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Critical Reviews of Journal Articles

A critical review of a journal article is an evaluation of an article's strengths, weaknesses and

validity. It is used to inform readers of an article's value through explanation, interpretation and

analysis. The reviewer must present information that will allow the reader to make a value

judgement about the article.

Guidelines and Questions to be Considered

. !eviews should begin with a full bibliographic citation "author, title of journal article, name

of journal, volume, issue, date of publication, pages#.

$. Is there any biographical information about the author given% &hat are the author's

ualifications and authority%

(. &ho is the intended audience%

). *efine the general problem area. &hat does the author intend to discuss% &hy%

+. *oes the author try to build on past research%

. &hat is the objective or purpose of the research% Is this clearly stated%

-. *oes the author define any terms% Are the definitions specific, useful, circular%

. &hat is the effect of the author's language% Is the vocabulary and sentence structure

appropriate% *oes the author maintain neutrality in his/her choice of words and terms or

are they emotionally charged or biased%

0. Are references given "footnotes or bibliography#% &hat is the si1e of the reference section%

Are the references recent, important% 2ow are the references used3 for support, rebuttal,

etc.%

4. If the article is a report of a research study, does the author clearly state what is expected

to happen% &hat is the sample for the study and how is it selected% *oes the author

discuss factors or variables that may affect the research% Are the methods for measuring

results clearly explained and appropriate% *oes the expected result occur%

. Are illustrations, tables or graphs used% *o they complement the text% Are they the best

method to present data, or are they unnecessary%

$. &hat are the author's major findings and conclusions% 2ave these been supported by the

author's analyses, arguments, findings or evidence% 2as the author overlooked anything%

(. Is the article referred to by anyone else% "5heck the &eb of 6ciencedatabase for this

information.# 2ow is the article used by other authors3 background, support, rebuttal, etc.%

). *oes the author accomplish her/his objective% *oes the author do what she/he has set out

to do%

+. *oes the author suggest areas for further research or discussion%

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The guidelines and uestions listed above are suggestions that should be considered when writing a

critical review of an article. 7ot all of the uestions or guidelines will be appropriate for every article

and depend upon the purpose of the review.

6tudents wishing more detailed information on reviewing journal articles should check the following

publications3

8ogdan, !obert 5. and 6ari 9nopp 8iklen. Qualitative research for education: an

introduction to theory and methods. (rd ed. 8oston3 Allyn and 8acon, c00. ":8 4$ 8-

00 ;*argrit. Nonsexist research methods: a practical guide. 7ew ?ork3 !outledge, 00.

"2 $ ;()+ 00 266 c.#

2art, 5hris. Doing a literature review: releasing the social science research imagination.

:ondon3 6age, 00. "2$ 2(- 00 ;*eyer. The assessment of social research.

$nd ed. Itasca, Ill.3 D; Ceacock Cublishing, 0(. "2E T( 0( ;*