Article Critique help

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Signature Project

Overview

Before beginning this assignment, you should review Topics 3, 7, 8, and 20 in your textbook, Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials, 10th ed.

Select one quantitative research study from a peer-reviewed, research-based journal. Do not use a mixed-methods study. You can use the University’s databases to search for articles that meet the criteria for this assignment. The article you select should be related to the topic you hope to focus on in your research proposal. For example, if you identify poor reading comprehension skills as your problem and want to propose an intervention that could improve your students’ reading comprehension skills, you should look for articles that use quantitative methods to evaluate strategies for improving reading comprehension skills.

Once you have selected an article, you will need to read and review it carefully. As you do so, it may be helpful to keep a copy of the topics that you must cover in the body of your paper so that you can look for the information you need as you read. The purpose of this project is not merely to summarize the article but rather, the purpose is to analyze the research steps that were taken in the study. The article critique should be a concise analysis that conforms to the expected lengths described in the next section. The full assignment should be no more than five pages – one cover page, three pages addressing the prompts, and one reference page.

Formatting Requirements

Your article critique should be written using APA 7th Edition format. Follow the guidelines for APA professional papers. You should also utilize graduate-level writing and your assignment should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. If you want to strengthen your writing skills, you can download Grammarly, which is offered for free to UWA students. Your critique cannot have any direct quotes – your answers must be written in your own words.

The body of your critique should be double-spaced and cannot exceed three pages. You must use the following headings and address each of the prompts listed below. Note the requested lengths – your assignment is

1. Problem: In one sentence, identify the problem that the article addresses.

2. Purpose: In one sentence, identify the purpose of the article.

3. Hypothesis: In one sentence, identify the hypothesis presented in the article. If the article you selected has multiple hypotheses, present each in its own sentence.

4. Quantitative Research Design: In approximately one or two paragraphs,

describe how the article you selected meets at least four criteria required of quantitative research. You should provide a definition of each of the characteristics you use, as well as a description of how the article exemplifies each characteristic. You should use your textbook to help you identify and define the characteristics of quantitative research.

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5. Sample: In approximately one paragraph, provide a detailed summary of the study’s research subjects. This should include a description of the sample size, sample characteristics (gender, race, age, etc.), and sampling strategy.

6. Research Instrument: In approximately one or two paragraphs, provide a detailed

description of the instrument(s) used to gather data. For example, did the authors use a survey? A standardized test? Something else? You should also describe the type of data the instrument allowed the researcher(s) to collect. Finally, discuss the reliability and validity of the instrument.

7. Data Analysis: In approximately one paragraph, describe the statistical methods

used to analyze the data used in the study. When writing this section, try to provide enough detail that would allow others to replicate the study.

8. Results: In approximately one paragraph, summarize the results of the study. What

were the main findings? How did their hypothesis fair?

9. Strengths and Limitations: In approximately one paragraph, describe the strengths and limitations of the study. The authors of your article may include some of these, but you should also think critically about the article and identify strengths and limitations from your point of view.

You should include a cover page and reference page per APA requirements. This will make the total maximum length of the critique five pages (1 cover page, 3 pages to address each section of the prompt, and 1 reference page). Remember, you must organize your critique using the nine headings listed above.

SafeAssign

You are required to use SafeAssign for your article critique submission. SafeAssign is a plagiarism detection software that checks your submission against the submissions of other students and internet sources. You are allowed to have a maximum SafeAssign score of 20%. If your paper has a score higher than 20%, points will be deducted. If your paper has a score higher than 50%, it will receive a grade of 0. You can submit the assignment multiple times prior to the due date, but you will not be allowed to resubmit after the deadline. If you are concerned about the SafeAssign score, submit early to check your work. Be sure to leave time to resubmit if needed. Remember – you should use direct quotes sparingly. Whenever possible, your summary should be presented in your own words. Citations are still required when paraphrasing. When in doubt – cite!

Scoring Guidelines

This assignment is worth 100 points. Scores will be calculated using the rubric below.

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Article Critique Rubric

CATEGORY Unacceptable

(0 points)

Revisions Required

(2 points)

Target

(4 points)

Problem Statement Missing problem statement: problem

statement is not clear or accurate.

Problem statement is present but either

does not adequately describe the problem or is not concise and focused.

Clear and focused problem statement

accurately describes the problem addressed by the selected article.

