critically reading a paper

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Psychological Research in Practice (PRIP - 7PS065)

Week 2 - Critically Reading Journal Articles

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Overview

• The why of critical reading• The how of critical reading

– Understand the Structure of a Journal Article– Scan and skim read the article– Take Notes, Check References and Clarify Any

Misconceptions– Try to Answer Key Questions

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The why of critical reading

• When studying psychology you will need to read articles published in academic and professional journals.

• You might read these articles as part of a literature review for a paper you are writing, or as a critique of an article.

• However for this module, you will need to understand a wide range of research methodologies in order to select the one that is most appropriate for your research question.

• It is therefore essential that you understand what you are reading and find ways to then summarize the content in a manner in which you will understand the content.

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The how of critical reading

Although research articles can be complex, if you utilizea few simple tactics it can make the process mucheasier:

1. Understand the structure of a journal article

2. Scan and skim read the article

3. Take notes, check references & clarify any

misconceptions

4. Try to answer key questions

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Understand the Structure of a Journal Article

Most articles follow a fairly standardized format that conforms to

guidelines established by the American Psychological Association

(APA). Let’s go through the structure:

Abstract• This short paragraph-long section provides a brief overview of the

article of what was done, why and what was found and concluded. • Reading the abstract is the best way to get an idea of the content

of the paper. • It also enables you to decide if the article is relevant to your topic

of interest.

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Introduction • The second section of the article introduces the

research question and reviews previous research and literature on the topic.

• This part of the paper will help you better understand the background of the research

• It will allow you to understand what has previously been found regarding the topic area providing a greater understanding of question at hand.

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Method SectionThis part of the paper provides details about how the research was conducted. Hereyou will find the following sub-sections:

Design • It will formally state and describe the design of the study (experiment, longitudinal,

etc.) and the variables of interest (IVs, DVs). • Include information about how the data were generated (i.e. focus group, interview

etc.) and a clear introduction to the analytic approach used

Participants• Here there will be information on the number of participants in the study, summary

details of any relevant characteristics and how they were sampled.

Apparatus/Materials• Details of the materials used and how were they devised will be included.

Procedure• This will describe how exactly the study was carried out including details of

informed consent, debriefing, etc.

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Results/ Analysis Section• This section will include the statistical analysis and detail what

researchers found.• Tables and figures may be included in this section• Analytic themes will be outlined, supported by quotes in data

Discussion Section• In this section, the researchers will interpret what the results

actually mean• They may include limitations of the work and outline implications for

future research that should be conducted.

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References Section• This section lists all articles and other sources

(books, websites, etc.) cited within the article.

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Scan and Skim Read the Article

• Once you’ve understood the basic structure of the article, your first step should be to briefly skim through the paper.

• Do not attempt an in-depth reading of a paper before you have skimmed over it. Doing so may cost you valuable time if you realise the paper was not exactly what you were looking for/ interested in.

• Skimming can allow you to become familiar with the topic quickly.

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Take Notes, Check References & Clarify any Misconceptions

• Once you have determined that the paper is relevant and appropriate for your research topic your next step should be to carefully read through each section.

• Take notes of important points, including any terminology or concepts that you do not understand.

• Once you’ve read the entire article, look up the information that you didn’t understand using another source such as a dictionary, textbook, or online resource.

• You should then go back to the text and re-read the paper. At this point it also makes sense to take notes of who the author(s) have made reference to.

• You might find research on the topic area in which you are interested which may further source your own paper, so check the reference section too if need be.

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Try to Answer Key QuestionsRegardless of the reason for reading the article (for support ofyour own research hypothesis, analysing the article, orcritiquing the research methods or findings) there are severalimportant questions that you should aim to answer as you read thepaper:

• What is the main hypothesis?

• Why is the research important?

• How is it different from previous research?

• What measurements and procedures were employed? Could an alternative have been utilised?

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Try to Answer Key Questions

• What were the variables in the study?

• What were the key findings?

• What are the drawbacks of the research?

• Have any future research implications been suggested? How could I address these in my own research?

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Critical Reading (Four example studies)

• Now that you have learned some tips about critically reviewing a paper, you’re job is now to critically read the following 5 articles and decide which to focus your research on or whether you would like to form a group with other students on the module that will look at a different topic.

• It is your choice what you choose to investigate but you must provide a good rationale for studying the topic and form a good research question and hypothesis with the others in your group:

1. Van Strien, J.W., & Van Beek, S. (2000). Ratings of Emotion in Laterally Presented Faces: Sex and Handedness Effects. Brain and Cognition, 44, 645–652.

2. Ludwig, A.B., Borella, E., Tettamanti, M. & de Ribaupierre, A. (2010). Adult age differences in the color stroop test: A comparison between an item-by-item and a blocked version. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 8, 135-142.

3. Novelli, D., Drury, J. & Reicher, S. (2010).Come together: Two studies concerning the impact of group relations on ‘personal space’. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49, 223-236.

4. Crossley, M. (2003). ‘Would you consider yourself a healthy person?’: Using focus groups to explore health as a moral phenomenon. Journal of Health Psychology, 8, 501-514.

critically reading a paper

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