Reflective writing asks you to think about what you think. You will engage with an experience or piece of writing, express your thoughts, and then consider what makes you think in that way. How have your experiences, understandings, and current ways of thinking influenced your reaction to this experience or written work?

Read this guide from Trent University on writing reflective papers for a detailed explanation of the goals of reflective writing.

Reflective writing asks you about your thoughts, focussing on how your existing ideas and assumptions may have been confirmed or challenged by what you experienced or read. A key thing to remember, though, is that your ideas and assumptions were formed at some point by external influences. The point of research in reflective writing is to hunt down those influences.

You're looking for the people who share or challenge:

• the thoughts you brought with you into the experience or reading
• the thoughts you encountered during the experience or reading
• the thoughts you're having when thinking about the experience or reading

Referring to other people's thoughts in this way allows you to position yourself within a discussion of ideas that was prompted by what you experienced or read.

Places to look

Reference materials and introductory books may help identify and articulate the thoughts you brought with you into the experience or reading.

Books and articles on the general topic may help you articulate the thoughts you encountered during the experience or reading.

Book reviews and specific journal articles may help clarify and support the thoughts you're having when thinking about the experience or reading.

Critical reflection requires thoughtful and persistent inquiry.  Although basic questions like “what is the thesis?” and “what is the evidence?” are important to demonstrate your understanding, you need to interrogate your own assumptions and knowledge to deepen your analysis and focus your assessment of the text.

A well-crafted book reflection allows you to think about what you think, and discover areas where you may choose to confirm or challenge previously held understandings.

Refer to the following questions along with the assignment description to help develop your book reflection.

Assess the text(s):

• What is the main point? How is it developed? Identify the purpose, impact and/or theoretical framework of the text.
• What ideas stood out to or surprised me? Why? Were they new or in opposition to existing scholarship?

Develop your ideas:

• What do I know about this topic? Where does my existing knowledge come from? What are the observations or experiences that shape my understanding?
• Do I agree or disagree with this argument?  Why?
• Do any of the ideas presented in this book leave me with questions rather than an opinion? Why?

Make connections:

• How does this text reinforce my existing ideas or assumptions? How does this text challenge my existing ideas or assumptions? Have they changed after reading this text?
• What is my personal connection to this text? Which parts were particularly meaningful or challenging? Why?
• How does this text help me to better understand this topic or explore this field of study/discipline?

(Adapted from "Approaches to Reflective Inquiry: Reading Reflection," Trent University)