Critique of a Research Report
Select either a quantitative or qualitative research study that is of interest to you. Search terms such as “research” and “nursing” (or another discipline if not a nurse) will help you to narrow your search to an article written by researchers from within your specific discipline. Ensure that the study you select is a research study (avoid literature reviews or summaries of research articles). You should approve your choice of article with your tutor prior to proceeding with the critique. It is important to select an online article from a journal database from the Athabasca University Library so that your tutor has access to the article that you will critique. Please include the persistent link URL with your paper so that the tutor can access the article or send as a .pdf attachment. Submit using the links in the Assessment section on the course home page. Resend your approved article to your tutor when you submit your assignment. Read the chapter in your course textbook about Critiquing Research Reports (Chapter 17) before proceeding with this assignment. You should pay particular attention to the information on General Guidelines for Conducting a Written Research Critique located in Box 173 and the Guides to an Overall Critique in Tables 17.1 and 17.2. To help you collect and organize your comments use the Five Dimensions of a Research Critique outlined in your textbook. Your paper will be restricted to a maximum length of 810 typed, doublespaced pages, excluding the title and reference pages, and should adhere to APA format. Assignment 3 is due after you have completed Unit 14. Please include the following content in your critique: 1. Substantive and Theoretical Dimensions • relevance of research problem and significance • appropriateness of the conceptual framework • congruence between research question and methods used • literature review 2. Methodological Dimensions • research design • population and sample • collection of data • validity 3. Ethical Dimensions • confidentiality or anonymity • informed consent • vulnerability of study subjects/participants • research ethics board approval 4. Interpretive Dimensions • discussion section • conclusion section • implications section 5. Presentation and Stylistic Dimensions • any missing information • clear, grammatically correct writing • well organized • enough detail, no jargon Also include a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the study. Use examples to illustrate points. Make sure your content is accurate and “critiquelike” demonstrating evidence of critical thinking. Suggest realistic alternatives to improve/enhance the quality of the research. Presentation of your paper will also be graded. Make sure you include a title page as per APA (12 pt font, running head etc.), introduction (no subheading) that includes a brief overview of what will be included in your paper, headings and subheadings, scholarly objective language, appropriate grammar and spelling, APA referencing in the body of your paper and on your reference page, and a conclusion (with this subheading). Critique of a Research Report (30%) CRITERIA REQUIRED MARK CONTENT – Total Maximum 20% Your Mark /20 The following overall content elements are evident:…