Chapter four moves us into part II of the book, which is about working with sources. This chapter is specifically focused on reading critically. It's important to read actively and with an attitude. How do you read with an attitude? The Bedford Researcher describes it as simply being critical. You take nothing at face-value, ask lots of questions, and are open to ideas and arguments you don't agree with. As for reading actively, we are given a few strategies. These include highlighting, annotating, and taking notes on sources. Finally, the chapter talks about what we should pay attention to as we read. This includes looking for primary or secondary sources, what the main points and reasons are, uses of evidence, methods of analysis, and similarities with other sources.
Sources can be pretty daunting. Reading though many and picking useful ones is challenging. This chapter lays out the whole process out for us, from the attitude we should take when first reading to the detailed analysis of appeals and frameworks in each source. I personally liked the parts about how to read more actively, and what to pay attention to. Printing up an article and being able to really mark it up seems like it could be helpful to me. I also like the idea of writing out questions beforehand to answer about each source. Again, can be tedious, but that kind of work keeps me focused on what I am reading. Here's to being a more critical reader!
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