As you learn about and prepare to contribute to a written conversation, both your point of view and your attitude are likely to change. Initially, your attitude might be one of curiosity. You’ll note new information in your sources and mark key passages that provide insights. You’ll adopt a more questioning attitude as you determine whether sources fit into the conversation or are reliable. Later, after you begin to draw conclusions about the conversation, you might take on a more skeptical attitude, becoming more aggressive in challenging the arguments made in sources than you were at first.

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Regardless of where you are in your writing process, you should always adopt a critical attitude. Accept nothing at face value; ask questions; look for similarities and differences among the sources you read; examine the implications of what you read for your writing project; be on the alert for unusual information; and note relevant sources and information. Most important, be open to ideas and arguments, even if you don’t agree with them. Give them a chance to affect how you think about the conversation you’ve decided to join.