As a college student, you have a lot of reading each week including textbook chapters, research articles, and information from the Internet. And you are expected to read everything with a critical eye. Reading critically does not mean that you are criticizing the writer s message but rather that you are assessing the validity and reliability of the writer s material. Critical readers are also aware that they bring their beliefs, values, experiences, and prior knowledge to the reading process.
Critical readers ask questions about themselves, the writer, and the writing.
Below is a set of questions to sharpen your critical reading strategies.