Analyzing a Journal Article Worksheet

Journal Article Title:

____________________________________________________________

Step 1. What is the purpose/objective of the study?

a. Write down or highlight the thesis statement or hypothesis.

b. In your own words, what is the purpose of the study?

c. What was the gap in the research that the authors were trying to fill by conducting
their study?

d. How does the author approach the study?

Step 2. What is/are the major conclusions or findings of the study?

Step 3. How did the authors test their hypothesis?

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 a. Briefly summarize the methods of experimentation, etc.

b. Did the authors mention any challenges or limitations with their methodology?

c. Do you see any problems or limitations with their methodology?

d. How did the authors analyze their data? What test(s) did they use?

e. Did the authors choose an appropriate method(s) for data analysis?

Step 4. How reliable are the results?

a. What are the strengths and limitations of the study?

b. Do the authors suggest any problems with the study that could lead to unreliable
results?

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Step 5. Based on your analysis, are the claims made in this journal article
reliable?

a. Are the conclusions made about the results valid and reasonable? Are they too broad
or too narrow?

b. Are there gaps in the logic or assumptions being made? Or obvious errors?

Step 6. Does this research study contribute to the knowledge base of the field
around which you’re centering your review? (yes/no)

a. Is it worth including in your discussion and does it fit your main thesis? How so?