Article Critique

ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 1

ARTICLE CRITIQUE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 6

Article Critique Extra Credit Paper (25 points possible)

Ryan J. Winter

Florida International University

Article Critique Paper (25 points possible)

For extra credit, students can write up to two article critique papers based on one of the research articles present on Canvas (only those articles listed on Canvas can be critiqued – if you critique a different article, it will not be graded). Each article critique paper will earn you 25 points (or 50 points for writing two papers). 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 (2 points)

· Use APA style to present the appropriate information:

· A header must be included and formatted APA style

· The header is short title (no more than 50 characters) that is in ALL CAPS. It is left-justified (flush left on the page)

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

· 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)

· Your name will appear on the title page

· Your institution will appear on the title page as well

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

· Hint – See the first page of these instructions!

1. Summary of the article: 1.5-2 pages minimum, but no more than 3 pages - 8 points)

An article critique should briefly summarize, in your own words, the article research question and how it was addressed in the article.

· The same header should appear on the first page of your paper, but with Page 2

· 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?)

1. Critique of the study: 1.5-2 pages minimum (but please no more than 3 pages - 8 points)

1. 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.

1. 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)

· 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

1. References – 1 page (2 points)

· Provide the reference for this article in proper APA format (see guidelines in the “Reading (and writing) papers in psychology” powerpoint presentation, and watch the APA formatting video in Canvas

· 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)

1. Writing quality (5 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! You want to make sure your paper is in on time, or you will lose 10 points for each day it is late.

____________________________________________________________________________

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.

  

Other guidelines for the article critique papers

 

1. 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.

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

1. 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:

2. 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, 2021, p . 4).

0. 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…”)

2. 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)

1. 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!

 

1. 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 25 points. Below are grading criteria for your paper.

INTERPRETATION		GRADING CRITERIA
25 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 (2 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 (8 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) (8 points) d). a reference page that is in appropriate APA format (2 points) e). a complete paper that is written with no grammatical or spelling errors (5 points)
20 to 24 points	Above Average	The paper lacks at least one of the above qualities for an excellent paper, but is above average in quality.
15 to 19 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.)
10 - 14 points	Minimal	The paper lacks three of more of the qualities above,
5 to 9 points	Below average	The paper lacks four or more of the qualities above
1 to 4 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 at least 4 days late
0 points	Very late	Papers in this range do not meet any requirements listed above. Usually to receive this grade, the paper must be at least 5 to 14 days late

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.