16+ SAMPLE Article Analysis Templates in PDF | MS Word

What Is an Article Analysis?

Essays, reports, stories, and other pieces of writing inside magazines, newspapers, and publications are referred to as articles. When breaking down an article’s elements, content, and structure becomes a concern, then an article analysis commences. In other words, article analysis refers to a written analysis report aiming to demonstrate how much one understands and applies the full content of a particular article. More so, expect three things to acquire in analyzing articles: (1) to summarize the central thought, (2) to support or argue with the writer’s point using critical thinking abilities, (3) and to contemplate with the article’s importance and key concepts.

Did you know that the total estimation for both print and digital US daily newspaper circulation was around 28.6 million during the weekdays in 2018?

Moreover, Statista surveyed in May 2017 that approximately 30% of ages 18-29 Americans do not read newspapers in print.

On the other hand, the estimated total revenue of the US magazine industry was about $28 billion in 2017.

A Quick Look into the Origins of Writing

We are so quick to judge writings and articles nowadays while forgetting how much of a great invention it is when you look back into when writing began. From 3400 to 3300 BC, Mesopotamia contributed to the cuneiform as their official ancient writing system. More so, Egypt contributed hieroglyphic forms towards 3200 BC, whereas China, during the Shang dynasty, introduced their writing in 1300 BC. Eventually, different writing systems were introduced and have spread out to Mesoamerica, Indus River valley, and more. The best part is how the writing origins are still being studied continuously as the origin dates may change depending on discoveries. Despite the different cultures and histories involved, writing remains vital as a powerful tool to communicate and spread information worldwide.

Article Analysis: Why Is It Important?

Indeed, the invention of writing helped in spreading the word anytime and anywhere, but spreading without critical analysis is a wrong move. In fact, all sorts of published posts do not automatically mean confirmed and well-researched. Trusting fake news articles can happen without putting some thought into what you have read. Hence, this reason is why article analysis exists. Besides reading an article, analyzing helps you comment on whether you support the details or make a different opinion out of it.

Through a sheet, an essay can be made as you point out every significant facet in a publication. Also, creating a summary helps you master the art of quick understanding rather than still needing long information to get the gist. Let us not forget that making your reflection is welcome in the analysis as well, which will be useful when teachers or scholars need your say about a particular topic. Lastly, the thesis and research plans benefit here. By delving further into some topics stated in an article, thinking skills are used to increase your understanding and come up with a conclusion.

The Three Main Purposes of Writing

Before proceeding to the steps of conducting an article analysis, be prepared to recognize the different purposes of writing first. Remember that in analysis, assume that your primary audience is a teacher. That way, adjusting your tone to an academic audience is necessary to maintain professionalism. However, being overly formal is discouraged too because in research, for example, other people will read as well. These people include students, colleagues, and other clients. As a guide in writing, identify the author’s writing purpose first, according to these three purposes:

How to Process an Effective Article Analysis

There is a decline in the use of publications in the print industry. According to Journalism.org, the estimated total of American newspaper circulation during weekdays, both the print and digital versions, is 28.6 million in 2018. Meanwhile, Statista’s research survey proved that the total revenue of the American magazine industry was around $28 billion back in 2017. Despite the big numbers, the amount indeed declines almost every year. But, that is expected due to the rampant use of online media, which is more accessible than print. Whether you trust in an article from print or digital media, what matters is that a thorough article analysis takes place. How do you manage this? Follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Read the Article Twice

First things first, read that article assigned to you for analysis all the way. For the first read, it is done solely for free reading and understanding. On the second read, do that to answer specific questions. What is the article wholly about? What have you learned from its findings? List what you need to find out through a research questionnaire to handle this. The point is your analysis starts on your second reading attempt. Endless reading is not how you manage this process anyway since acquiring bits of information is the goal.

Step 2: Analyze the Article

As you insert questions and analyze the whole article, never forget to be guided by our article analysis templates. How the format and design look like is introduced to you by the templates up for grabs. A common idea on how to scrutinize articles is by recognizing the article structure, voice, tone, metaphors, and others. Making a checklist of factors you use to analyze reading materials is recommended here too. So, is the message given using allegories? Or perhaps, it is done in a satirical way? The thing is sometimes statements do not mean in its literal sense. Find the clues in the article to understand its elements.

Step 3: Summarize the Gist in Your Words

You must know how to summarize the main thought of the article according to your words. In this attempt, the analyst slowly structures the information in his or her terms, rather than copying the statements word by word. As a draft, write down a summary of the article on a piece of paper. Next, rephrase what you have written, and avoid plagiarism. Otherwise, professors would mark that as an auto fail. Professors might use your summary as a basis if you understood the message similar to how they perceived it or not.

Step 4: Be Critical; Do Not Personalize

Indeed, having a bit of personality in writing is good, but it might block you from thinking critically. Saying statements like “I think,” “In my opinion,” or “I believe,” already makes your comment too opinionated. Be straightforward instead, and always remember your audience upon writing. Therefore, stay professional and make your statements as understandable as possible to give the right message.

Step 5: Observe a Sense of Open-Mindedness

It is a big deal to keep your data as unbiased as possible, and how do you do that? Be open-minded. Always give room in your head that what you think is right may not always be right. By doing extensive research and more reading, news learnings add up to your knowledge for sure. However, this does not mean that you believe any new things you read along the way. Be alert at all costs in managing careful evaluations about your sources to confirm what is right or wrong.

Step 6: Polish Your Work

As you finish writing your whole analysis report, be sure to end it with the right finishing details. By this, that means there is a sense of format to the entire content already. A conventional layout is to start with the title, introduction, summary, analysis, and conclusion in the last part. Sometimes the format depends on what is required to you by the school, teacher, or whoever you need to report this analysis with. To avoid wordy sentences, omit unnecessary words for a better result. Lastly, conduct a final review before submitting the analysis to prevent mistakes.

FAQs

A single sentence from any article may spark up a thousand reactions, depending on how the reader reacts to it. With the use of article analysis, there is room for your understanding, opinion, and reflection to voice out instead of accepting messages without thinking critically. By sharing your thoughts, your message can invite more insights. However, one must give room for open-mindedness no matter what; how one interprets an article may not always be the same with others. Despite being different, your concern is to make others understand your point about an article, thanks to your contribution via critical analysis.