Reading, thinking, and writing at a graduate level

When we talk about thinking at the graduate level, what we are often talking about is critical thinking.  But what exactly is critical thinking? On this page, we've provided both a short video and text that describes critical thinking.

Note: The information below reflects Western ways of thinking that are typical in North American post-secondary institutions but is not intended to exclude other ways of knowing and being that may have differing definitions and/or practices of critical thinking.

In the Western tradition, critical thinking is:

a type of thinking that requires continuous questioning, exploring answers, and making judgments. Critical thinking can help you: 

• analyze information to comprehend more thoroughly
• approach problems systematically, identify root causes, and explore potential solutions
• make informed decisions by weighing various perspectives
• promote intellectual curiosity and self-reflection, leading to continuous learning, innovation, and personal development. (Huang, 2014, para.2)

Purdue Global University (n.d.) provided this helpful connection between critical thinking and writing:

The writing process...is not just a mirror image of the thinking process: it is the thinking process. Confronted with a topic, an effective critical thinker/writer

•     asks questions
•     seeks answers
•     evaluates evidence
•     questions assumptions
•     tests hypotheses
•     makes inferences
•     employs logic
•     draws conclusions
•     predicts readers’ responses
•     creates order
•     drafts content
•     seeks others’ responses
•     weighs feedback
•     criticizes their own work
•     revises content and structure
•     seeks clarity and coherence (para. 9)

If you're a Royal Roads student and you have questions about how you can reflect your critical thinking in your writing, please contact the Writing Centre so that we can assist you.

References

Huang, M. (2024, March 14). How to apply critical thinking in learning. University of Waterloo. https://uwaterloo.ca/student-success/blog/post/how-apply-critical-thinking-learning

Purdue Global University. (n.d.). Writing to think: Critical thinking and the writing process. https://purdueglobalwriting.center/writing-to-think/