Using A Scientific Journal Article To Write A Critical Revie

Using a Scientific Journal Article to Write a Critical Review

Writing a critical review of a journal article can help to improve your research skills. By assessing the work of others, you develop skills as a critical reader and become familiar with the types of evaluation criteria that will be applied to research in your field and thus your own research. You are expected to read the article carefully, analyse it, and evaluate the quality and originality of the research, as well as its relevance and presentation. Its strengths and weaknesses are assessed, followed by its overall value. Do not be confused by the term critique: it does not mean that you only look at the negative aspects of what the researcher has done.

You should address both the positive and negative aspects. If your lecturer has given you specific advice on how to write a critical review, follow that advice. If not, the following steps may help you. These steps are based on a detailed description of how to analyse and evaluate a research article provided by Wood (2003) in her lab guide. This guide is divided into two parts.

The first part, "Researching the Critique," outlines the steps involved in selecting and evaluating a research article. The second part, "Writing your Critique," discusses two possible ways to structure your critique paper.

Researching the Critique

The questions listed under many of the subheadings in this section may provide you with a good place to begin understanding what you are looking for and what form your critique might take.

1. Select a Topic: If your lecturer does not assign a topic or a particular article for you to review, and you must choose a topic yourself, try using a review article from your field. Review articles summarize and evaluate current studies (research articles) on a particular topic. Select a review article on a topic that interests you and that is written clearly so you can understand it.
2. Select a Research Article: Use the review article to select a research article. This can be very useful in writing your critique. The review article will provide background information for your analysis, as well as establishing that the research paper you are critiquing is significant: if the paper was not so highly regarded, it would not have been selected to be reviewed. When choosing a research article, examine the Materials & Methods section closely and make sure you have a good grasp of the techniques and methods used. If you don't, you may have difficulty evaluating them.
3. Analyse the Text: Read the article(s) carefully. Use the following questions to help you understand how and why the research was carried out:
   • What is the author's central purpose? (Look at the Introduction.)
   • What methods were used to accomplish this purpose (systematic recording of observations, analysis and evaluation of published research, assessment of theory)?
   • What were the techniques used? How was each technique performed? What kind of data can be obtained using each technique? How are such data interpreted? What kind of information is produced by using the technique?
   • What objective evidence was obtained from the author's efforts (observations, measurements etc.)? What were the results of the study? (Look at Results.)
   • How was each technique used to obtain each result? What statistical tests were used to evaluate the significance of the conclusions based on numeric or graphic data? How did each result contribute to answering the question or testing the hypothesis raised in the introduction?
   • How were the results interpreted? How were they related to the original problem? (Look at Discussion.)
   • Were the authors able to answer the question? Did the research provide new factual information, understanding, or techniques? How was the significance of the work described? Did the observations support or refute previous research?
4. Establish the Research Context: Understand the societal and intellectual background by answering questions such as:
   • Who conducted the research? What were their interests?
   • When and where was it conducted?
   • Why did they do this research?
   • Does it have broader, global relevance?
   • Were other labs pursuing related research at the time? Why?
   • What funding sources supported the research? Was the research influenced by funding sources?
   • On what prior observations was it based? What was known or unknown at the time?
   • How important was the research question?
5. Evaluate the Text: After familiarizing yourself with the article, evaluate its quality:
   • Check the introduction's statement of purpose, title accuracy, and coherence.
   • Review methods for validity, clarity, duplication potential, and flaws.
   • Examine the results carefully, assessing data presentation, organization, and consistency with objectives.
   • Inspect the discussion for logical interpretation, support by data and literature, and recognition of shortcomings.
   • Assess the overall structure, style, clarity, and organization of the article.
6. Establish the Significance of the Research: Determine if the research led to new questions, theoretical development, or practical applications by considering:
   • How other researchers view this work
   • Whether it has been cited and utilized in subsequent studies
   • Its contribution to knowledge and societal or technological impacts

Writing your Critique

Once the analysis and evaluation are complete, structure your critique either following Approach A or Approach B:

Approach (A)

Situate the article within the research context:

• Introduction: Cite the article fully, provide background, and establish its place in the field based on your research context questions.
• Body: Follow the article's structure—evaluate the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion—highlighting strengths and weaknesses with supporting evidence.
• Conclusion: Summarize the overall strengths and weaknesses, emphasizing practical and theoretical significance.

Approach (B)

Provide a summary and evaluation:

• Introduction: Fully cite and summarize the article based on your analysis.
• Body: Follow the article structure, evaluating each section in detail and highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
• Conclusion: Summarize the strengths, weaknesses, and overall significance, indicating its contribution to knowledge and practice.

References

• Kuyper, B.J. (1991). Bringing up scientists in the art of critiquing research. Bioscience, 41(4).
• Wood, J.M. (2003). Research Lab Guide. MICR*3260 Microbial Adaptation and Development Web Site. Retrieved July 31, 2006, from.