Critical Review Assessment – Guide questions
Read your chosen journal article carefully. The questions below will help you to start thinking critically about its content.
WRITE THE FULL REFERENCE OF YOUR JOURNAL ARTICLE HERE (IN LINE WITH APA GUIDANCE):
What is/are the research question(s)?
What are the expected findings (or may be your paper is exploratory)?
Who are the participants and how many were recruited?
Are the participants and the sample size appropriate for the aims of the study? (Give reasons for your answer)
If applicable what are the independent variables in your study? How were they manipulated?
If applicable, what are the dependent variables in your study? How were they measured?
To what extent is the study valid (i.e. do you think it measures what it is supposed to measure)?
To what extent is the study reliable (i.e. what would happen if it was replicated with different participants, in a different location, at a different time)?
What are the main findings of the research? Do they match the expected findings?
Is the discussion of the main findings consistent with the results section?
Have all the limitations of the study been discussed by the authors? Can you identify other problems?
Have the authors identified avenues for future research? What are they? Can you add to the list?
WHAT OTHER READING HAVE YOU CONDUCTED? YOU MUST READ OTHER JOURNAL ARTICLES ON YOUR CHOSEN TOPIC SO THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENTS AND COMPARE METHODS AND FINDINGS. BE SURE TO CITE YOUR SOURCES AND INCLUDE A FULL REFERENCE LIST (IN APA FORMAT).