Purpose Statement Missing purpose statement: purpose statement is not clear or accurate.

Purpose statement is present but either does not adequately describe the purpose of the article or is not concise and focused.

Clear and focused purpose statement accurately describes the purpose of the selected article.

Hypothesis/Hypotheses Missing hypothesis/hypotheses; hypotheses are present but not accurate

At least one hypothesis is present but is not concise and focused. Some but not all the hypotheses from the article are included.

Clear and focused description of the key hypothesis presented in the article. If the article has multiple hypotheses, a clear and concise description of each is presented.

Formatting There are significant format errors

present; multiple (more than 6) APA formatting errors; multiple sections (more than 4) do not conform to the length requirements of the assignment; paper exceeds 5 pages.

There are minimal format errors present;

minor (less than 3) APA formatting errors; nearly all sections conform to the length requirements of the assignment (no more than 2 sections are over/under the expected lengths). Paper does not exceed 5 pages.

Virtually no APA format errors, and all

sections of the critique conform to the expected length requirements. Paper does not exceed the 5 pages.

Spelling/Grammar More than 8 spelling/grammar errors are present.

No more than 7 spelling or grammar errors are present.

Virtually no (3 or less) spelling or grammar errors are present.

Research Design

CATEGORY Unacceptable (0 points)

Revisions Required (5 points)

Target (10 points)

Characteristics of Quantitative Research Defined

No more than one quality of quantitative research is defined; multiple qualities are incorrectly defined.

Two or three qualities of quantitative research are defined; no more than one quality is incorrectly defined; definitions of the qualities is not concise or clear.

Four qualities of quantitative research are identified and accurately defined. Definitions are concise and clear.

Characteristics of Quantitative

Research in the Article Identified

No more than one quality of

quantitative research from the selected article is identified; multiple qualities of quantitative research in the selected article are misidentified.

Two or three qualities of quantitative

research from the selected article are identified; no more than one quality is incorrectly identified; ties between the identified quality and the definition of the quality are not clear or concise.

Four qualities of quantitative research in the

selected article are correctly identified. Descriptions of how the article exemplifies the characteristics are clear and concise.

Sample

The sample from the selected article is

not described; the description of the sample is inaccurate; the description of the sample is missing information about two or more of the three requested details – sample size, characteristics, or sampling strategy.

The sample from the selected article is

described, but the description is missing information about one of the following: sample size, characteristics, or sampling strategy. The description of the sample is not clear or easy to follow.

The description of the sample from the

selected article is clear, concise, and accurate. The description includes information about the sample size, sample characteristics, and sampling strategy.

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Instrument(s) The instrument(s) used to collect data is not described; the description of the instrument(s) is inaccurate.

The instrument(s) used to collect data are briefly described, but the description does not demonstrate a clear understanding of the instrument(s) used; the description does not include information about the type of data the instrument allowed the researcher to collect.

The instrument(s) used to collect data are clearly and concisely described. The description demonstrates a strong understanding of the instrument(s) and their functions, and includes a description of the type of data the instrument allowed the researcher to collect.

Instrument Reliability and Validity The reliability and validity of the

instrument(s) is not discussed; descriptions of reliability and validity are inaccurate.

The reliability or validity of the instrument

is discussed; discussion of the validity and reliability of the instrument is brief or incomplete.

The reliability and validity of the instrument

are discussed in a clear and concise manner.

Data Analysis The methods used to analyze the data in the selected article are not discussed; the discussion of statistical methods is inaccurate.

A brief overview of the statistical methods used to analyze the data in the selected article is provided, but more detail is needed to allow for replication; the description of the statistical methods is unclear.

The statistical methods used to analyze the data in the selected article are clearly and concisely described. The description demonstrates a strong understanding of the methodology and provides enough detail for possible replication.

Results The results of the article are not

described; the description of the results is inaccurate.

A brief overview of the results is provided,

but more detail is needed. The discussion of the results is confusing or unclear.

A clear and concise summary of the

results of the study is provided. The summary connects the results to the hypothesis/hypotheses in order to give a holistic view of the findings.

Strengths/Limitations The strengths and limitations of the

article are not discussed.

The strengths and limitations of the article

are discussed, but only vaguely. The discussion does not provide additional details beyond those given by the authors of the selected article.

The strengths and limitations of the article,

from the student’s point of view, are clearly identified and discussed. The identification of strengths and weaknesses reveals a strong understanding of the selected article.