1 / 45

Disclaimer

Disclaimer. All workshops and workshop materials are the sole property of PEGS and cannot be published, copied, or disseminated without prior written approval from PEGS and are for student and faculty use only. Critically Evaluating Research Articles. By Alejandro Haezaert-Caraveo

aquila-townsend
Download Presentation

Disclaimer

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Disclaimer • All workshops and workshop materials are the sole property of PEGS and cannot be published, copied, or disseminated without prior written approval from PEGS and are for student and faculty use only.

  2. Critically Evaluating Research Articles By Alejandro Haezaert-Caraveo PEGS Writing Consultant

  3. Introduction • How a student should evaluate sources and articles when conducting research (such as thesis papers) or writing research papers (such as literature reviews) • Deep topic, today will be an overview about evaluating articles in general

  4. Takeaways • Why do we need research in our work? • How do you grade/evaluate an academic work or research article?

  5. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/videos/why

  6. Why research is important • To contribute to the academic conversation • Research is used to strengthen an argument. • Provides evidence for your arguments and adds credibility to your work • Helps to avoid plagiarism. • Academic scholarship, at its heart, is about the interplay of ideas.

  7. “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” - Newton

  8. Scholarly information • Typically has been checked before you see it • Non-Scholarly - (aka "popular information") can be posted by anyone. It might not be fact-checked and could be correct or contain errors. ex.) Wikipedia • Scholarly information – usually has been peer-reviewed before it is published. It creates discussion and engages scholars in conversations and builds the scholarly community.

  9. VERSUS • Scholarly • Non-scholarly

  10. Scholarly Info continued • Aims to be unbiased. • Info that has gone through peer-review should be free from political, social, commercial or personal bias • Scholarly information and by extension, scholarly websites aren't flashy • Always contains references

  11. Special Thanks to UNC Wilmington Randall Library

  12. What is Peer-review?

  13. Peer-reviewed Journal Articles • "Gold Standard" for scholarly communication • Article submission are filtered and edited by "peers" or other experts in the field • Also known as "refereeing" • A way to self-monitor what research is presented • Journals that use peer review enjoy an excellent reputation and are trusted by experts in the field

  14. Where do you find scholarly information? • Online library databases - best place, high quality, vetted information • CSUDH has access to a large amount of databases! • Search the web - trickier, you must evaluate yourself if it is scholarly • Google Scholar - can search for journals. • Can you think of others?

  15. What criteria are used to evaluate research? • Peer-review is what you should be looking for • Not all information is peer-reviewed • We will cover: • Author, Publisher, Currency, Accuracy, Objectivity, Argument, Purpose, and Tone • List is not exhaustive, there are other ways to evaluate, but this is a brief overview.

  16. Author

  17. Author • Is there an author of the work? • If so, is the author clearly identified? • Are the author's credentials for writing on this topic stated? • Is the author a well known practitioner on the field?

  18. Publisher

  19. Publisher • Is the author affiliated with an organization? • Where is the article from? • Is it from a reputable institution? • Does the site or article represent a group, organization, institution, corporation or government body?

  20. Author and Publisher example

  21. Currency

  22. Currency • How old is the document? • Are there any indications that the material is updated frequently or consistently to ensure currency of the content? • If there is a more recent book on the same topic, make sure that you look at it. • Maybe the author found new evidence that drastically alters the argument of the first book. • Findings can change drastically in short periods of time.

  23. Primary and Secondary Sources • A primary source is an original object or document: the raw material or first-hand information • historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, and art objects • A secondary source is something written about a primary source • includes comments on, interpretations of, or discussions about the original material

  24. Special Thanks to UNC Wilmington Randall Library

  25. Accuracy

  26. Accuracy • External Validity – does this work in the real world or just a lab? • External validity represents the extent to which a study's results can be generalized or applied to other people or settings. • Internal Validity – does the research prove what is says it is proving? • Internal validity refers both to how well a study was run and how confidently one can conclude that the observed effects were produced solely by the independent variable and not extraneous ones. • Reliability - reliability is the consistency of a set of measurements or of a measuring instrument, often used to describe a test.

  27. Accuracy example

  28. Objectivity

  29. Objectivity • Looking for a work that is free of bias • Does the page display a particular bias or perspective? • Is the information presented factually, without bias? • Is it clear and forthcoming about its view of the subject? • Is the page free of advertising?

  30. Objectivity example • http://www.martinlutherking.org/

  31. Argument

  32. Argument • Is the information supported by evidence? • Is the journal itself cited by other articles? • Does the journal cite prominent research/past work in the field? • How well does it stand to criticism? • Citation indexing - gives an idea of the general impact an article has had in its field. • Check Google Scholar

  33. Argument example • Google Scholar and citation indexing

  34. Purpose

  35. Purpose • Is it clear what the author is trying to prove? • What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? • Is the work applicable to your study? • What is the major claim or thesis of the book or article?

  36. Tone

  37. Tone • Is it presented in a clear, easy to read format? • Who is the intended audience? • Does the author's language seem impartial to you? • Is a lot of emotional language used? • Does the author remain focused on the argument?

  38. TEST TIME!

  39. Need further help? • Check out PEGS! • Promoting Excellence in Graduate Studies • Make an appointment • (310) 243-2700 • pegs@csudh.edu • www.pegs4grads.org • Library Reference Desk • (310) 243-3586 or (310) 243-3582 • http://library.csudh.edu/services/reference/desk.shtml

  40. Special Thanks • UNC Chapel Hill • UC Berkeley • Cornell University • UNC Wilmington • University of British Colombia • Purdue OWL • Extra Credits • And of course…… • The Librarians at CSUDH Cain Library!

  41. Questions?

More Related