How to Critically Evaluate a Topic for Your Assignment?

How to Critically Evaluate a Topic for Your Assignment? Critical evaluation is a part of academia. Students often confuse this with criticism. But there’s quite a difference between the two. Suppose you come across a topic – “The Consequences of World War I.” Now, you can criticize that this topic is a cliché. You’ve probably covered many versions of this topic throughout your academic career. However, a critical evaluation of this topic would include checking its relevance, collecting reputed sources, arranging information, and understanding the issue.

Critically evaluating a topic involves a lot of time and effort. So, it’s not surprising that many students prefer to hire a website like MyAssignmenthelp.com to assist them. Experience with academic writing makes the process easier. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for you! In this blog, you’ll go through all the necessary steps to critically evaluate any assignment topic that crosses your path. Let’s get started!

How to Choose an Assignment Topic?

Colleges and universities often allow students to pick their assignment topics. If assigned an unfamiliar topic, paying someone to write a paper for you would make sense. But that’s not the case when you have the liberty to take your pick. You can choose something already covered in your class if you’re looking for something familiar. But if you want to travel the road less taken, you must evaluate the topic critically. Here are the questions that you should focus on –

• Is the topic relevant enough for evaluation?
• Can you find relevant sources related to the issue?
• How broad should the scope of research be?
• What assumptions do people make about the topic?
• Are your findings in turn with these assumptions?

A great piece of advice you should follow when choosing a topic is to pick something unique that has been researched to an extent. That way, you can avoid dealing with a cliché and still have plenty of materials to gather information from.

How to Critically Evaluate Your Topic?

Once you’ve finalized your topic, it’s time to get into the critical evaluation part of the process. You’ll encounter multiple steps below. Go through them thoroughly, and you should be able to ace any assignment without breaking a sweat.

Step 1: Understanding the Context of the Topic

Context is important for the critical evaluation of any issue. Suppose your topic requires you to evaluate the character of Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Now, if you were to review her character in the context of women in the 21st century, you’d think Elizabeth falls short of being termed as a feminist. But think of the context in which the text was written. For a story written in the early 17th century, Elizabeth’s character would stand out for being ahead of her time.

That’s why context is important. It sheds light on the topic, provides relevant background information for you to comprehend the intentions behind actions, and makes it easier to understand the purpose of the text. Now, you can go about this in a few ways. Let’s explore them in detail.

• Initial Encounter with the Topic

Your first encounter with the topic involves checking out relevant texts and other forms of media related to the times. For example, you have to write a paper on World War I. In that case, you can look up poems by war poets like Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon and check out historical documentaries and interviews by war veterans and survivors. This is the most conventional way to research any assignment topic.

• Reviewing the Author’s Involvement

Sometimes, separating the author from their work is impossible. The autobiographical elements that bleed into the text are impossible to separate. This means you must consider the author’s life and experiences when critically evaluating the topic.

For example, consider Charles Dickens’ semi-autobiographical novel, David Copperfield. The novel’s protagonist might be fictional, but the challenges that David Copperfield faced in his childhood, a few of his career choices, and personal relationships were inspired by Dickens’ life.

• Seeing Things from the Modern Perspective

When evaluating a topic from the modern perspective, there’s no need to focus on the background context or author. Instead, the entire focus should be on its relevance to contemporary times. For example, if your topic deals with the use of AI technology in schools, no one expects you to present a history of AI. The primary focus of your paper should be

• Taking on the Practical Approach

Some topics require a very scientific approach to them. You evaluate multiple sources, collect the data you can find, and come to a conclusion. The end goal here isn’t to state cold facts. Instead, you can form a hypothesis regarding the topic, review the information you’ve collected from other sources, and check whether your hypothesis still stands by the end of your evaluation.

Step 2: Collecting All Information Related to the Topic

Any kind of critical evaluation works in a simple manner. First, you assume something about a topic. Then, you conduct in-depth research to determine whether this assumption is true. This works for topics on all subjects – scientific, literary, etc. It’s best to look into multiple sources to collect information. The best option is the library. A well-stocked library can give you access to rare reference books that you won’t find anywhere else.

You can search the internet for credible academic sources as well. Websites like JSTOR, ResearchGate, and PubMed Central are good places to start. But no one said you had to stick to texts as your only sources. Branch out! Go through podcasts, documentaries, and online conferences. These are excellent sources of information as well. It’s important to broaden your research because it allows you to encounter different perspectives on the topic.

Step 3: Arranging All Details Logically

The next step in the critical evaluation process is to arrange everything you’ve gathered logically. This requires you to think of an outline for your paper. Review the topic multiple times, then figure out which angle you wish to explore in your paper. Check all the information you’ve gathered, and start framing the points you want to cover.

 Here’s how the structure of a typical assignment looks like: 

• Introduction

• • Background information
  • Hook
  • Thesis statement

• Body

• • Topic sentence 1
  • Supporting arguments
  • Counter-arguments
  • Evidence
  • Transition sentence into next idea
  • Topic sentence 2
  • Supporting arguments
  • Counter-arguments
  • Evidence
  • Transition sentence into next idea
  • Topic sentence 3
  • Supporting arguments
  • Counter-arguments
  • Evidence
  • Transition sentence into conclusion

• Conclusion

• • Repetition of the thesis statement
  • Summary of the main points
  • A final comment on the topic

So, when arranging all the data and information you’ve gathered on the topic, think of all the perspectives you can explore. Make sure you include counter-arguments in your paper. Otherwise, your critical evaluation will fall short. Including counter-arguments and providing evidence that refutes those points proves that you’ve done your due research.

Step 4: Find a Niche to Explore

The secret to a good critical evaluation is to choose a niche. If the scope of the topic you’ve chosen is too broad, it would be impossible to analyze it within the deadline critically. Either you have to cut short your research or skip an in-depth evaluation and opt for a generalized overview. Try to avoid both options if you can. Instead, choose a niche idea to evaluate. This ensures you won’t have to cram too much information into the paper. Instead, you can focus on diving deep into your chosen topic and do it justice.

Step 5: Be Objective in Your Observations

When critically evaluating any academic piece, leave all your bias behind. There’s no place for that in any assignment. Your primary objective is to present the facts available on the topic and build an argument for or against a hypothesis regarding the topic. You can use the factual information you’ve gathered to convince the readers. So, consciously avoid including instances of personal bias that can influence the readers.

In Conclusion,

The critical evaluation of an assignment topic involves multiple steps, such as meticulous research, systematic sorting of information, and unbiased presentations. Your primary focus should be on presenting information logically. Once you’ve presented your arguments, you can come to the conclusion whether your earlier hypothesis still stands or not. Such evaluations are a great way to exercise your logical thinking and presentation skills. So, the next time you end up with such a task, make sure to leave your readers speechless.