A research critique demonstrates your ability to critically read an investigative study. For this assignment, choose a research article related to nursing.

• Articles used for this assignment cannot be used for the other assignments (students should find new research articles for each new assignment).
• The selected articles should be original research articles. Review articles, concept analysis, meta-analysis, meta-synthesis, integrative review, and systemic review should not be used.
• Mixed-methods studies should not be used.
• Dissertations should not be used.

Your critique should include the following:

Research Problem/Purpose

• State the problem clearly as it is presented in the report.
• Have the investigators placed the study problem within the context of existing knowledge?
• Will the study solve a problem relevant to nursing?
• State the purpose of the research.

Review of the Literature

• Identify the concepts explored in the literature review.
• Were the references current? If not, what do you think the reasons are?
• Was there evidence of reflexivity in the design (qualitative)? 

Theoretical Framework

• Are the theoretical concepts defined and related to the research?
• Does the research draw solely on nursing theory or does it draw on theory from other disciplines?
• Is a theoretical framework stated in this research piece?
• If not, suggest one that might be suitable for the study.

Variables/Hypotheses/Questions/Assumptions (Quantitative)

• What are the independent and dependent variables in this study?
• Are the operational definitions of the variables given? If so, are they concrete and measurable?
• Is the research question or the hypothesis stated? What is it?

Conceptual Underpinnings, Research Questions (Qualitative)

• Are key concepts defined conceptually?
• Is the philoosoophical basis, underlying tradition, conoceptual framework, or ideological orientation made explicit and is it appropriate for the problem?
• Are research questions explicitly stated? Are the questions consistent with the study’s philosophical basis, underlying tradition, conceptual framework, or ideological orientation?

Methodology

• What type of design (quantitative, qualitative, and type) was used in this study?
• Was inductive or deductive reasoning used in this study?
• State the sample size and study population, sampling method, and study setting.
• Did the investigator choose a probability or non-probability sample?
• State the type of reliability and the validity of the measurement tools (quantitative only)

Qualitative studies (answer the following questions in addition to those above except the last bulleted item)

• Were the methods of gathering data appropriate?
• Were data gathered through two or more methods to achieve triangulation?
• Did the researcher ask the right questions or make the right observations and were they recorded in an appropriate fashion?
• Was a sufficient amount of data gathered?
• Was the data of sufficient depth and richness?

Were ethical considerations addressed? Were appropriate procedures used to safeguard the rights of study participants?

Data Analysis

• What data analysis tool was used?
• Was saturation achieved? (qualitative)
• How were the results presented in the study?
• Were the data management (e.g., coding) and data analysis methods sufficiently described? (qualitative)
• Identify at least one (1) finding.

Summary/Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations

• Do the themes adequately capture the meaning of the data?
• Did the analysis yield an insightful, provocative and meaningful picture of the phenomenon under investigation?
• Were methods used to enhance the trustworthiness of the data (and analysis) and was the description of those methods adequate?
• Are there clear explanation of the boundaries/limitations, thick description, audit trail?
• What are the strengths and limitations of the study?
• In terms of the findings, can the researcher generalize to other populations? Explain.
• Evaluate the findings and conclusions as to their significance for nursing (both qualitative and quantitative).

(  Pay close attention to the questions that pertain to your type of study chosen to critique. Only one study is critiqued; you choose, either quantitative OR qualitative original nursing research studies (no mixed studies, no literature reviews, no dissertations), published within the last 5 years. If you forget what a term means, consult the glossary of your textbook and consult the index of your textbook to help you determine whether the finding is a strength or weakness/limitation.  If you have any questions, you may also contact me for clarification.  I also recommend verification of research report articles to be certain you have an appropriate study.  The Librarian or I can verify it is a study that is original or primary single nursing research.  For a video on searching: Searching EBSCO Host ).