Article Critique

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Running head: ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

Article Critique Paper (140 points possible)

Chit Yuen Yi

Florida International University

Article Critique Paper (140 points possible)

Each student is required to write article critique paper based on one of the research articles

present on Blackboard (only those articles listed on Blackboard can be critiqued – if you critique

a different article, it will not be graded). The article critique paper will account for 140 points. In

addition to deepening your understanding of conceptual issues discussed in lectures, this critique

assignment is designed to improve critical thinking and writing skills. Please follow the

instructions and guidelines below. If you are unclear about any of this information, please ask.

What is an article critique paper?

An article critique is a written communication that conveys your understanding of a research

article and how it relates to the conceptual issues of interest to this course. There are five

elements emphasized in this critique: The title page (in APA formatting), summary of the article,

critique of the article, appropriate referencing for the article, and writing quality.

This article critique paper will include 5 things:

1.Title Page 1 page (5 points)

• Use APA style to present the appropriate information:

o A Running head must be included and formatted APA style

ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 2

▪ The phrase “Running head” is at the top of the title page followed by a

short title (no more than 50 characters) that is in ALL CAPS.

This running head is left-justified (flush left on the page)

▪ There must be a page number on the title page that is right justified o

Your paper title appears on the title page. This should be 12 words or

less, and the first letter of each word is capitalized. It should be

descriptive of the paper (You can actually use or paraphrase the title of

the article you are critiquing. It can be the same title as in the Running

head or it can differ – your choice)

o Your name will appear on the title page o Your institution will appear on

the title page as well

o An author note can be added, but it is not expected and will not be graded

o Hint – See the first page of these instructions!

2.Summary of the article: 1.5-2 pages minimum, but no more than 3 pages - 60 points) An

article critique should briefly summarize, in your own words, the article research question

and how it was addressed in the article.

• The running head should also appear on the first page of your paper, but it will

NOT include the phrase “Running head” this time, only the same title as the

running head from the first paper in ALL CAPS

• The same title used on the title page should be at the top of the page, centered

• For this paper, add the word “Summary” below the title, and have it flush left.

Then write your summary of the article below that

• The summary itself will include the following: (Note – if the article involved

more than one experiment, you can either choose to focus on one of them

specifically or summarize the general design for all of the studies, which are often

similar)

1. Type of study (Was it experimental or correlational? How do you know?)

2. Variables (What were the independent and dependent variables?)

3. Method (Was there a random sample of participants? Was there random

assignment to groups? What did the participants do in the study?)

4. Summary of findings (What were their findings?)

3.Critique of the study: 1.5-2 pages minimum (but please no more than 3 pages - 60

points)

• This portion of the article critique assignment focuses on your own thoughts about

the content of the article (i.e. your own ideas in your own words). For this section,

please use the word “Critique” below the last sentence in your summary, and have

the word “Critique” flush left.

• There are a number of ways to demonstrate critical thinking in your writing.

Address at least four of the following elements:

• 1). In your opinion, how valid and reliable is the study? Why? (make sure to

define what reliable and valid mean)

ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 3

• 2). Did the study authors correctly interpret their findings, or are there any

alternative interpretations you can think of?

• 3). Did the authors of the study employ appropriate ethical safeguards?

• 4). Briefly describe a follow-up study you might design that builds on the findings

of the study you read how the research presented in the article relates to research,

articles or material covered in other sections of the course

• 5). Describe whether you feel the results presented in the article are weaker or

stronger than the authors claim (and why); or discuss alternative interpretations of

the results (i.e. something not mentioned by the authors) and/or what research

might provide a test between the proposed and alternate interpretations

• 6). Mention additional implications of the findings not mentioned in the article

(either theoretical or practical/applied)

• 7). Identify specific problems in the theory, discussion or empirical research

presented in the article and how these problems could be corrected. If the

problems you discuss are methodological in nature, then they must be issues that

are substantial enough to affect the interpretations of the findings or arguments

presented in the article. Furthermore, for methodological problems, you must

justify not only why something is problematic but also how it could be resolved

and why your proposed solution would be preferable.

• 8). Describe how/why the method used in the article is either better or worse for

addressing a particular issue than other methods

4. References – 1 page (5 points)

• Provide the reference for this article in proper APA format (see guidelines in the

“Writing Research Paper” presentation )

• If you cited other sources during either your critique or summary, reference them as

well (though you do not need to cite other sources in this assignment – this is merely

optional)

5. Writing quality (10 points)

The ability to write well is an important skill that also psychologists should master. Thus

your writing quality will be assessed in this assignment. I want to make sure that you can

both organize and present your thoughts in a grammatically appropriate manner. If you think

you might need some help with writing, then I recommend seeking help from the FIU writing

center. Set up an appointment with them to go over your paper. But do not wait until the last

minute to do so! I assigned two weeks just for you to write the paper. You want to make sure

your paper is in on time.

