice, and you still feel unsure what the word critique even means. Does it mean you must attack the writer, or can you say good things too? Many students feel stuck at this point, and it is a very normal feeling. The good news is that a critique follows a clear pattern you can learn in one sitting. This tutorial shows you that pattern in simple steps.

What an Article Critique Is

An article critique is a written review that explains what an article says and how well it says it. You do two jobs at the same time. First, you summarize the main points in your own words. Second, you judge the article by looking at its strengths and its weaknesses. A critique is not the same as a summary, because a summary only reports and a critique also evaluates. It is also not an attack, because fair judgment includes praise where it is earned.

Step 1: Read With Questions

Read the article once to understand the big picture. Then read it again with a pen and ask four questions. What is the main claim, who is the author writing for, what evidence is used, and what is left out? Mark the sentences that answer each question. Write short notes in the margin, such as "strong data here" or "this claim has no proof." These notes become the raw material for your critique.

Step 2: Write a Short Summary

Begin your critique with a short summary of the article. Name the title, the author, and the main claim in the first two sentences. Then explain the key points in your own words, without copying long phrases. Keep the summary short, because it should take up about one fifth of your whole critique. If your summary is longer than that, you may be reporting too much and judging too little.

Step 3: Judge the Article With Clear Criteria

Now comes the heart of the critique, which is evaluation. Pick three or four clear criteria and judge the article against them. Good criteria include the strength of the argument, the quality of the evidence, the clearness of the writing, and the fairness toward other views. For each criterion, make a point, give a short piece of proof from the article, and explain what it means. This simple pattern keeps your paragraphs focused and easy to follow.

Step 4: Keep Your Judgment Balanced

A fair critique includes both strengths and weaknesses. Even a weak article usually has one thing it does well, such as a clear question or a useful example. Even a strong article may have a gap, such as a small sample or a missing point of view. Name both so your reader trusts your judgment. Use polite and exact words, for example "the argument would be stronger if it included data from rural schools," instead of "the author is wrong."

Step 5: Finish With a Clear Conclusion

End with a short conclusion that gives your overall judgment. Remind the reader of the most important strength and the most important weakness. Say whether the article is convincing and useful for its purpose. Do not add new points here, because the conclusion is only for wrapping up. Finish with one clear sentence that leaves no doubt about your view.

A Simple Layout and Helpful Starters

Most critiques fit a layout of one introduction, one summary paragraph, two to four evaluation paragraphs, and one conclusion. Check your assignment, because your teacher may ask for a different length or order. Starter phrases can make writing easier. To open a strength, try "The article succeeds because." To open a weakness, try "The article is less convincing when." To explain your proof, try "This matters because." Use them as helpers, not as a script, and put them in your own voice.

A Made Up Example

This example is made up, and the article, the author, and the numbers are all invented. Imagine an article called "Later Bells, Better Grades" by an invented author named Dr. Amara Fenwick. She argues that high schools should start at 9:00 a.m. so teenagers can sleep more. Her evidence is a survey of 40 students in one invented town called Brookvale. Her writing is clear and her argument is easy to follow. However, forty students from one town is a small group, and she does not discuss the cost of changing bus schedules.

From these notes you can build critique points. One strength point could say that the argument is clear and well organized, and that the survey results support it. One weakness point could say that the small sample from one town limits how far the conclusion can be trusted. A second weakness point could say that the article ignores practical costs such as transport. Notice that each point has a claim, a piece of proof, and an explanation. You would write your own points about your own article in the same way.

Mistakes to Avoid

One common mistake is writing a summary and calling it a critique. Another is judging the author instead of the article, for example by commenting on the writer's personality. Some students only praise or only attack, which makes the critique feel unfair. Others give opinions with no proof from the text. A last mistake is ignoring the rules of the assignment, such as the word count or the citation style your teacher asks for. Always read the instructions again before you submit.

Quick Checklist

• I read the article twice and made notes.
• My summary is short and in my own words.
• I judged the article with three or four clear criteria.
• Every point has proof from the article.
• I named both strengths and weaknesses.
• My conclusion gives one clear overall judgment.
• I followed my teacher's length and format rules.

Closing Thoughts

Writing an article critique gets easier once you remember the order: read with questions, summarize, evaluate, balance, and conclude. You do not need to be an expert in the topic. You only need to read carefully and explain your reasons clearly. Each time you practice, your eye for strong and weak arguments will improve. Take your time with the notes, because good notes make the writing much faster.