There are many types of critiques. Critiques can be written on:
Anywhere that criticism can exist, a critique can follow to evaluate arguments, identify gaps, and/or make recommendations.
A critique evaluates a resource. It requires both critical reading and analysis in order to present the strengths and weaknesses of a particular resource for readers. The critique includes your opinion of the work. Because of the analytics involved, a critique and a summary are not the same. For quick reference, you can use the following chart in order to determine if your paper is a critique or a summary.
| Critique | Summary | |
|---|---|---|
| Gives an overview of key concepts discussed in the work |
Yes |
Yes |
| Includes introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs | Yes | Sometimes |
| Names the author and title of the work to be discussed | Yes | Yes |
| Provides your opinion of the work | Yes | No |
| Identifies gaps in the resource and/or research that the author missed | Yes | No |
| Requires close reading of a text | Yes | No |
| Requires you to analyze the text | Yes | No |
| May use supporting evidence from the text, such as quotes, to support your interpretation | Yes | No |
Looking for more information on writing a summary or an abstract? Check out our Writing a Summary guide.