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The Review essay

Writing . . . . The Review essay. Evaluative Writing. EMOTION vs. RATIONALE (“Feeling” vs. “Thinking”) Evaluation involves three things: Judgment Criteria Evidence. Judgment. Is this thing . . . Good or bad? Useful or not useful? Relevant or not relevant?

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The Review essay

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  1. Writing . . . The Review essay

  2. Evaluative Writing EMOTION vs. RATIONALE (“Feeling” vs. “Thinking”) Evaluation involves three things: • Judgment • Criteria • Evidence

  3. Judgment Is this thing . . . • Good or bad? • Useful or not useful? • Relevant or not relevant? • Convincing or not convincing? • Worth doing or not worth doing?

  4. Criteria Rules or principles for evaluation • The basis by which we judge • Implicit (we are not consciously aware) • Familiarity = elaborate and sophisticated criteria

  5. Evidence What makes an evaluation persuasive • Specific details • Observations • Facts about the thing itself

  6. Motives for Writing a Review • It’s practical • Personally • Academically • You’ll learn to work against (or beyond) your emotions • It will help make your judgment persuasive to others

  7. Academic Review Evaluation is an important part of academic writing in many disciplines: • Science - reviewing methodology • Business - evaluating a marketing strategy, a product, or a business plan • Philosophy - evaluating arguments • History - evaluating approaches

  8. Features of the Form • Clear about categories • The neighborhood, not the globe • Describe the thing they evaluate • The extent depends on your audience • Criteria are matched to purpose, category, and audience • Consider the rhetorical triangle for this writing situation

  9. Features of the Form, cont. • Feelings often lead judgment • But they are never enough! • Judgments range • From overall assessment to specific commentary on particular aspects • Offer a balanced assessment • Or at least make an attempt...

  10. Features of the Form, cont. • Criteria may be stated or unstated • Implicit but identifiable • The writer and audience share certain assumptions • Relevant comparisons may form the backbone • But don’t compare apples to oranges

  11. Your Own Review • 900-1500 words • No research may be used • Your choice of topic • With instructor approval • Must include all 3 elements of evaluation • Judgment, criteria, and evidence • Your criteria must be reasonable and appropriate • Your evaluation should be balanced and fair

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