Mastery of statistics involves not only the ability to generate sound statistical data and analysis, but also the ability to critically evaluate the statistical analysis of others. This is the focus of the assignment. A critique is not a summary or a simple retelling of the major findings in a research article. It also assesses how well the researcher carries out the research process.
The article for this assignment is provided in Content, week 9. Read through this outline carefully. You will lose points if you do not follow the provided format. This is not a group project and it must be done independently. If you have any questions about what to do or need interpretation of the instructions, please post them in Ask the Professor so that all students can benefit from the information.
Organization of Your Paper
Your final report should be organized with the following sections and subsections:
Title page
SummaryResearch TopicWhat question is the researcher trying to answer?
Research MethodologyBriefly answer the who, what, where, when, and how.
Major ConclusionsInclude author’s recommendations
CritiquePurposeIs the research problem clearly stated?
Literature ReviewIs the review logically organized?
Is the majority of the literature of recent?
HypothesesWhat are the hypotheses?
Are they clearly stated?
Are they consistent with discussion in the literature review?
Ethical StandardsWere the participants fully informed about the nature of the research?
How was confidentiality guaranteed?
Operational DefinitionsAre all terms, theories, and concepts used in the study clearly defined?
MethodologyDescribe the instruments used to produce the data.
How was the validity, reliability, consistency of the instruments determined?
Was a pilot study undertaken?
Data Analysis/ResultsWhat 4 statistical procedures were used? What do they do? Which hypotheses did they applied to?
What were the significant findings?
DiscussionAre the findings linked back to the literature review?
How well was each hypothesis supported?
Discuss the limitation of the study regarding generalizability.
What were the recommendations for future research?
ConclusionConsidering all of the evaluation categories, is the research well or poorly researched?
References
Additional Writing Requirements
Writing MechanicsWord document
Name in the filename
Summary and Critique 8 pages total
Use section headings and subheadings
Check Spelling, grammar, and punctuation
No extra words
No contractions
No quotes, do paraphrase
Correct capitalization
No missing words – Read it again.
No run-on sentences
Avoid the use of I, we, me, us
APA StyleTitle page
Headings and subheadings
References and citations
No running head
All pages numbered
Double spaced
1-inch margins, left margin aligned and right margin ragged
Use 12-point Times New Roman font
No bullets
Capitalize reference titles first word, first word after colon, and proper nouns.
Resources:
APA Style
https://www.unm.edu/~unmvclib/cascade/handouts/critiquingresearchpart1.pdf