Human Resource Management

Assignment 01

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Berihun Muche (PhD)

 Article review First Assignment

Instruction:
• Download one article on any concept related to Human Resource Management .
• Review and prepare a report
• The report should not exceed 4 page with its cover page
 Guide on Review Article

• What is an article?
• What is a journal?
• What is Thesis/Dissertation?
• What is monograph?
• What is a manuscript?
• What is a Book?
 What is review article?

• It is a critical and constructive analysis of a given article.

• It could have two forms: summaries and

critiques

• Both require you to read and understand the general literature in the topic.
• The Summary- involves briefly and accurately stating the key points of the article for
a reader who has not read the original article.
 Cont’d

• The Critique – begins by summarizing the article and then analyzes and
evaluates the author’s research.
• This one is strong and it shows your mastery of critical analysis and command of
the literature.
 Importance

• Very important step to critically review and compile literature

• It gives graduate students exposure to works of others and identify research gaps
• Crucial element in conducting original and scientific research
 What to Focus on while reviewing an

Article?

• Originality and innovativeness of the research idea(s)?

• Validity and appropriateness of the hypotheses/research questions/premises are
valid and the methodology
• Whether the literature is adequate and

up-to-date?

• Whether the data is new, sufficient and

accurate?
 Cont’d

• Whether findings and discussions are linked

and address research objectives?

• Whether conclusions and/or recommendations are logically derived from the data
and it’s interpretation?
• Coherence, continuity and flow
• Contribution to existing body of knowledge
• Appropriateness of sourcing and acknowledgement of sources of
data
 Steps in Reviewing Articles

1) Skim the article without taking notes

- Read the abstract and conclusion
- Read for the ‘big picture’
- Identify items/terms/techniques that you want to define
- Write down whatever you did not understand at glance
 Cont’d

2) Reread the article carefully (several times)

• Pay close attention to the ‘methodology part’ or ‘methods and materials’.

• Raise questions such as:

- was the study repeated?

- what was the sample/size? is this representative of a larger population?

- what variables were used? Which were held constant? Was there a control?
- what factors might affect the outcome?

• Reread the ‘methodology part’ or ‘methods and materials’ part multiple times.
 Cont’d

3) Before you begin the first draft your summary:

• Try to describe the article in your own words first.
• Try to distill the article down to its ‘scientific essence’
• Include all the key points and be accurate.
• Make the summary understandable.
 Cont’d

4) Write a draft of your summary

• Do not look at the article while writing, to make it easier to put the information in your
own words and avoid unintentional plagiarism.
• Refer back to the article later for details and facts.
• Ask yourself questions as you write:
 Cont’d

• What is the purpose of the study? What questions were asked?

• How did the study address these questions?
• What assumptions did the author make?
• What were the major findings?
• What surprised you or struck you as interesting?
• What questions are still unanswered?
 Format and Organization of the

Review

1) A complete citation of the article goes at the top of the page, below your heading.
2) Don’t skip a line between the citation and the start of the essay.
3) Indent the first line of the essay.
4) Be concise and eliminate superfluous information.
 Cont’d

5) The introductory paragraph summarizes the background information and purpose of the research (specific
questions of the study researched).
6) then, explain the methods that were used to investigate the research questions (use past tense)
7) Mention the major results of the study (use past tense)
8) State what the author of the study learned.
Additional points on Critical Review

• Include a summary as well as your own analysis and evaluation of the

article.
• Know the article thoroughly.
• Do not include personal opinions
• Be sure to distinguish your thoughts from that of the author.
• Focus on the positive aspects and what the author(s) of the study learned.
 Cont’d

• Note limitations of the study at the end of the essay:

• E.g. - do the data and conclusions contradict each other,
- Is there sufficient data to support the author’s generalizations?
- what questions remain unanswered?
- how could future studies be improved?
• Recommendation for readers
 Sources of Reputed Journals

• Scopus- rates articles

• Google scholar
• Web of science
• Since Direct
• Thompson
• Repository