Critical Review of Published Articles
For the assignment, the students will read and review “Worry, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Statistics Anxiety” by Amanda S. Williams. The article located in Content section within Session 9. A critical review report summarizes and evaluates the research article. Your job is to determine if the researcher wrote a first class, grade “A” article for publication. That is, was the article worthy of publication? Empirical research articles go through a blind publication procedure. The journal’s reviewers do not know who wrote the articles considered for publication, which would be a one- to two-year process.
The report must be between 3- to 5-pages. Below, carefully read the requirements for the report. If you have questions, please ask.
Do not deviant from the required information for the report. Going beyond the requirements will negatively affect the final score of the report. Carefully, proofread the report, use the F7 Key on the keyboard to help with proofreading and have a friend proofread the report. In addition, you may submit the report to UMUC Writing Center. They may spot writing errors that you missed.
This is a nine-week assignment; therefore, you may start the assignment. There will be no due date extension for the assignment. Five percent deduction per day for late submission past the due date; however, once the submitted reports have been graded, the grading process has stopped. Therefore, please submit the report by the due date. Please do not wait until the last moment to read the article and write the report.
Click onto the Critical Review site with tips.
Required Information for the Report
1. Title page, which does not count for the required 3- to 5-pages:
a. title of the empirical research article and author’s name(s),
b. your name,
c. running head with continuous page numbers, and
d. date.
2. Summary of the article (150- to 250-words), which does not count for the required 3- to 5-pages. Summarize the article with the following information from the article (do not quote from the article).
a. Purpose of the study (explicitly, write the word “purpose” in the sentence),
b. Participants of the study (explicitly, write the word “participants” in the sentence),
c. Research hypotheses of the study (explicitly, write the word “hypotheses,”
d. Measurement instruments (explicitly, write the words “measure instruments” in the sentence), and
e. Conclusions of the study (explicitly, write the word “conclusions” in the sentence).
3. Analysis of Data. This is the most important section of the report. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your critical thinking skills. From the empirical research article, include the page number(s) in the citation for the answers. Finally, do not quote information from the article. The following questions must be answered in the report and use the questions as subheadings:
a. For Table 2 (page 54) and for Table 3 (page 55), which statistical procedures did the researcher use to calculate the raw data?
i. Define the terms with citations to support the definitions.
b. Did the statistical procedures for Tables 2 and 3 support the hypotheses of the study? Please explain with specific data examples from the research article and evaluate the statistical procedure. That is, was the procedure the correct one and why or why not?
c. Did Tables 2 and 3 properly display the data results? To support your answers, please explain with specific data examples from the research article and evaluate the table’s format. That is, were the tables easy or difficult to understand and why or why not?
4. Conclusion/Discussion. Answer the following questions in the report and use subheadings. In addition, from the empirical research report, cite the page number(s) where you located the information for the questions. Finally, do not quote text from the article.
a. What were the conclusions based on the data results? Did the conclusions support or not support the hypotheses of the study? Please explain with information from the research article to support your analysis.
b. All empirical research studies have limitations; therefore, what do you think were the limitations of the study. That is, were there flaws in the research procedures? Please explain with information from the research article to support your analysis.
5. Recommendations.
a. If you were to conduct the study, please explain with details the changes you would make to strengthen the validity of the study.
6. Reference(s). Does not count for the 3- to 5-pages.
a. Use APA Reference format.
Grading Policy
Grading rubric for the review report.
All students will have ten weeks to complete the review; therefore, perfection is necessary. Please write a professional paper as if you were submitting the report for publication. Do not wait until the last moment to write the report.
Grading Rubric: Article Critique Assignment
Name: Date paper was downloaded:
Weight Category Description Score
20 Length and Style Category encompasses issues of appropriate length (as outlined in classroom) and formatting, layout, and style, including APA formatting, originality, etc.
20 Presentation/Writing Includes elements of spelling, grammar, punctuation, flow, and the following of business writing conventions. Paper should stay on focus and have logical progression.
30 Summary The student provided explicit details of the research article for the reader to understand the essence of study.
30 Analysis/Conclusion The student demonstrates critical thinking skills with concrete evidence to support the analysis.
100 TOTAL 0
Letter grade description.
“A” grade (90 to 100) = the report contained the required information, but some changes would be required for publication.
“B” grade (80 to 89) = the report contained the required information, but many changes would be required for publication.
“C” grade (70 to 79) = the report did not contain the required information. Publication denied.
APA Writing Style
To help with the organization of the review information, the students are required to use APA format 6th edition: (a) 3- to -5-pages, (b) doubled-space, (c) Times Roman font, (d) 12 pt. type size, and (e) include headings and subheadings to introduce and divide the various concepts of the report. The organization and communication of the text will influence the final score of the report. Finally, do not include quotes from the article or other sources. You must paraphrase the information.
Tips for Writing Critiques
1. Go through several drafts. NO ONE can write a perfect essay in one try. Your first draft should be much longer than the final draft. Then as you edit, try to make the same amount of information more concise and clear, continually refining your writing.
2. Write in formal English avoiding casual language. Though we want to read your opinions, avoid using ‘I’ or ‘me.’ For example, instead of writing: “I think this research overlooked an important factor,” just write, “This research overlooked an important factor.”
3. However, it is important to have a broad and strong vocabulary, do not use-stilted language for the sake of using fancy words. It makes the paper more difficult to read than is necessary.
4. Write your critique as if your reader has NOT yet read the paper/essay you are reviewing.
5. Write in active voice, which is more direct, bold, and concise than passive voice. Examples from The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White:
Passive: My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me.
Active: I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.
Passive: There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground.
Active: Dead leaves covered the ground.
6. Run spelling and grammar-checking programs carefully, double-checking the spelling of all Specialized and scientific terms your dictionary will not recognize. Many spelling errors will be caught by these programs and these errors SHOULD NEVER persist in any work that is to be handed in for grading.
Types of Grammatical Errors
MINOR ERRORS
1. Misuse of commas, e.g., placing of a single comma between subject and verb of a sentence; Using commas to set off essential modifying phrase,
2. Misuse of colons or semi-colons,
3. Failure to close a quotation or parenthetical remark, and
4. Typos or misspelled words that WILL NOT be caught by spell-checking programs
MAJOR ERRORS
1. Subject and verb of a sentence disagree (plural vs. singular),
2. Incomplete sentences (usually dependent clauses),
3. Run-on sentences (usually separated by only a comma), and
4. Typos or misspelled words that will be caught by spell-checking programs.