Studying at London Metropolitan University

Critical thinking is an important element of all academic disciplines and is applied to reading, assignment writing and academic presentations. Critical thinking is not about finding fault – it's about judging the strengths and weaknesses of a written or spoken argument or ‘case’. It is the ability to analyse, evaluate, and synthesise information to form well-reasoned conclusions, and not just taking what you have read or seen on face value.

The key critical thinking questions are what, why, how, who, where and when – plus what if, so what, what next…

Critical thinking is important not just at university but in life too.  With the huge amount of information open to us on the internet, we need the skills to be able to question the content and be able to identify bias and misinformation. 

Critical thinkers:

✔ Make better choices and informed decisions: they weigh the pros and cons and analyse the information available.

✔ Identify misinformation: critical thinkers avoid being misled by lies, scams and those attempting to deceive.

✔ Gain career success: employers want critical thinkers who are used to analysing and evaluating information.

✔ Solve problems: they think creatively through options to identify best courses of action.

✔ Are curious and well-informed: critical thinking is all about asking questions and seeking a range of different sources.

✔ Provide well-thought-out and evidenced arguments- key to assignment success!

Critical thinking and analysis is a process of:

• Gathering information
  • Identify relevant sources.
  • Keep an open mind: don't let your own biases affect your judgement.
  • Consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives.
• Questioning
  • Remember the key questions of what, why, how, who, where and when – plus what if, so what, what next…
  • What are the main themes and arguments, who is the author- what is their expertise, when was it published or last updated, why has it been created and who for, what is the evidence, how have they come to that conclusion?
  • Analyse the information on a topic, compare and contrast different sources.
• Evaluating information and assertions
  • Use relevant and trustworthy sources of information.  See our guide on evaluating sources. 
  • Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments.
  • Distinguish between fact and opinion.
  • Be alert to bias, stereotypes, prejudices and distortion which may be presented as facts.
• Forming judgements and developing logical arguments- based on reasoning and the evidence you have gathered.

BBC Ideas present some key strategies for critical thinking:

In your writing it's important to be analytical and critical.  Don't use a descriptive, personal or journalistic style.  Instead use the sources you have read and critically analysed to develop logical arguments backed by evidence.

Developing logical arguments

By argument we do not just mean to fight or disagree with something. An argument is a claim about a topic that is supported by reasons and evidence. In your writing you will need to construct an argument to justify your position. This means that you will need to:

• Research and evaluate your evidence.
• Use reputable, scholarly, and unbiased sources.
• Draw conclusions based on the arguments and evidence of others.
• Make your own ‘case’, supported by arguments that you put together.
• Present evidence and examples to support your reasoning and argument.
• Present each reason and the evidence for it in logical order.
• Link your ideas and information.
• Show a clear line of reasoning, leading to your conclusion.