CRITICAL THINKING IN BUSINESS WRITING
IDENTIFY
I. INTRODUCTION (Main Idea and Purpose): (2)¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
• State the main idea of the topic. What is the central theme that you, as the author, are conveying to your audience?
• Clearly state the purpose of the analysis.
II. KEY TERMINOLOGY: (3)
• Identify any key terms or concepts brought forth in the article and write a brief definition of each term or concept.
EXPLAIN
III. FACTS: (3)
• Identify at least three important facts to support the main idea. What is the rationale, justification and importance of the facts? What data is presented to support these facts? Use figures and/or tables to illustrate relevant data.
IV. EXPLANATION/INTERPRETATION OF THE FACTS (BIAS/FAULTY REASONING) (3)
• Interpret and explain the facts/data. Analyze the facts using a balanced approach to remove bias or faulty reasoning found in the way the facts are interpreted.
ILLUSTRATE
V. RECOMMENDATIONS: (3)
• Illustrate specific tools/strategies that can be applied to address the problem and/or issue. Clearly identify the problem and offer a specific solution to address the problem.
• Illustrate by providing specific examples to describe the problem? What specific examples may be cited as the solution and why?
VI. CONCLUSION: (2)
• Summarize the main idea, reiterate the specific purpose and key points of the issue. What major point is likely to be remembered 3-5 years from now?
MECHANICS AND STRUCTURE
VII. WRITING BASICS: (2)
• Scrutinize sentence structure, grammar and spelling. (Please use the third person)
VIII. TRANSITIONS/LINKAGES: (2)
• Evaluate transition of ideas, appearance, layout and overall clarity of expression.