For those sources that you want to analyze more closely, read with a critical eye to make your research process more efficient.
See also advice on reading critically.
As you read, ask yourself the following questions:
How does this material address your research question and support your hypothesis?
What quotations or ideas from this source might help support your thesis?
Does the source include counterarguments to your hypothesis that you will need to answer? If so, what answers can you provide?
Even a seemingly factual report such as an encyclopedia article is filled with judgments, often unstated. As you read, look for the author’s overall rhetorical stance, or perspective, as well as for facts or explicit opinions. Also pay attention to the author’s tone, the way his or her attitude toward the topic and audience is conveyed:
Is the author a strong advocate or opponent of something? a skeptical critic? a specialist in the field?
Are there any clues to why the author takes this stance? Is professional affiliation a factor?
How does this stance affect the author’s presentation and your reaction to it?
What facts does the author include? Can you think of any important fact that is omitted?
What is the author’s tone? Is it cautious, angry, flippant, serious, impassioned? What words indicate this tone?
Every piece of writing takes a position. Even a scientific report implicitly “argues” that we should accept it and its data as reliable. As you read, look for the main point or the main argument the author is making. Try to identify the reasons the author gives to support his or her position. Then try to determine why the author takes this position.
What is the author’s main point, and what evidence supports it?
How persuasive is the evidence? Can you think of a way to refute it?
Can you detect any questionable logic or fallacious thinking?
Does this author disagree with arguments you have read elsewhere? If so, what causes the disagreements—