Critical Thinking Skills
Developing critical thinking skills is essential for success at university level. This is where AI such as ChatGPT cannot help. Regardless of what you are studying, you will need to evaluate the information and evidence in the sources you encounter. There is a tendency for students to describe what they have read in their assessments, to state what others have said instead of thinking critically about the material. Being critical is not only about finding fault. At university level, it means evaluating evidence and creating a compelling argument. It is not sufficient to describe what you have read.
When writing, ask yourself at the end of each sentence how, what, why is this important, so what. This will ensure you are critically engaging with the material cited. See the ‘Being Critical’ section in The Academic Phrasebank for suggested phrases.