How to Write an Analysis of an Article
Knowing how to write an analysis of an article is an important academic paper writing skill that you should have for better grades. Writing an article analysis involves proper understanding, arguing out of ideas expressed in the given piece of work, and presenting them in a way that your audience can get and relate to. Continue reading for greater insights on how to write an analysis of an article.
Writing an article analysis is a better way of enhancing your analytical and writing skills. Basically, such a paper requires you to carefully read or study the given article in order to determine the aims of the author and how they have been brought out therein. Finally, you will have to discuss what you have come up with from the article to readers.
An article analysis can take the form of a typical essay paper, thus, the writing process should not scare you. By mastering the skills on how to write an analysis of an article, you will be able to easily craft various kinds of academic papers since the formats are more or less similar.
In fact, knowing how to write analysis essays can be a greater way of developing your oral and written communication skills. These will be used even long after school in your area of work.
Guidelines on how to write an analysis of an article
An analytical essay or article analysis is just like any other academic paper with an introduction, body and conclusion. However, there are certain aspects that you should highlight in the analysis in order to ensure that it serves the intended purpose.
The following tips will give you more pointers on how to write an analysis of an article.
Read the article properly
Many students are always not very keen when reading articles for analysis and this can negatively impact the quality of your work. Take time to carefully read the article from beginning to end in order to get all the facts right.
When studying the article, remember to take notes, highlighting key phrases or statements that stand out in the text. The marked phrases will be useful in brainstorming and even formulating the thesis.
In simple terms, you should highlight the following key elements while reading the article:
- The thesis of the author
- Main ideas of the piece of work
In case there is some part of information in the article that you are not conversant with, it should also be marked and well researched on before writing.
You can read the article as many times as you wish to ensure that you get the context for proper analysis.
Do more research
Although much research is not always needed in writing an analytical essay, you should go ahead to investigate other pieces of work related to it. This will help you in getting a broader view of the subject of analysis.
Try to find various responses to the argument expressed in the article to be to get a better understanding of the work. Information from alternative sources can also offer you more ideas for writing the analysis.
When researching ensure that you only focus on specific material that is related to the subject of your analysis. Besides, do remember to list the sources that you have obtained information from for easy reference.
Organize your ideas
Based on what you have read from the article and ideas obtained from various sources about the subject, it is important to narrow down your points. When doing this, you should take note of the main elements of an analytical paper.
A good analysis of an article should show readers that you have read, understood and logically argued out the arguments of the author. The best approach to take in organizing an analytical paper is chronological order.
First choose a stance on the subject of the article in order to have a clearly defined thesis to be addressed in the essay. Using the thesis, you can now select the key points and evidence that will be used to prove it in the paper.
It is also advisable that you identify the appeals used in the article, if any. The most commonly used ones include pathos, ethos and logos. These should be identified, with evidence or examples from the article to support each.
Take time to carefully read through the outlined points, identifying strengths and weaknesses from different angles in order to deliver a good analysis paper.
Steps on how to write an analysis of an article
After making an outline for the analysis, you can proceed to presenting a detailed discussion in the paper. The following procedures will direct you on how to write an analysis of an article with so much ease.
Introduction
The first part of your analysis should open with an attractive statement that can compel readers to read on. Besides, it should also precisely tell readers about the article to be analyzed, its author, date of publication and other basic information about it.
The opening paragraph should also point out some interesting facts about the topic so your readers can see the importance of reading your analysis. The thesis or your main argument should come towards the end of the introduction paragraph.
The introduction can simply identify the topic of analysis, give your stand and reason to support it, and express a contrary opinion. However, your key argument should be vividly stated in the intro. Besides, you can also tell readers how you plan to present the analysis.
Body Paragraphs
In this section, you should give a comprehensive and logical analysis of the given piece of work. Formulate a short discussion, indicating the main points used by the author in delivering the message contained in the article.
It is advisable that you give examples to support your argument from the article. For every paragraph, you can include two or three examples. However, the number will depend on the point being addressed and article.
In writing the body, you can also simply write a short description of the article’s organization.
Always dedicate a new paragraph for an idea in order to enhance proper flow of the analysis and also make your work more appealing.
Conclusion
Wind up the analysis by giving your final judgment on the subject of the essay. The conclusion should also restate your thesis statement to remind readers of the purpose of the analysis. Besides, you can also give a short recommendation on the analyzed article for further improvements or research.
Examples of Article Analysis Papers
In order for you to know how to write an analysis of an article, it is also advisable that you read sample article analysis papers. The following are samples are written by professionals and will offer you more ideas on how to go about writing an article analysis.
Example 1
Sample Analysis of an article; ‘’The Case against the Death Penalty’’
‘’In the article, ‘’The Case against the Death Penalty,’’ which appears in Crime and Criminals: Opposing Viewpoints, Eric Freedman argues that the death penalty not only does not deter violent crime but also works against reducing the crime rate. Freedman says, ‘’The death penalty not only is useless in itself, but counterproductive…’’ (140). This paper will analyze Freedman’s article from the viewpoints of a middle-aged working man, a poor person, and a politician…’’
To read the rest of this sample analysis paper, simply click here.
Example 2
Analysis of ‘’The Paralyzing Principle,’’ by Cass Sunstein
‘’In the article, ‘’The Paralyzing Principle,’’ Cass Sunstein argues that, as a normative guideline to creating and implementing policy, the strong version of the Precautionary Principle is inept. The author claims that the Precautionary Principle cannot be an adequate guide towards determining a regulatory course of action because the principle will warn against any action, and even against non-action, in almost every given case. Sunstein then argues that the strong Precautionary Principle is a commonly referenced justification for implementing regulation because of human biases that have the tendency of masking the logical implications of the principle itself…’’
Click here to read the entire sample analysis.
Example 3
Sample Literary Critical Analysis of, ‘’The Road Not Taken.’’
In the genre of poetry, there are many well-known works that society have come to love. Among them, ‘’The Road Not Taken,’’ by Robert Frost, is one of the most famous. As a deep and eloquent allegory for the struggle of choice in everyday life, Frost is stating that choices about one’s future are challenging to make, and predictions toward an outcome are often mysterious.
Frost introduces two roads diverging in the woods, alluding to the point in life when a choice of many must be made…’’
Read the rest of this sample analysis on this link.
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References
http://classroom.synonym.com/analyze-article-write-essay-2759.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Critical-Analysis
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/WRITEREAD/Analysis/samples.htm