Article Review and Critique

By now, you should be aware that the findings from a research study are only part of the story. As a consumer, hoping to inform practice by use of an evidence base, you want to know much more. A sound research study includes all the steps highlighted in previous weeks: reviewing existing literature, focusing a research question, choosing a qualitative or quantitative method for answering the question, designing the study including selection of data collection procedures and/or measures, procedures used, data analysis plan, and findings. In addition, the study commonly discusses how ethical concerns were addressed and acknowledges the limitations of the study. For this assignment, you review a published research study with two purposes in mind:

o Observing the structure and content of the article

o Comparing the content of the article to the recommended content of sections for a research study.

submit a 7-8 page critique and review of the article, which includes the title page and the reference list. Follow the guidelines below:

1. Use the quantitative or qualitative research article that you located and that your instructor approved as part of the Week 5 assignment.

2. Provide an APA reference for the article you select.

3. If you selected a quantitative research study, use the “Quantitative Article Review and Critique. If you selected a qualitative study, use the “Qualitative Article Review and Critique.” Respond to all the questions.

Quantitative Article Review and Critique

In approximately 7-8 pages (including title page and references), address the

following questions.

Title

• After reading the entire article, do you think the title adequately describes

the study? Does the title catch your attention? Please explain.

Abstract

• Does the abstract contain the recommended content (see “Abstract,”

pp. 210–211, in Yegidis et al.)? How difficult do you think it is to

summarize so much information in 150–250 words? Please explain.

Introduction

• Why did the authors conduct this study and write this article? What was the

problem of interest or concern? Be specific. Use quotes and paraphrases

with citations. What audience might be interested in this study?

• Do you feel the problem is significant enough to warrant a journal article?

Did you have a “so what” reaction? If so, why do you think it was accepted

for publication? Please justify your position.

• To what extent does the literature presented in the introduction help you

understand the problem? How does the literature reviewed put the problem

in context? Be specific.

• Does the researcher indicate how this research is different from and/or

similar to earlier ones reported in the literature? Summarize what this

article intends to add to the knowledge base.

• Do the authors state their research questions and/or hypotheses? What

are the hypotheses or focused research questions?

Methods

• What specific quantitative method is used? How does a quantitative

research design corresponds with the research questions or hypotheses?

Can you determine whether the design was appropriate?

To what extent can the design answer the research questions or

address the stated hypotheses? Elaborate.

• What were the variables under study? If relevant, identify the main dependent

and independent variables. If not relevant, why are there no dependent and

independent variables? What instruments or observations were used in the

research? Explain why you do, or do not, think that the methods used to

collect the data are described clearly enough to allow for replication. Be

specific and please elaborate.

• Explain whether or not information was provided concerning the reliability and

validity of these instruments or observations. Was this information adequate?

How does the presence or absence of information about reliability and validity

affect your confidence in the quality of the study? What have the authors

done to address or strengthen internal validity? Be specific.

Sample

• How were the participants recruited or selected for the study? What sampling

strategy was used? Is the sample large enough to address the hypotheses

and research questions? Did the author(s) offer any justification for the

sample size? Are you satisfied with the information reported about the

sample? What questions might you have about the sample that were not

addressed? Please be sure to provide an explanation for all of your answers.

• Are the demographics of the participants (e.g., background characteristics

such as age, race, etc.) described in sufficient detail? If so, how is the

presentation of this descriptive data useful in evaluating the research? If not,

please explain how that may affect the evaluation of the research.

• Was the sample reflective of the population from which it was drawn? Is

representativeness important in this research? Please explain.

• Please explain any ethical concerns you may have about the sample and how

the sample was recruited.

Results

• How were the data analyzed? (What statistical techniques were used?)

Be specific.

• Explain how easy or difficult it was for you to understand the reporting of

results. What questions do you have after reading the results section? Please

elaborate.

• Do you feel the results of this study have meaning for social

work practitioners or managers? Please elaborate.

Discussion

• Explain whether or not the authors made sense of their data in the discussion

section. Explain why you think the conclusions are (or are not) reasonable.

• Did the authors discuss the limitations of their study? Did they stay within

the limitations of their findings, or did they make more of their findings than

was warranted? Please elaborate.

• Did the author(s) suggest issues that future research should consider? If

so, were there any surprises? Please elaborate

Be sure to include the questions in your critique. This will cause your Turnitin report to show high similarity to other students’ papers. However, do not be concerned about that. Do, however, appropriately paraphrase and cite specific details from the article you review.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.