Journal Article Critique
Write a 2-3 page (double-spaced) paper in APA or MLA format, in which you will analyze one scientific, peer-reviewed article in the discipline of psychology, and discuss how the results of the study may benefit the surrounding community and/or society as a whole.
Your journal article must be:
- current (from 2008 to present)
- come from professional, scientific journals
- a research article (must have sections labeled Methods, Results & Discussion)
Introduction (purpose: educate the reader on the topic/concept)
- define topic and other key terms
- include symptoms, statistics of occurrence, and current information in the field
Main body (purpose: explain the research conducted in the article)
- state what you found in the journal article
- Hypothesis/ Purpose:
- Methodology/ Research method:
- Results/ discussion:
What were the researchers trying to discover (what was the hypothesis or purpose)?
_This is usually found at the beginning of the article, or may appear at the end of the review of the literature. Make sure to put it in your own words.
How was the research conducted (research design or type of study)?
_Is the research descriptive (case study, naturalistic observation, laboratory observation, surveys, tests), correlation, experiment?
When and where the research was conducted?
How long did the study take?
Who were the participants? (number (N), age, sex, criteria to be a part of the study)?
What did the researchers find in relation to their hypothesis/ purpose?
What limitations did the researchers reveal?
Summary/Conclusion (purpose: show critical thinking in regards to the research)
- How does the information from the article integrate with information from class discussion, the textbook, and/or other information in the discipline?
- What is your opinion of the research findings?What the research well done or not and why?
- Why is this topic/ research important? (relevance/benefits to community and/or society)
- In what ways does this topic relate to your own personal experience, and how is your experience in agreement or disagreement with the outcome of this study?
- How has your opinion of this topic changed since your review of the study?
