2.17 Critically Reading a Secondary Source
Careful researchers critically read the information and arguments presented in secondary sources and evaluate them.
Below are some strategies to use.
Locate the facts
Does the source present statistics, percentages, or examples? Carefully review them. Are they detailed or merely mentioned? Are the examples accurate?
Assess the logic of the argument
An argument includes two parts: claim and support.
Is the author’s argument supported by a sufficient number of facts?
Does the author anticipate and address opposing views?
Recognize the author’s bias
Does the author use slanted emotive language to evoke a specific reaction? Note that opinion pieces often include emotive language.
Exercises
Using the strategies outlined above, critically read the articles listed below.
- Work less, recover better? How a shorter working week answers many post-pandemic problems. (2021, Aug. 2). Rapid Transition Alliance. https://www.rapidtransition.org/stories/work-less-recover-better-how-a-shorter-working-week-answers-many-post-pandemic-problems/
- Pinsker, J. (2021, Jun. 17). Kill the 5-day workweek. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/06/four-day-workweek/619222/
- Effron, M. (2020, Feb. 24). Why the 4-day workweek Is a terrible Idea. Talent Quarterly. https://www.talent-quarterly.com/why-the-4-day-workweek-is-a-terrible-idea/
- Veal, A. (2021, Jul. 13). The success of Iceland’s ‘four-day week’ trial has been greatly overstated. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-success-of-icelands-four-day-week-trial-has-been-greatly-overstated-164083