Critique of Research Article

I want to give you some guidance on the Week 10 assignment,  in case you want to get started early (do you sense a theme here with me?? ). What I’ve found from working with previous classes in this course, is that the research critique papers tend to be more of a synopsis or retelling of the research, than a true critique.  I want to give you some helpful hints on completing this assignment because it is NOT a synopsis of the research, it is a scholarly critique of the study.

1.  For each section, there are questions to ask yourself as you go about writing the paper.  For example, is the methodology chosen by the researcher appropriate for the research question?  We have talked in our discussions about the different approaches of qualitative and quantitative research.  If the study is comparing two interventions, it is likely a quantitative study, right?  You do this for every section.  Is the data collection method appropriate for the research methodology?  Is the data analysis method appropriate for the research question?  

Do not write this in a Q & A format – write it in regular paragraph format.  

2.  You will need other sources to help you answer the questions about the research study.  You can’t just write, "the chi squared test was used to analyze the data."  You need to know whether or not chi squared is appropriate in this type of study.  To find that out, you’ll need to consult a source.  Your Schmidt and Brown text is a good source, but it may not be the best source for all of the questions you need to answer.  You might need additional sources.  For example, you may need to look up the statistical tests that were done in another source. This is just one example, you need to do this for all sections.  Every time I give this example, I get papers where the only thing that is supported is the statistics.  You have to support ALL assertions.

So…when you are reading your article for the first time, use a highlighter and highlight some of the key elements in the paper.  The themes of the literature review, the research question, the method, the data analysis, etc.  

When you identify the research question and then the methodology, you’ll use one of your additional resources (the Schmidt and Brown text, for example) to decide whether the research methodology is appropriate for the research question.  

Again, here’s the important thing:  Don’t just write that the methodology is appropriate for the research study, you need to write WHY it is appropriate.  One sentence is good, you don’t need a whole paragraph on WHY, but you do need to PROVIDE A SCHOLARLY ARGUMENT for ALL of your assertions. 

3.  As always, the submission should be scholarly.  You need to use APA format, appropriately cite and reference your sources (including the study you are critiquing).  NO FIRST PERSON! 

Remember – this is not an opinion essay, you should be supporting the reasons you make your conclusions for each section.

A research critique demonstrates your ability to critically read an investigative study. For this assignment, choose a research article related to nursing.

• Articles used for this assignment cannot be used for the other assignments (students should find new research articles for each new assignment).
• The selected articles should be original research articles. Review articles, concept analysis, meta-analysis, meta-synthesis, integrative review, and systemic review should not be used.
• Mixed-methods studies should not be used.
• Dissertations should not be used.

Your critique should include the following:

Research Problem/Purpose

• State the problem clearly as it is presented in the report.
• Have the investigators placed the study problem within the context of existing knowledge?
• Will the study solve a problem relevant to nursing?
• State the purpose of the research.

Review of the Literature

• Identify the concepts explored in the literature review.
• Were the references current? If not, what do you think the reasons are?
• Was there evidence of reflexivity in the design (qualitative)? 

Theoretical Framework

• Are the theoretical concepts defined and related to the research?
• Does the research draw solely on nursing theory or does it draw on theory from other disciplines?
• Is a theoretical framework stated in this research piece?
• If not, suggest one that might be suitable for the study.

Variables/Hypotheses/Questions/Assumptions (Quantitative)

• What are the independent and dependent variables in this study?
• Are the operational definitions of the variables given? If so, are they concrete and measurable?
• Is the research question or the hypothesis stated? What is it?

Conceptual Underpinnings, Research Questions (Qualitative)

• Are key concepts defined conceptually?
• Is the philoosoophical basis, underlying tradition, conoceptual framework, or ideological orientation made explicit and is it appropriate for the problem?
• Are research questions explicitly stated? Are the questions consistent with the study’s philosophical basis, underlying tradition, conceptual framework, or ideological orientation?

Methodology

• What type of design (quantitative, qualitative, and type) was used in this study?
• Was inductive or deductive reasoning used in this study?
• State the sample size and study population, sampling method, and study setting.
• Did the investigator choose a probability or non-probability sample?
• State the type of reliability and the validity of the measurement tools (quantitative only)

Qualitative studies (answer the following questions in addition to those above except the last bulleted item)

• Were the methods of gathering data appropriate?
• Were data gathered through two or more methods to achieve triangulation?
• Did the researcher ask the right questions or make the right observations and were they recorded in an appropriate fashion?
• Was a sufficient amount of data gathered?
• Was the data of sufficient depth and richness?

Were ethical considerations addressed? Were appropriate procedures used to safeguard the rights of study participants?

Data Analysis

• What data analysis tool was used?
• Was saturation achieved? (qualitative)
• How were the results presented in the study?
• Were the data management (e.g., coding) and data analysis methods sufficiently described? (qualitative)
• Identify at least one (1) finding.

Summary/Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations

• Do the themes adequately capture the meaning of the data?
• Did the analysis yield an insightful, provocative and meaningful picture of the phenomenon under investigation?
• Were methods used to enhance the trustworthiness of the data (and analysis) and was the description of those methods adequate?
• Are there clear explanation of the boundaries/limitations, thick description, audit trail?
• What are the strengths and limitations of the study?
• In terms of the findings, can the researcher generalize to other populations? Explain.
• Evaluate the findings and conclusions as to their significance for nursing (both qualitative and quantitative).

The body of your paper should be 4–6 double-spaced pages plus a cover page and a reference page. The critique must be attached to the article and follow APA guidelines.

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