This workshop provides support with learning how to become a critical reader of academic literature in social science fields and a self-critical writer of literature reviews, including those which form part of a thesis. The presenters are co-authors of the book ‘Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates’, published by Sage in May 2006. The workshop will be based on material in the book, which includes:

• communicating with and convincing an audience by developing an argument

• developing a mental map for navigating the literature

• applying the map in completing a summary critical synopsis or in-depth critical analysis of single texts

• creating a critical review of one or more texts (the most central texts in-depth, the rest in summary)

• structuring a critical literature review

Participants will be invited to bring an academic article or chapter reporting research that they wish to engage with critically, and to try out conducting an in-depth critical analysis of it.