Pfeiffer Library: Writing a Critique: What Is a Critique?

Defining Critique

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 vs. 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.