____________________________________________________________________________

The key point is that your experimental paper should describe a “position” that you have taken

with respect to the content of the article. Please note that you do not need to refer to any other

sources other than the article on which you have chosen to write your paper. However, you are

welcome to refer to additional sources if you choose.

ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 4

Other guidelines for the article critique papers

▪ 1). Pay attention to the page length requirements – 1 page for the title page, 1.5 pages to 3

pages for the summary, 1.5 pages to 3 pages for the critique, one or two paragraphs for

the brief summary, and 1 page for the references page. If you are under the minimum, we

will deduct points. If you go over the maximum, we are a little more flexible (up to a half

page or so), but we want you to try to keep it to the maximum page.

▪ 2). Page size is 8 1/2 X 11” with all 4 margins set at 1”. You must use a 12-point font.

▪ 3). When summarizing the article in your own words, you need not continually cite the

article throughout the rest of your critique. Nonetheless, you should follow proper

referencing procedures, which means that:

o If you are inserting a direct quote from any source, it must be enclosed in

quotations and followed by a parenthetical reference to the source. “Let’s say I am

directly quoting this current sentence and the next. I would then cite it with the

author name, date of publication, and the page number for the direct quote”

(Winter, 2013, p . 4).

1. Note: We will deduct points if you quote more than once per page, so keep

quotes to a minimum. Paraphrase instead, but make sure you still give the

original author credit for the material by citing it or using the author’s

name (“In this article, Smith noted that …” or “In this article, the authors

noted that…”)

o If you choose to reference any source other than your chosen article, it must be

listed in a reference list. Such sources must be cited in parentheses (and enclosed

in quotes if it is a direct quotation)

▪ 4). PLEASE use a spell checker to avoid unnecessary errors. Proofread everything you

write. I actually recommend reading some sentences aloud to see if they flow well, or

getting family or friends to read your work. As mentioned above, writing quality will be

graded in this paper, so make sure your paper flows well in terms of grammar and

spelling!

▪ If you have any questions about the articles, your ideas, or your writing, please ask.

Although we won’t be able to review entire drafts of papers before they are handed

in, we are very willing to discuss problems, concerns or issues that you might have.

Grade Rubric – Article Critique Paper

Each student will write an article critique paper based on one of the article provided on

blackboard. This paper is worth up to 140 points. Below are grading criteria for your paper.

ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 5

INTERPRETATION

GRADING CRITERIA

140 points

Excellent

The paper is accurate, original, relevant, teaches us something new, fully answers the grading section, and is well

written. A perfect paper meets all of the criteria listed above, including

a). a title page in appropriate APA format (5 points)

b). a complete summary that meets all requirements (notes the type of study, the variables, method, and results)

and is a minimum of 1.5 pages and a max of 3 pages (60 points)

c). a complete critique that notes at least four of the eight criteria listed and is a minimum of 1.5 pages

(max 3) (60 points)

d). a reference page that is in appropriate APA format

(5 points)

e). a complete paper that is written with no grammatical or spelling errors (10 points)

120-139 points

Above Average The paper lacks at least one of the above qualities for an excellent paper, but is above average in quality.

100-119 points

Average

This paper lacks two or more of the qualities above and does so in an average manner (lists the criteria but does

not expand or define them, is under the page limit, focuses too much attention on either the summary or critique

rather than an equal amount of time, etc.)

80-99 points Minimal The paper lacks three of more of the qualities above,

60-79 points Below average The paper lacks four or more of the qualities above

0-59 points

Unacceptable

Papers in this range do not meet any requirements listed above, but a clear attempt was made. Usually to receive

this grade, the paper must be on time.

ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 6

7 CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUALITY PAPER

1. SUBSTANTIAL: Your paper should relate to the subject matter and provide

information, opinions or questions about that subject matter. They may relate the subject matter

to something personal, but they should remain academic in their focus.

2. CONCISE: Do not get wordy. Focus on your main points, and convey the thoughts in a

concise manner. Try to get the point and focus of your message across so that it is clear what you

are saying.

3. PROVOCATIVE: The paper should draw the reader in, making him (in this case, your

grader) eager to see where your paper is going. If something surprised you, then hopefully you

will be able to give the reader that same sense of surprise as you explain your point of view. 5.

LOGICAL: A good paper should be logical. This means that it contains clearly stated reasoning

throughout that is supported by either the article you are critiquing or an opinion that is well

founded and not based on pure whim or conjecture.

6. GRAMMATICAL: A good, clear, concise paper should be well-written and free of typos and

sentence fragments.