Critical reading is a vital part of the the research process which for a student would culminate in producing a well balanced discussion in any written academic piece of work. In fact, reading and writing processes are complimentary. In both, you make meaning by actively engaging a text. As the student, you are not a passive participant, but an active constructor of meaning. Exhibiting an inquisitive, "critical" attitude towards what you read will make anything you read richer and more useful to you in your studies and your life. Thus critical reading is designed to help you to understand and effectively engage any literature you read.
To read critically is to make judgments about how a text is argued.
Why is this an essential skill?
Critical reading goes hand in hand with information evaluating skills, thus it has to be done as part of any student's research process. The guide below helps in fully understanding how to evaluate information.
