Kryachkov 2!indd

96
Д. А. Крячков
UNIT III
Contents
1. 
How and in what part of the paper does the reviewer identify the book under review and its 
author?
2. 
What information about the author does the reviewer include in his review? In what part does 
it appear? To what end?
3. How does the reviewer summarize the main idea/argument/focus of the book? Do you be-
lieve it to be a successful thesis? Why (not)?
4. 
Analyze the way the main ideas of the book are presented. Is the content of the book conveyed 
chapter by chapter or as an entire book? Is the summary of the book’s main ideas placed in a 
particular section or is some summary dispersed throughout other parts of the review? Is the 
reviewer specific enough? If so, how does he avoid vagueness? If not, what could be done to 
improve the review?
5. Which of the following criteria does the review use to evaluate the book?
—
the timeliness of the book; 
—
the degree to which the article makes an original contribution;
—
the logic of the view put forward; 
—
the validity of the evidence put forward;
—
the theoretical framework used (its validity or appropriateness); 
—
the methodology used, e.g. research, analysis, case studies (appropriateness, clarity, 
weaknesses/strength);
—
the validity of conclusions;
—
the thoroughness with which the book treats the topic;
—
the book’s value compared to that of other works on the topic; 
—
other (specify). 
Style
Analyze how the reviewer expresses his reaction to the work under review. What language is used 
to evaluate the original text?
Ex. 34. If you have analyzed the suggested sample review thoroughly enough, you 
will easily complete the following rules summarizing the essential features of a 
review.
1. A 
review 
is a _______________________________________________________________.
2. Unlike a summary, a review __________________________________________________.
3. The most important elements of a review are: ___________________________________.
4. The introduction should include ______________________________________________.
5. The body of the review should include _________________________________________.
6. The 
conclusion should include ________________________________________________.
Ex. 35. Write a critical review of the text in Reading 2. You may find the following tips 
useful:
A. Pre-writing
1. 
Read the article thoroughly without making notes.
2. Re-read the article making analytical notes which highlight the main ideas, the purpose of the 
article, the methodology used (where applicable), the main conclusions, instances of faulty logic.

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