This document provides guidance on critical reading for dissertations. It explains the critical reading process and how to apply it to dissertation work. It evaluates strategies for critically reading, including asking questions about the source's provenance, context, purpose, audience, bias, assumptions, main points, evidence, and limitations. The document then provides an example of critically analyzing two article abstracts on teaching British values using a critical reading grid to help prepare a dissertation.

1. Academic Reading for your
Dissertation
• Explain the
critical reading
process
• Apply this to your
dissertation
• Evaluate
strategies for
reading critically
Rhian Wyn-Williams and
Jane Hennessy-Murdoch
Skills@ljmu.ac.uk

2. What does this image mean to you?

3. You have
started to
critically
analyse, so
what is critical
analysis?

4. Actively ask questions of the material, such as…
Nature
What is the provenance?
(author, date)
What is the context?
What type of source?
What is its purpose?
What is the intended audience?
What is the bias?
Are there assumptions?
Content
What is the main point/argument/conclusion
of the source?
What further/minor points are made?
What evidence is used? Effective?
How does this information compare with
other sources and/or your own knowledge?
Usefulness
How can I use this?
What is its significance?
What are its limitations?

5. Let's pretend you are working on this dissertation
Aim:
• An investigation into
the perceptions of
teaching British
Values amongst
postgraduate
students

6. • We'll read through
two abstracts from
articles on teaching
British Values and
start applying some
of the critical
reading questions.

7. Try building up a critical
reading grid like this one
to help you prepare your
dissertation
• See how it helps you to focus on the critical analysis of your
reading and how you will use it in your dissertation

8. Reflection…..
If you had to
give another
student a piece
of advice
about how to
develop their
critical reading,
what would it
be?