I’m working on a writing Other and need support to help me learn.
Article Critique Information
40 points (16% of your overall grade)
Assignment Logistics:
- Include a title page that follows APA formatting requirements.
- Write a minimum of 1,000 words but do not exceed 1,100 words. This means you will have to work hard to be concise when you write.
- Include an introduction paragraph that introduces the topic and the article (this comes after your title but before your first heading).
- Divide your paper into 4 or 5 sections prompted by the list below. Each article is different so there is no standard format. Have a heading for each section (bold, centered, and written in title case).
- Wrap up your article critique with a paragraph or two of conclusion and reflection.
- Include a reference page at the end of your critique in flawless APA style.
- Include no more than 2 quotes, if you choose to include any at all.
The following criteria must be included in your Article Critique:
- Summarize the article (a very short summary).
- Critically analyze the author(s) main points.
- Indicate the pros and cons of the article with regard to design, participants, setting, etc (refer to questions below for guidance on this)
- Make your own recommendations to improve the article
Before you read the article:
- Read the abstract for a summary of the author’s arguments.
- Study the list of references to determine what research contributed to the author’s arguments. Are the references recent? Do they represent important work in the field?
- Consult Google Scholar and find the article. See if other scholars have cited the work (below the article click “cited by”).
Reading the article: points to consider
Read the article carefully. Record your impressions and note sections suitable for quoting.
- Who is the intended audience?
- What is the author’s purpose? To survey and summarize research on a topic? To present an argument that builds on past research. To refute another writer’s argument?
- Does the author define important terms?
- Is the information in the article fact or opinion? (Facts can be verified, while opinions arise from interpretations of facts) Does the information seem well-researched or is it unsupported?
- What are the author’s central arguments or conclusions? Are they clearly stated? Are they supported by evidence and analysis?
- If the article reports on an experiment or study, does the author clearly outline methodology and the expected result?
- Is the article lacking information or argumentation that you expected to find?
- Is the article organized logically and easy to follow?
- Does the writer’s style suit the intended audience? Is the style stilted or unnecessarily complicated?
- Is the author’s language objective or charged with emotion and bias?
- If illustrations or charts are used, are they effective in presenting information?
Students often lose points for the following errors. Make sure to double check these before submitting:
- Incorrect running head
- Missing institution name on title page
- Incorrect citations, especially for three or more authors
- Incorrect formatting of the article in the reference page. Pay special attention to the formatting of the article title as well as the journal title.
