Critiquing Research Reports

Go to the AU library homepage. Locate and download either a quantitative or a qualitative research study that is of interest to you from a peer-reviewed journal. This article needs to be a report of a research study published in the past five years.

Tip 1: If this is not clear to you, review Unit 1: The Value of Research and Evidence-Based Practice. There you will find details as to how to access the AU Library.

Tip 2: Ensure that the study you select is a research study reporting on original research (i.e., it is not a literature review or summary of previously completed research).

Complete the learning activities and readings in Unit 11: Critiquing Research Reports. Read and think about the guidelines and questions used to critique research reports. In addition, if you have access to Woo (2019) Canadian Essentials of Nursing Research, review critiques of two research articles that appear in Appendix C and D.

If you are accessing Sociological Inquiry Principles: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, go to Chapter 14, “Reading and Understanding Research” and carefully review Table 14.2, Questions Worth Asking While Reading Research Reports.

If you are accessing Canadian Essentials of Nursing Research, review Table 4.1, Guide to a Focused Critique of Evidence Quality in a Quantitative Research Report, or Table 4.2 Guide to a Focused Critique of Evidence Quality in a Qualitative Research Report. The second columns of Tables 4.1 and 4.2 list some key critiquing questions, while the third column cross-references more detailed guidelines in various chapters throughout the book.

Prepare a paper of 8–10 pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages), double-spaced, using 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font and the most current edition of APA format.

Related to content, include the following sections:

Tip 1: Use these sections as headings and subheadings to organize your paper and your thoughts. These headings and subheadings will cue the reader (your tutor) to the specific subtopic you are addressing.

  • Introduction
  • Research Problem and its Significance
  • Literature Review
  • Research Question and Subquestions
  • Methods
  • Research Approach (Qualitative or Quantitative)
  • Research Design
  • Ethics
  • Sample/Sampling
  • Data Collection
  • Results
  • Data Analysis
  • Findings
  • Validity (for quantitative research studies only)
  • Trustworthiness (for qualitative research studies only)
  • Discussion
  • Implications
  • Conclusion
  • Presentation
  • Clearly written
  • No or minimal use of jargon
  • Well-organized

Use specific examples from the research study for each section and each bullet point.
Work towards accuracy as well as a “critique-like” tone to demonstrate evidence of critical thinking.
Suggest realistic alternatives to improve and enhance the quality of the research.

Related to the format, include the following:
Title page
Introductory paragraph
Headings and subheadings
Concluding paragraph
References list
In-text reference citations
Paper is 8–10 pages in length, excluding title page and references list
Content is accurate and critique-like
Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are accurate

Accurate APA format
Note: APA format is to align with the most current edition of the APA manual.