Includes index.

Pt. 1. Becoming a critical reader and self-critical writer.
Ch. 1. What is means to be critical.
Ch. 2. Making a critical choice.
Ch. 3 Getting started on critical reading.
Ch. 4. Getting started on self-critical writing.
Ch. 5. Creating a comparative critical summary --
Pt. 2. Developing and in-depth analysis.
Ch. 6. The key to a mental map for exploring the literature.
Ch. 7. The argument component of your mental map.
Ch. 8. More components: knowledge, literature, intellectual projects.
Ch. 9. Developing a critical analysis of a text.
Ch. 10. A worked example of a critical analysis.
Ch. 11. Developing your argument in writing a critical review of a text --
Pt. 3. Putting your critical review to work.
Ch. 12. Focusing and building up your critical literature.
Ch. 13. Integrating critical literature review into your dissertation.
Ch. 14. Tools for structuring a dissertation.
Ch. 15. Using the literature in research papers and oral presentations --
Appendices.

How do you respond to adverts? Do you believe what they say, or look for a hidden agenda? Reading critically, and writing using critical techniques, are crucial skills you need to apply to your academic work. This guide helps you develop both the ability to critically ask questions, and a reflective and critical approach to your own research and writing. Broken down into three parts, it builds up your skills and confidence through focused activities that progressively develop your ability to critically read and write.