Critiquing Research Paper (Part 6)

You can go to Mriga Online Academic Support website to get practical feedback to help you develop your assignment.

Discussion

•Is it clear how the results/findings of this study add to the body of knowledge?

•Is the importance of this study made explicit?

•What are the implications for the subject and its practice?

•What gaps in knowledge still exist?

•Are further questions/problems identified?

• Are there suggestions on how these could be tackled?

•Does the author discuss the strengths and weaknesses  of this study?

•What are its limitations?

•Are possible sources of bias/error acknowledged?

References

•Are references comprehensive and complete?

Finally

•Was the research worthwhile?

•How clearly has it been presented?

•Do you accept the results/findings of the report?

•If you do, but with reservations, what are they?

•If you do accept it, will it influence your practice?

•If ‘yes’ how, if ‘no’ why?

Critiquing Research Paper (Part 5)

You can go to Mriga Online Academic Support website to get practical feedback to help you develop your assignment.

Results/Findings

•How clearly are these presented?

•Do tables and text agree?

•Are actual numbers given and not just percentages?

•Are statistical tests named and significance levels given?

•In qualitative research are excerpts from transcripts quoted to illustrate the identification of themes and sub-themes?

•Going back to the original question/problem, was the aim of the study achieved?

Critiquing Research Paper (Part 4)

You can go to Mriga Online Academic Support website to get practical feedback to help you develop your assignment.

What were the ethical issues?

•Were they acknowledged?

•How were they addressed in order to protect the comfort,convenience and rights of the respondents?

•Was the study approved by a  Research Ethics Committee?

•Were vulnerable participants used ?

•Were the participants informed about the research project.

•Were participants apprised  of the risks,both obvious and subtle, of participating in the research.

•Were they deceived in any way?

•Was written consent obtained from the research participants.

•Did participants have the right to self-determination?

•Were they coerced in any way?

•Were they given the right to withdraw from the study if they wished to?

•Was anonymity and confidentiality maintained?

•Did the benefits resulting from the study outweigh the risks?

•Were human participants put at undue risk?

Critiquing Research Paper (Part 3)

You can go to Mriga Online Academic Support website to get practical feedback to help you develop your assignment.

Method of research

•Consider:-     

-       What research design was used-       

experimental, survey, ethnography, phenomenology, case study, action research etc.

-       Was this appropriate for the question being researched?

•Where was the study (an institution, a hospital, person’s home etc) conducted?

•Does the research describe in detail, the selection of participants?

•What are the criteria for accepting someone on the sample? What criteria are included in the exclusion of people?

•How were participants approached, informed and recruited?

•How is the sample size justified?

•Was sample mortality discussed in health related research?

Data Collection

•How were the data collected-observation, interview, questionnaire etc?

•What data collection tools were used and how appropriate are they?

•How valid and reliable are they?

•Have the tools been piloted?

Data Analysis

•How exactly were the data analysed?

•Was this appropriate method of analysis?

•Were appropriate tools for analysis used?

•If qualitative analysis, was the author’s analysis checked?

•If quantitative how were the statistics handled?

•Does the analysis provide answers for the research questions asked?