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Critiquing Research Articles. For important and highly relevant articles: Introduce the study, say how it exemplifies the point you are discussing Say how the study is similar to yours, in purpose and / or method Report its methodology in detail Critique the methodology
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Critiquing Research Articles For important and highly relevant articles: • Introduce the study, say how it exemplifies the point you are discussing • Say how the study is similar to yours, in purpose and / or method • Report its methodology in detail • Critique the methodology • Report details of the findings that relate to your topic • If its findings are limited or unjustified, tell how • Give its implications for your study
Critiquing Research Articles For studies moderately related to yours: • Introduce the study, saying how it exemplifies the point you’re discussing • Report its general methodology • Report its general findings related to your topic • If its findings are limited or conclusions unjustified, tell how • Give its implications for your study
Critiquing Research Articles • For studies somewhat related, used for background information: • Introduce the study, saying how it exemplifies the point you are discussing • Give the “gist” of its findings related to your topic • Give its implications for your study
How to Critique a Research Study • The Introduction Section: • Is the problem clearly stated? • Are the argument and rationale for the study convincing? • Are primary terms and concepts clearly defined? • Are the author’s assumptions made clear? • Are the research questions or hypotheses stated in testable form?
How to Critique a Research Study The Method Section: • Research Design • What type of design was selected? Is it appropriate? • Were extraneous and confounding variables controlled by the design? • Are independent and dependent variables adequate to test the questions and hypotheses? Is the predicted relationship between (among) them clear?
How to Critique a Research Study • Participants • Was the sample size large enough? • Were subjects selected randomly? • Are the relevant characteristics of the sample described? • If subjects were not randomly assigned to experimental groups, were they comparable on relevant characteristics?
How to Critique a Research Study • Measures • Do selected measures appropriately operationalize the variables? • Are satisfactory reliability and validity data provided for all measures? • For interpretive measures, was scoring objective? • For two or more raters, was satisfactory inter-rater reliability found? • Are measures administered consistently to different groups?
How to Critique a Research Study • Results • Do the data fulfill assumptions underlying statistical tests? • Are the statistical tests appropriate for the questions and hypotheses? • Are the appropriate statistics reported for each test? • For multiple statistical tests, do authors adjust alpha error levels? • For statistical tests, are adequate statistics (means, SD, shared variance for correlations etc.) presented?
How to Critique a Research Study • Interpretation and Discussion • Are statistical tests interpreted correctly? • Are generalizations only to the population from which the sample was drawn? • Do authors identify problems of control that weren’t addressed by the design or analysis? • Do authors mention other limitations of the study? • Are conclusions consistent with statistical results? • Are alternative conclusions considered? • Are theoretical and / or practical implications discussed?
How to Critique a Research Study Overview Questions: • Was the method reported in sufficient detail that you could replicate the study? • What was the theoretical context for the study? • What issues were raised and not addressed? • What assumptions were made? • What did the authors overlook? • Were there any major problems that invalidate the study? • What contribution did the study make? • How does the study relate to your topic?
Your Literature Review • Must have 7-10 current references from academic journals cited • Written in APA format • Copies of journal articles used must be turned in to professor with the assignment • Should be 5 typed pages • Literature review should include introduction, summary and critique of journal articles, a justifications for your research project and the hypotheses for your research project