Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of the Bedford Researcher is about 'Reading Critically'.  It begins by showing initial research questions and the position statements that can stem from them.  Following that the chapter showed how to read each piece critically.  That is, who is the author, what are their credentials, are they primary or secondary sources, what is their stance on a topic, how do they support their stance, who is the audience that they are writing to, why are they writing about the subject?  The chapter gives detailed advice on paying attention to the arguments and appeals that sources use.  Each type of argument and appeal can indicate certain things within a written work. The main thing is to look for these clues and then use them to decide whether this source is applicable to the research.

For me, this chapter was almost a review of training that I received in the military.  It was training on looking at a written confession for indicators and signals of context and subtext.  Such as, if someone is saying that 'they did this, and they made me do this, and then we went there', the change in the pronoun from 'they' to 'we' usually shows that the writer was not forced at that time.  Critical evaluation and thinking about a source beyond just the written piece.  Chapter 4's segment on identifying the various types of evidence and analysis was informative, as well as making sure if a source is a secondary or primary source.  Definitely details to remember.