Critical thinking is characterized by the ability to see and assess connections between ideas. In turn, this helps an academic to clearly identify, evaluate and construct arguments. Moreover, with critical thinking, academics are able to systematically solve problems and detect common inconsistencies in reason. The self-reflective properties of critical thinking encourage academics to reflect on the validity and justification of their own arguments, to make them strong and effective. Furthermore, with critical thought, academics identify the importance and relevance of their colleagues' and their own ideas, research and conclusions.
It's important to understand that a large acquisition of knowledge and the ability to quickly recollect does not qualify as critical thinking. Instead, critical thought is the use of acquired knowledge to solve problems and test the quality of information. Critical thinking is not about being argumentative or overly critical of people. The essence of critical thought is to engage in a conversation with information, reasoning and theories to strengthen and improve them. When academics engage in critical thought, it's to help progress their own and their colleagues' theories.
Critical thinking promotes creativity by generating new ideas from the information, adapting it to make it more relevant and useful to the task at hand. Ideas are constantly evolving in adaptation to our fast-paced world; academics require critical thinking skills to stay on top of their field and to contribute effectively. Part of the success of any good academic is knowing when to present new ideas to maximize their relevance and importance.
A study done by the Offices of Outcomes Assessment at University of Maryland University College (UMUC) found that "critical thinking was highlighted as one of the six major intellectual and practical skills" for post-secondary study. Science academics use critical thinking to assess the results of their experiments to come to useful conclusions. History academics use critical thinking skills to investigate historical documents in order to come to the most accurate interpretation of events. Critical thinking is an essential skill for all academics who wish to be successful in their respective field.