Ashford University Sociology Academic Research Article Critique Paper

Academic Research Article Critique

Reading and critically analyzing academic research in journal articles is an important part of learning and applying scholarly research for multiple applications within your discipline. The first four weeks of this course discussed the various components of research design. Your final assignment is an academic research-article critique. The purpose of this critique is to ensure that you know how to read and critically assess research for use in your own research, understand social problems in society, support decision making in public policy, or to influence one’s own individual research.

For this final assignment, read and critically review one of the journal articles listed below:

“Military Service and Lifetime Arrests: Examining the Effects of the Total Military Experience on Arrests in a Sample of Prison Inmates”Links to an external site.

Next, apply the methods detailed in Using a Scientific Journal Article to Write a Critical ReviewLinks to an external site. to critique the article you selected. At a minimum, the critique should include the following information:

Introduction (two pages): Summarize the article you chose, including the purpose of the study, the methodology utilized, the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn by the author(s) utilizing questions posed in the reading. Utilize questions posed in the “Analyze the Text” section of Using a Scientific Journal Article to Write a Critical ReviewLinks to an external site. to develop this section.

• Body (five pages): Highlight the quality of the research article (both the strengths and weaknesses) as expressed through each section of the paper (i.e., introduction, methods, results, discussion, overview). Use questions posed in the “Evaluate the Text” section of “Using a Scientific Journal Article to Write a Critical ReviewLinks to an external site.” to develop this section. Follow the “Evaluate the Text” prompts and include the following:

Critique whether the researcher used the appropriate and ethical application of research methods in relation to their research goals.

Assess whether the application of quantitative methods approaches, qualitative methods approaches or a combination (mixed methods) was appropriate in the article research.

Interpret data and empirical findings in the research through an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses.

Examine the role of the research design in the article by defending or critiquing the research method based on your assessment.

Support the impact of the research by determining if it benefits social policy, theoretical knowledge, or both.

• Conclusion (three pages): Discuss the significance of the research. Utilize questions posed in the “Establish the Significance of the Research” section of Using a Scientific Journal Article to Write a Critical ReviewLinks to an external site. to develop this section.