Article Analysis assignments should follow the guidelines below:
Overall organization of paper
Include a header that includes the student name and the full title of the article, including the author’s name.
Must be typed using 1” margins around, 1.5 line spacing, and 12-point font (no fancy fonts, please).
Written in narrative (essay) style, using complete sentences, using the section headings below; NOT in bullet points.
Overall Writing Style
Write in your own ‘voice’. If you do quote something from the article, be sure to cite it properly using APA-style in-text citation. But remember, I want you to think and analyze the article, not regurgitate what the article author wrote.
Use the following section headings and write at least one paragraph to describe each:
Introduction
Summarize the article in 4-6 sentences. One of these sentences must contain the main idea of the article.
Author
Who was the author of this article? Are they an expert in the field, someone who is reporting what experts have reported, or are they sharing their opinion?
What is the author trying to accomplish by writing this article? Is there an ‘agenda’ that you think the author has for writing the article and leading the reader through his/her thinking, or a conclusion you think the author is trying to lead you to? If so, what might that be?
Purpose
Why is this topic worthwhile to write about? What is the purpose of the article? Who is it directed toward? Who was likely to be reading it where it was originally published? WHY would this topic interest readers?
Critical Thinking
In a strong paragraph, summarize the ‘message’ from this article. What would the author want you to remember from it?
Personal Application
What was your impression of the article? Did what you learned from reading this change your thinking in any way? How can/will you use the information from this article in your work with children?
Are there conclusions drawn by the author that you strongly agree or disagree with? This is your educated, reasoned opinion but you need to back up your opinion with information from the article.
