Summarising and critiquing research papers

1. Summarising and critiquing research papers

2. Creating a summary There is no simple method for summarising a paper - you need to use your judgement to define the key issues. You are trying to discover the key points that the author is making in the paper? Read the paper at least twice Make sure that you understand what the author is trying to say

3. Creating a summary Look at the introduction A good introduction should set out what will be discussed Look at the conclusion The conclusion should state what the main point of the paper is. For each section in the paper Write one or two sentences that define the main points that the author is making If you can’t do this, it may be because the paper is badly written and the author has nothing to say Look for bulleted or numbered lists These often highlight important points that the author is trying to make

4. Critiquing a paper To critique a paper, you are trying to discover the weaknesses in the argument that the author is making Look for: Claims - what the author is claiming to be true Evidence - information that backs up claims e.g. references to other papers, statistical data,etc. Think about Rebuttals - arguments why the claim might not be true Counter-evidence - evidence that contradicts the claim

5. Claims St Andrews is the best university in Scotland Evidence Rated highest in Guardian University Guide Highest average qualifications of undergraduate applicants Oldest university in Scotland Counter-evidence Edinburgh is larger Edinburgh offers a wider range of subjects Edinburgh is rated more highly in the Times University Guide

6. Frequent problems Claims without evidence Sometimes made by people with good reputations If an expert makes a statement, it is not necessarily true Selective evidence Evidence that backs up a claim is quoted Counter-evidence is ignored

7. Other problems with papers Unclear use of language - the paper is hard to understand Failure to separate concerns - the author mixes up several points in the same paragraph or section Use of unnecessary jargon or acronyms Unsupported generalisation -saying something is generally true because it is true for one example.