Your assignment is to critique a journal article.

This handout will give you a few guidelines to follow and

some questions you need to address:

Introduction
• The introduction is usually just one paragraph.
• Name of the authors (if known) and the title of the article.
• The main objectives and results of the text are summarized and a concise evaluation closes the
review.

Summary
• The summary gives a brief overview of the book by listing the key points and the authors’ purposes.
• The summary should not be more than 30 per cent of the text.
• The reader should get an idea of what the article is about.

Critique
Mention the strong and weak points and discuss these using the following criteria:

Contribution to the field What is the author’s aim and has it been achieved?
What does the text add to the scientific knowledge based?
Is the problem addressed relevant?

Argumentation Is the problem statement clear?

Are the hypotheses clearly formulated?
Is the argumentation based on theoretical logical reasoning?
Is the reasoning consistent?
Are arguments supported by evidence and how valid and reliable is the evidence?
Are conclusions drawn backed by the results?

Methods and analysis Are the methods and analysis techniques used appropriate for the purpose of the
study?
Are there any biases in the methods and analysis techniques?
Have the method and analysis techniques been applied well?
Are the results reliable and valid?

Writing Is the language used adequate for the audience?

Is the text well structured?
Is the text easy to read and follow?

Conclusion
A short paragraph containing the overall evaluation on the text plus some explanation for it.

Source: https://www.uis.edu/ctl/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2013/03/Howtocritiqueajournalarticle.pdf