A critical research article is a scholarly piece of writing that goes beyond simply describing or summarizing a topic—it analyzes, interprets, and evaluates literary texts, often engaging with other scholars’ ideas.
Things to look for when identifying a good critical research article:
1) Is it a peer reviewed article. This means that a different scholar in the same field has read the article and assessed the literary argument being made, the style of the argument, and how it interacts with the primary text (usually a work of literature). The journal these are published in adheres to a rigorous blind peer review process.
2) Written by a scholar. Look at the qualifications of the person writing the article. The top of the article will state the name of the scholar, and which university they belong to.
3) Clear thesis. You are able to identify in the author's argument regarding their interpretation of the literary work.
4) Analysis of a text. It should be pretty obvious that the scholar is basing their analysis on a deep understanding of the text, also known as close reading. In a critical research article, the author will directly quote from the literary work, focusing on things such as word choice, structure, and literary themes.
