Article Critique Assignment

HEALTH 120 ARTICLE CRITIQUE

Instructor: Cheryl Kerns-Campbell

Each student will be required to critique 1 health related article. The topic of the article and critique can

correspond to any topic related to health. You can look through your text book for possible topics. Check class

website for due dates for the critique.

The critique must comply with the following instructions for full credit (50 points). Failure to comply with these

instructions will result in zero to only partial credit, so please read the following very carefully.

* The critique MUST BE TYPED, and double-spaced.

* The critique must be stapled.

* You must turn in the paper- emailed or electronic versions will not be accepted.

* You may choose any health related topic for your article. Your source must have an author(s) and

may NOT come from a Newspaper, text book, informational pamphlet, or an internet information

website. The article must be in a published periodical, even if you find the article on a website.

* Must include a copy of the article. Must be copied on 8 1/2 by 11" paper.

* Must use 12 size font.

* The critique must consist of minimum 3 paragraphs (maximum 6). Remember a paragraph consists of

3-5 sentences.

* Article must not be dated prior to 2010

(see grading Rubric for exact point breakdown for grade)

Paragraph 1 - Article Summary. Include the author(s) name, title of article, and journal name,

volume # and page #'s. Example:

....Stress reduction is a vital part of preventative medicine, according to Dr. Jane

Dean author of "How to reduce stress" (The American Journal of Nutrition, 2015 v.

92 pp. 67-70). According to Dr. Dean stress is.......

Make sure you state a summary IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Do Not Plagiarize.

Paragraph 2 - How the Article Relates to you or How you relate to it. Briefly describe how this

topic directly relates to you. Do not state "this article doesn't relate to me, but..." Pick a topic that you

identify with on a personal level, and make sure you connect to the article by using comparisons or

examples between the article (not simply the topic) and your experiences. Example:

....." I use exercise as one of my coping skills for reducing stress in my life. I have followed a

program similar to the one presented in this article, and have had similar results to the ones that

the author found in her studies….”

Paragraph 3 – Conclusion/Critique. Briefly conclude what you liked or did not like about the article. Be

specific- not “this was a very good article”- explain why you thought it was good.

It is highly suggested that you obtain your article from the following list of journals, professional

magazines and periodicals. You may also use computer On Line Services if articles originate from

professional research institutions, and you obtain instructor approval. It is also highly recommended that

you try to use the Library resource data base on campus or from home to get full text articles. Do not

submit abstracts from data bank sources; they will not be accepted. The article MUST have an author(s),

a publication (Not news sources, newspapers, or website data), and a publishing date to be acceptable.

To use the data bases you can go to the GC Library or access them from home (you will need your Grossmont

user-Id and password to access them from home). Go to the Grossmont College website:

http://www.grossmont.edu/ then click on “Quick Links”, then Library. The gateway to research box will appear.

Simply type in a health topic of your choice and hit enter. You will have to now filter (refine your research) using

the parameters located on the left side of the screen. Make sure you select the date from 2009, full text and start

with Magazines You can add academic journals if you do not find what you are looking for. When you get to the

results page you still have to be careful not to use Newswire articles or Newspaper articles and follow the

requirements for a source as listed on page 1 of these instructions. Print out the article and staple it to your

critique. If you need help with researching the data bases you can visit the Library and ask for assistance, or take

the library tour from their website.

Searching by name of periodical:

HEALTH RELATED PERIODICALS that are already

acceptable sources

American Health American Journal of Public Health Berkeley Wellness Letter (does not usually have listed author, but is an acceptable source) Children Today Health JAMA Journal of Health Education Journal of Nutrition

Journal of Physical Education Recreation and Dance Life New England Journal of Medicine Nutrition Reviews Nutrition Today Science Science News Time World Health

You can use any past issues as long as they are not dated before

2010

Do not use folders, etc., to hold the critiques. Simply staple the pages at the top left. Please type name, and

class time (M/W 11 am), include row and seat number at the top right of article or you can use a cover sheet. As

with all college level work, use care with your spelling, grammar and sentence structure.

There are NO “re-do’s” on the critique so make sure you put effort into the assignment. Late critiques are

only accepted up until the start of the following class meeting, and will be only worth 50% of the possible

points. Critiques are also considered late if you are late to class the day that the critique is due.