Academic Text-An academic text is a kind of text that is commonly characterized with being

formal, studied, researched, objective, exact, direct, and has the ability to influence its readers.
Moreover, an academic text is written with precise organization in order to help its readers to have a
basic understanding of what the author’s arguments are that include the writer’s insights.

 Example of Academic Text

Academic writing is, of course, any formal written work produced in an academic setting. While
academic writing comes in many forms, the following are some of the most common.

1. Literary Analysis. A literary analysis essay examines, evaluates, and makes an argument about a
literary work. As its name suggests, a literary analysis essay goes beyond mere summarization. It
requires careful close reading of one or multiple texts and often focuses on a specific
characteristic, theme or motif.
1. Research Paper. A research paper utilizes outside information to support a thesis or make an
argument. Research papers are written in all disciplines and may be evaluative, analytical, or
critical in nature. Common research sources include data, primary sources (e.g. historical
records), and secondary sources (e.g. peer-reviewed scholarly articles). Writing a research paper
involves synthesizing this external information with your own ideas.
2. Dissertation. A dissertation (or thesis) is a document submitted at the conclusion of a Ph.D.
program. The dissertation is a book-length summarization of the doctoral candidate’s research.

 Sample Research Paper Paragraph

Video games encourage children to associate happiness and pleasure with the capability to
cause pain to others. They develop the feeling that in order to be happy, one has to make other people
suffer.

Children who play video games tend to develop selfish behavior (Anderson & Bushman, 2001).
Video games teach the player to be dependent and since the child is often left alone while playing on a
game console, he or she can develop selfish behaviors.

A certain study that was done at a Minneapolis-based national institute for media indicated that
kids can get addicted to video games and exhibit social phobias. The interactive quality of virtual
games is quite different from passively viewing movies or television.

The games allow players to be active participants in the script. The players who are able to
benefit from acts of violence are then able to proceed to the next level (Sherry, 2001).

Critical Reading- Critical reading is a more ACTIVE way of reading. It is a deeper and more complex
engagement with a text. Critical reading is a process of analyzing, interpreting and, sometimes,
evaluating. When we read critically, we use our critical thinking skills to QUESTION both the text and our
own reading of it. Critical reading means engaging in what you read by asking yourself questions such as,
‘what is the author trying to say?’ or ‘what is the main argument being presented? Critical reading is the
process of reading that goes beyond just understanding a text. Critical reading means not taking things
at face value, but really engaging in a text by asking questions, thinking about possible future research
and taking the devil’s advocate role

Difference between the reader and a critical reader. The reader is someone who reads or who is
fond of reading. And also they read because it will need. While a critical reader is someone who
thus recognize not only what a text says, but also how that text portrays the subject
matter. They recognize the various ways in which each and every text is the unique creation of
a unique author.

Different ways to help you become a critical reader

 Read it more than once- it may be necessary for you to read it a few times in order to
really understand the arc of the author’s logic. So, take your time, don’t skim, but read
slowly and methodically, taking in the text a second or third time to make sure you
understand it thoroughly. Each time you read it, you’ll uncover new layers, make new
connections and pay attention to new facts that didn’t catch your eye the first time
around
 Take notes- Engaging in the text this way allows you to recognize main arguments and
important facts such as names and dates. Good notes are an important step in critical
reading.
 Discuss it with others- Engaging others in a discussion about the article is a great way to
increase your understanding of it. Maybe the other person will take the devil’s advocate
role or maybe you will. In any case, the more thoughts you can gather on the subject,
the stronger your comprehension of it will be.
 Write a critical summary- A great way to make sure you really understood the text is to
write a summary of the article.