LibGuides: Reading and Critiquing Research: Resources for Critiquing

Resources for Critiquing

A Critique (or Review) is a judgment about how good the article is according to some standard criteria. It can include interpretation and comparison but it's not a reflection or emotional reaction to the article.

A beginner's guide to appraising a qualitative research paper
Framework for How to Read and Critique a Research Study [pdf]
One page list, in pdf form, of things to look for in a research article. From American Nurses Association
How to read a paper: getting your bearings (deciding what the paper is about)
Mixed methods studies: a guide to critical appraisal.
Reading and critiquing a research article
American Nurses Association article on how to evaluate a research article
Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 1: quantitative research When caring for patients, it is essential that nurses are using the current best practice. To determine what this is, nurses must be able to read research critically. But for many qualified and student nurses, the terminology used in research can be difficult to understand, thus making critical reading even more daunting. It is imperative in nursing that care has its foundations in sound research, and it is essential that all nurses have the ability to critically appraise research to identify what is best practice. This article is a step-by-step approach to critiquing quantitative research to help nurses demystify the process and decode the terminology.
Step-by-step guide to critiquing research. Part 2: qualitative research. As with a quantitative study, critical analysis of a qualitative study involves an in-depth review of how each step of the research was undertaken. Qualitative and quantitative studies are, however, fundamentally different approaches to research and therefore need to be considered differently with regard to critiquing. The different philosophical underpinnings of the various qualitative research methods generate discrete ways of reasoning and distinct terminology; however, there are also many similarities within these methods. Because of this and its subjective nature, qualitative research it is often regarded as more difficult to critique. Nevertheless, an evidenced-based profession such as nursing cannot accept research at face value, and nurses need to be able to determine the strengths and limitations of qualitative as well as quantitative research studies when reviewing the available literature on a topic.

IMRAD

Evaluating information is an important part of the research process. While searching for information you will gather a large amount of materials from many different sources. It is particularly useful when your search retrieves lots of different articles and is a good way of distinguishing which are more relevant to your research question. It is also a useful way of assessing whether the information is at an appropriate level for academic work.

Many health research articles are written following the IMRAD structure. IMRAD is an acronym for Introduction Method Research And Discussion. Questions to consider when appraising/ critiquing articles are:

Introduction: Why was the study undertaken? What was the research question or the purpose of the research? The aims of the research should be clearly identifiable and the introduction should ideally contain evidence of a literature review along with keywords used to find information.

Method: When, where and how was the study done? Who or which patient groups were included in the research? Was a pilot study conducted beforehand to identify potential problems? The idea behind the methods section is that any researcher can replicate the study elsewhere. It should include precise technical specifications of equipment used and the selection criteria of the participants. You may also wish to consider whether a qualitative or quantitative approach is appropriate. If the researcher is trying to discover how people feel then a qualitative approach is suitable. However, if looking at the cause and effect of a particular treatment then a quantitative approach may be preferable.

Also consider:

Sample size. This will affect how reliable and valid the research is. Is the sample big enough? How has it been selected and has the researcher attempted to control any issues which may affect the validity and reliability of the research? Is there any evidence of bias e.g. sponsorship? Has the sample population been randomized?

Response rate. What proportion of the sample responded?

Setting. Do the socioeconomic conditions of a particular geographical area mean that the research is not transferable to other areas? Can the results be generalised to the wider population?

Research: What are the results and do they answer the original research question? Have the results been analysed by more than one person? Are the results clearly presented?

Discussion: What are the implications for the research and is it applicable to your practice and day to day working role? The researcher should also include a discussion about how their research could be improved and any limitations of the research.

Source:

Polit, D., & Beck, C. (2018). Reading and critiquing research articles. In Essentials of nursing research (9th ed., pp. ). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.