Article Response (not a review)
ARTICLE RESPONSE (NOT A REVIEW)
Read article: Ruderman’s “Intra-European Trade in Atlantic Africa and the African Atlantic” article
The purpose of a scholarly article analysis is not to summarize the content of the article, but instead to situate the historical merit of the article and to critically evaluate the authors’ topic, thesis, evidence, and methods of analysis.
Therefore, rather than descriptive summary, the bulk of your Article Response will be an analysis of the author’s thesis and an evaluation of its persuasiveness.
In short, the response is an analysis of the text, not a summary of its content.
An essential feature of a good Article Response is the reviewer’s ability to write concisely, so that the reader has a comprehensive evaluation of the article from a quick reading. Do not write more; write more concisely. Find creative ways to communicate your critical evaluation of the article in a short essay.
The Article Response assignments are 600-650 words in length.
The features you will MUST are:
A brief description of the author’s main topic
A clear statement of the author’s thesis and key points supporting it
An explanation of the type of sources the author used and the methods they employed in choosing and organizing the sources
An evaluation of the author’s argument and its persuasiveness with attention to its strongest or weakest points
An assessment of strong points or any shortcomings
A reflection on how this article should impact the way someone thinks about the topic
Be sure to make references to specifics from the article to illustrate your evaluation. The challenge is to be as specific as possible with examples while keeping to the limited space of no more than 700 words.
· Quotations should be rarely used, using them only to identify terms coined by the author or phrases that are impossible to paraphrase in your own words. Each quotation use should not exceed 1 sentence (no block quotations).
Formatting Instructions:
· No Title Page is need
· The top of the first page (where you would place a title) should include a bibliographical reference to the article using Turabian “Notes and Bibliography” style.
· Format using 12-point, Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins.
· Page numbers must be included.
· Analysis must be free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
· While the use of the first person “I” is permitted in a review, it must not be used excessively.
