Research Article AnalysisFor this assignment, review

Unit 3 Research Article Analysis
For this assignment, review five articles according to the following instructions:
- Using the criteria for “Judging a Research Study” on pages 258 below, evaluate five or more research articles.
- Answer Questions 1 and 2 for all five articles.
- Answer two questions from each of the remaining sections of the criteria questions for all five sources (14 questions for a total of 16 questions per source).
- Include an APA references list for all five (or more) sources.
(For the Unit IV Assignment you will be asked to put the information from the articles you evaluated in this assignment into a literature review.)

Unit 4 Literature Review
For the Unit IV assignment, students are to complete the literature review for the Research Proposal. A minimum of five relevant references are to be analyzed for the Literature Review. The references used are to be cited in the Literature Review of the Research Proposal. They are also to be included in the references page and in APA format.
Review of the Relevant Literature/Related Research/Literature Review: Provide a minimum of five research studies that address the same topic chosen for the proposal.
- What are the similar areas of study or studies that lead up to the current research? Identify the importance of the questions being asked.
- Report on the current status of the topic.
- Analyze the relationship between the literature reviewed and the problem statement.
Include a summary, along with a restatement of the relationships between the variables under consideration and how these relationships are important to the proposed hypothesis. (Estimated length – two to three pages)
The following attachments include useful information for composing a Literature Review. These attachments should be used as a guide for a Literature Review and NOT as a reference for APA.


PAGE 258 Criteria for Judging a Research Study

1. How closely is the literature reviewed in the study related to previous literature?
2. Is the review recent? Are there any outstanding references you know about that were left out?

Problem and the purpose
3. Can you understand the statement of the problem?
4. Is the purpose of the study clearly stated?
5. Does the purpose seem to be tied to the literature that is reviewed?
6. Is the objective of the study clearly stated?
7. Is there a conceptual rationale to which the hypotheses are grounded?
8. Is there a rationale for why the study is an important one to do?

Hypotheses
9. Are the research hypotheses clearly stated?
10. Are the research hypotheses explicitly stated?
11. Do the hypotheses state a clear association between variables?
12. Are the hypotheses grounded in theory or in a review and presentation of relevant literature?
13. Are the hypotheses testable?

Method
14. Are the independent and dependent variables clearly defined?
15. Are the definition and description of the variables complete?
16. Is it clear how the study was conducted?

Sample
17. Was the sample selected in such a way that you think it is representative of the population?
18. Is it clear where the sample came from and how it was selected?
19. How similar are the subjects in the study to those that have been used in other similar studies?

Results and Discussion
20. Does the author relate the results to the review of the literature?
21. Are the results related to the hypotheses?
22. Is the discussion of the results consistent with the results?
23. Does the discussion provide closure to the initial hypotheses presented by the author?

References
24. Is the list of references current?
25. Are the references consistent in their format?
26. Are the references complete?
27. Does the list of references reflect some of the most important reference sources in the field?
28. Does each reference cited in the body of the paper appear in the reference list?

General Comments About the Report
29. Is the report clearly written and understandable?
30. Is the language unbiased (nonsexist and relatively culture free)?
31. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?
32. What are the primary implications of the research?
33. What would you do to improve the research?