Psy620 Analyzing And Citing Scholarly Articles

Psy620 Analyzing And Citing Scholarly Articles

Are Often Asked To

PSY620: Analyzing and Citing Scholarly ArticlesYou are often asked to read articles in scholarly journals and apply your critical analysis of them to real-world and hypothetical situations. In this course, you will be required to do this in your discussions, journals, and assignments. These analyses should be reflective of your comprehension of the articles and their suggested findings and implications. To utilize articles in a meaningful way, you must think critically about what the authors claim, suggest, or propose. When applying your analyses, you should begin by writing down the important constructs each article suggests and aligning these constructs to the questions posed.

Prewriting

Begin by reading a given article and by carefully making notes about the various parts of the article and how they contribute to the assignment/discussion/journal.

Title

Consider the title of the journal article or essay. It may help you determine information about the article’s audience or the author’s intentions. A title can also give clues about the author’s attitude toward the subject or set the tone for an article.

Introduction

The introduction of a scholarly article usually reviews some of the literature on the issue, including what others have written about it, and provides insight into a problem. It typically explains why a problem is worth considering and why previous attempts to solve it were inadequate or not attempted. It may briefly introduce methods used to investigate the problem and often ends by stating the main argument (thesis) that will be advanced in the article or the author’s primary findings.

Thesis

Understanding the main argument is paramount to your analysis. Distinguish between the subject and argument. The subject is the topic, such as neuroscience research. The argument is a statement such as “Neuroscience research explains how trauma affects memory.” The thesis in a scholarly article is often found in the abstract and in the first few paragraphs.

Methods

Some articles, especially in education, the sciences, technical fields, and social sciences, have a detailed section explaining the research methods used in the study. Articles in the humanities may not even mention methods. You will want to evaluate whether the methods described seem appropriate to answering the research questions posed in the introduction.

Evidence and Results

Once you understand what the article is trying to achieve based on the thesis, and how it has gone about investigating an issue through the methods, turn your attention to the results and critically evaluate them. In a more scientifically or technically oriented article, findings will be clearly labeled and often presented in tables or graphs which are discussed. As you evaluate the evidence, look for how well it is tied to the thesis and/or research questions. Look for missing details or gaps and consider the quality of the interpretation. If you are looking at an argument based on logic, make sure you can follow every step and that each subclaim is well supported. Look for unwarranted assumptions or generalizations considering whether or not the writer is appealing to logic or relying too heavily on emotion or reputation.

Paper For Above instruction

Analyzing scholarly articles is a fundamental skill in psychological research and academic writing. Critical reading involves dissecting each section of an article to understand its purpose, methodology, findings, and implications. This process enables scholars and students alike to evaluate the validity of the claims made and to relate these findings to broader theoretical or practical frameworks.

The title of a scholarly article serves as the first point of engagement and provides insights into the scope, subject matter, and sometimes the tone of the work. An effective title can orient the reader to the article’s target audience and the author’s primary focus (Creswell, 2014). For example, a title like "Neural Correlates of Trauma and Memory" indicates an emphasis on neuroscientific evidence related to trauma, guiding readers on the article's focus and potential relevance.

The introduction typically contextualizes the research problem by reviewing existing literature, highlighting gaps, and establishing the importance of the issue. It sets the stage for the study by clarifying why the research is necessary and often ends with a clear statement of purpose or thesis (Babbie, 2015). For instance, if an article examines how trauma impacts memory, the introduction would discuss prior findings, limitations, and the specific questions the current study aims to address.

The thesis or primary argument, usually located in the abstract or early sections, succinctly states the main hypothesis or research question. For example, "Trauma exposure alters memory processing in the hippocampus," is a specific claim guiding the subsequent investigation. Distinguishing the subject (trauma's effect on memory) from the argument (trauma alters hippocampal activity) is essential for critical analysis (Creswell, 2014).

The methods section describes how the research was conducted. In quantitative studies, this includes descriptions of participants, procedures, measures, and statistical analyses. Evaluating whether these methods are appropriate involves assessing sample size, controls, and reliability of tools (Goodwin, 2017). For qualitative research, methods like interviews or observations are detailed, with an emphasis on ensuring validity and trustworthiness.

The evidence and results section presents data, often in tables or figures, and explains what was found. Critical evaluation involves determining if the results logically follow from the methodology, if they sufficiently test the hypothesis, and if interpretations are justified. Gaps or unsupported claims should be noted, such as drawing broad conclusions from limited data (Silverman, 2016). Logical coherence is crucial; for instance, if the authors claim causality but only have correlational data, this warrants scrutiny.

Finally, critically assessing the article includes considering potential biases, unwarranted assumptions, and the overall contribution to the field. Effective critique combines understanding of research design with an awareness of the limitations inherent in each study type. This analytical approach enhances one’s ability to synthesize information and apply findings thoughtfully in academic and practical contexts (Patton, 2015).

References

• Babbie, E. (2015). The practice of social research. Cengage Learning.
• Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publications.
• Goodwin, C. J. (2017). Research in Psychology: Methods and Design. Wiley.
• Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. Sage Publications.
• Silverman, D. (2016). Qualitative Research. Sage Publications.
• Patel, V., & Snyder, C. R. (2017). Critical appraisal of research articles. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 701–711.
• Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods. Sage Publications.
• Lee, A., & Ingham, H. (2018). Effective scholarly communication: Publishing and peer review. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 49(2), 141–157.
• Walter, H. J., & Callahan, D. (2017). Critical appraisal of scientific articles. Journal of Medical Ethics, 43(8), 552–558.
• Hammersley, M. (2018). The grounded theory method: An explication and interpretation. Sociological Research Online, 23(1), 1–22.