8/4/2019 Guidelines on Making a Critique

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Guidelines in Writing A Critique of A Research Article

First, the critique should mention pertinent basic information about the journal article the name/s of

the author/s, the title of the article and the title of the journal including the volume number, date, month, and

page numbers.

Before writing the critique, the article must first be read in its entirety to get an overview. Then the

article can be read again critically while taking notes that will serve as guide in writing the critique. Reading

the article must be done systematically by going through each section and searching for key features that are

expected of a good research article.

The Title should reflect the contents of the study. It should be as brief as possible but should

accurately describe the study giving the reader a clear idea of what the study is about. It should not contain

terms that are not way related to the study.

The Abstract should give a summary of essential information about the study. It should mention the

problem, its significance and the objectives of the study. It should briefly describe the methodology, give the

major results and state the conclusion.

The Introduction should include the statement of the problem, the rationale and objectives of the

study and background literature. The problem should be clearly stated. The introduction should explain how

the study will contribute significantly to the specific area of research. The objectives must be logical. Only

pertinent literature should be cited. The background literature should briefly summarize what has been done in

the field that leads to the study and should show that the study is an original work and not simply a repetition

of other studies.

The Materials and Methods section should include the complete technical descriptions of the

materials and equipment used, sample selection, details of the methodology and statistical treatment of data.The sampling method should be valid and the sample size should be sufficient. The methodology should be

designed to answer the objectives of the study and must be described adequately so that other researchers

can replicate the study. The methods used should be appropriate for the purpose of the study.

The Results should clearly describe the outcome of the research. Data should be presented in the

form of tables and/or figures only when necessary. Tables and figures must be properly presented and should

be understandable without the need to refer to the discussion. The results must be relevant to the methods

used. Only significant results should be presented.

The Discussion should not be simply a repetition of the results. It should be able to interpret the

outcome of the study and show how the findings fit with those obtained from previous studies through logical

arguments.

The Conclusion should be drawn only from the results and should be justifiable. This should answer

the studys objectives. The Recommendations should arise from the results and discussion.

An Overview of the article must be given at the end of the critique. It should give a general opinion of

the study and an assessment of the value of the work in the area of research. It should sum up the strengths

and weaknesses of the research as a whole.

The References should present all citations in the text.

Format: Must be written on not more than 2 pages (maximum of 500 words) short bond paper, double

spaced, Arial or Tahoma, Font size 12.