Critical Thinking: Evaluation
Critical Evaluation of an Academic Source
Odetta Rodriguez
Capella University
Critical Evaluation of an Academic Source This paper is a summary of critical evaluation of the suitability of an article as an academic source. The title of the article is Critical Thinking: An Extended Definition. The author, Professor Ken Petress, analyzes various definitions of critical thinking and provides his definition of the concept as well. It is vitally important when performing research on a topic that we completely understand the topic and that we can apply certain tests or questions to the topic in order to determine its relevance and validity.
Checklist for Critical Evaluation The following checklist is used to evaluate the scholarly merit of the article. The checklist is based on a model developed by the Foundation for Critical Thinking (as cited in Capella University, n.d.) as well as some additional information.
Peer Review Is the article peer reviewed? Is the article primary, secondary, or tertiary?
This article has been peer reviewed as it is located in the ProQuest Education Journal Database at Capella University. It is secondary because it is a literature review of various authors’ definitions of critical thinking. Petress (2004) states that, “This article offers for thought and debate a brief literature review related to critical thinking. This review will be assembled by combining other sources' definitions into this article” (p. 1).
Main Issue What is the main issue or problem the author is focusing on in this article? In this article the author is focusing on not simply the different definitions of critical thinking, but the problems he has with some of the definitions. While Paul and Elder repeatedly emphasize asking quality questions, they fail to specify what kind of questions to raise (Petress, 2004). This is one example of how Petress applies a critical analysis of one of the
Odetta Rodriguez
Capella University
Critical Evaluation of an Academic Source This paper is a summary of critical evaluation of the suitability of an article as an academic source. The title of the article is Critical Thinking: An Extended Definition. The author, Professor Ken Petress, analyzes various definitions of critical thinking and provides his definition of the concept as well. It is vitally important when performing research on a topic that we completely understand the topic and that we can apply certain tests or questions to the topic in order to determine its relevance and validity.
Checklist for Critical Evaluation The following checklist is used to evaluate the scholarly merit of the article. The checklist is based on a model developed by the Foundation for Critical Thinking (as cited in Capella University, n.d.) as well as some additional information.
Peer Review Is the article peer reviewed? Is the article primary, secondary, or tertiary?
This article has been peer reviewed as it is located in the ProQuest Education Journal Database at Capella University. It is secondary because it is a literature review of various authors’ definitions of critical thinking. Petress (2004) states that, “This article offers for thought and debate a brief literature review related to critical thinking. This review will be assembled by combining other sources' definitions into this article” (p. 1).
Main Issue What is the main issue or problem the author is focusing on in this article? In this article the author is focusing on not simply the different definitions of critical thinking, but the problems he has with some of the definitions. While Paul and Elder repeatedly emphasize asking quality questions, they fail to specify what kind of questions to raise (Petress, 2004). This is one example of how Petress applies a critical analysis of one of the
References: Capella University. (n.d.). Critical thinking model. Retrieved from http://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/PSYC4900/criticalThinking/criticalThinking_wrapper.asp Petress, K. (2004). Critical Thinking: An extended definition. Retrieved from Capella University, ProQuest Education Journal Database: http://library.capella.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/196438105?accountid=27965