Responding to texts in college is different from what you might have done in high school. Professors want you to engage in constructive reading whereby you process the complex ideas and meanings frequently found in scholarly texts.

In college courses, students are expected to read, research, and write about what we have learned. Academic discourse is how we communicate those ideas, or findings. To complete your assignments, students are often required to read a variety of texts, from textbooks to scholarly articles, and then respond to them. You may use various skills, including annotating, summarizing, quoting and paraphrasing to either critique, argue, summarize or synthesize.

College-level writing requires students to dig deeper. It’s not enough to simply say whether you agree/disagree or like/dislike a text.

Detecting Bias

Academic writing should be unbiased and correct. This means that the sources an academic writer uses must also be free from bias and mistakes.

As you read, think about who the author is and what their background might be. You often will not be familiar with an author, so it’s important to do some basic online searches to determine if they have a well known political leaning or if any of their previous works can give you clues about possible bias.

Consider where the text has been published. Various publications have different biases, some more than others. Scholarly journals pride themselves on being neutral, objective resources, but some internet resources and other popular media are created for audiences with specific biases. People with more conservative viewpoints are served by Fox News, while those with more left-leaning or liberal viewpoints might gravitate toward MSNBC.

If you are unfamiliar with the source or the author, you should do a few quick searches to make sure they are not known for having a particular bias. You may be unaware of their bias, but your professor likely will be aware of this information.

The Medias Bias Chart is one resource you can use to determine the bias of a publication or media outlet. Remember that few sources are ever completely neutral. A publication’s bias does not immediately disqualify it from use in academic writing. Instead, a writer can demonstrate their awareness of possible bias to build their own credibility.

Students can also begin determining bias by asking questions of the text.

Taking the time to think about these questions can help you interact with the text on a deeper level.

Remember that not all bias is intentional. Sometimes bias is a product of the writer’s or the text’s situation. For example, the historical events of the time period might play a role in the opinions and perspectives an author might have. Consider same-sex marriage in the United States: In the early 2000s, polls revealed that the majority of the public disapproved of the idea of gay marriage, so articles from that time would most likely reflect that opinion. However, opinions would soon change, as the public became more accustomed to the idea of same-sex couples marrying. Therefore, articles on the topic today would differ in position, tone, and argument.

Challenge What You Read

Engaged, critical readers will do more than identify the main idea of the text. Engaged readers don’t simply agree or disagree with the text. They ask questions.

While your initial reaction to the text is a good place to start, it is never where engaged readers and strong writers end.

Academic writers think deeply about why they like or dislike a text using their knowledge about argument and rhetoric. Responding to a text is a type of argument, and arguments need to be more than opinion.

As you formulate your response to a text, think about the evidence for that response:

Think about what the text is missing or what the author is leaving out? Where is there room for more information?

Remember, just because something is published doesn’t make it appropriate to use in all situations. Just because an article is published online doesn’t make it a valid source. In an age where anyone can create a website that appears legitimate, writers need to be sure that the resources they rely on are authoritative, relevant, and appropriate.