Critical Reading Strategies
1. Preview: See what you can learn about a text before reading it.
2. Contextualize: Situate a text in its historical, biographical and cultural contexts.
3. Question: Ask questions about the text in order to understand it.
4. Reflect: Consider whether this text challenged any of your preexisting beliefs.
5. Summarize: Outline and identify main ideas in your own words.
6. Evaluate: Assess the credibility and logic of the text.
7. Compare:Consider similarities and differences between this text and others.
(adapted from: http://www.salisbury.edu/counseling/new/7_critical_reading_
strategies.html)
Evaluating Resources
Not sure if a source is valid? This video explains how you can tell -- by using the CRAAP test. (2:10)
When evaluating sources consider:
1. Suitability- Is there relevant information?
2. Objectivity- Can you detect the bias?
3. Accuracy and Credibility- Corroborate with other sources and check references.
4. Currency- What is the date of publication?
5. Authority- Who is the author and publisher?
The National Library of Jamaica (2010). Evaluating Primary and Secondary Sources: An Online Tutorial. Available from: https://www.nlj.gov.jm/rai/CSEC/Evaluating%20Primary%20and%20Secondary%20Sources.pdf.
Scholarly vs. Popular Sources
Watch the video to learn about the differences between scholarly and popular sources! (2:06)
