Academic Writing Guide: Reviews & Critiques

This practical text shows students how to critique social research in a simple, hands-on manner. Designed for use in conjunction with a core research methods text, it guides students through each element of a research article, thereby helping them to develop the analytical tools and critical thinking skills they need to make an informed assessment of the research study they are critiquing.

How does one tell if the appropriate design or analysis was used in a research article? Using examples of both good and flawed studies, Ellen R. Girden shows how to read qualitative and quantitative research articles critically from start to finish. She explains how to decide whether the conclusions reported in an article are justified, based on the design and analysis of the experiment. By first demonstrating how to analyze an article in each design category - for example, correlational study, factor analysis, and narrative analysis - Girden uses targeted questions to assist the reader's critique of each major section of an article.