Critique assignment

ARTICLE CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT

The Article Critique assignment should be completed using the outline below. Download the file named “Template for Article Critique Assignment” and type your answers into that Word document. All of the outline numbers and headings in your assignment should be exactly the same as in the template and as shown in the Example Article Critique.

The assignment should include the cover page included in the template. Include your name and section number for the course and the article citation

Save the file as a Word document named “LASTNAME Article Critique” and email by the due date and time to berkman@fordham.edu.

The assignment should be a maximum of two single-spaced pages (not counting the title page. Additional pages will not be read. Use 1” margins and size 12 font.

When completing this assignment:
• Do NOT provide definitions of the terms you use. For example, if a systematic random sampling plan was used, just state that this was the sampling plan without giving a definition of what a systematic random sampling plan is.
• Do NOT quote from Rubin & Babbie or any other sources on research methods when stating the strengths and weaknesses of the methods. Instead, use your own words to answer these questions.
You do not need to write in full sentences. A short answer is fine. All of your responses should be very clear. Please see the example on the last page.

This is an “open-book” assignment. You may consult the text and any other written sources in a book, article, or online.

Do not cite any sources in this assignment. There should be no in-text citations or reference list.

Please note that there are no revisions and resubmissions allowed for this assignment.

The article to use for this assignment is posted in Files. The citation is:
Stein, G. L., Berkman, C., O’Mahony, S., Godfrey, D., Javier, N. M., & Maingi, S. (2020). Experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients and families in hospice and palliative care: Perspectives of the palliative care team. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 23(6). https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2019.0542

Grading Rubric

Not Competent
F Developing Competency
C or C+ Competent
B- to B+ Advanced Competence
A- or A
Less than half of the questions are answered correctly. Answers to the questions about strengths and weaknesses demonstrate a poor understanding of research methods. About half of the questions are answered correctly. Answers to the questions about strengths and weaknesses demonstrate a weak understanding of research methods. A large majority of the questions are answered correctly. Answers to the questions about strengths and weaknesses demonstrate a good to very good understanding of research methods. All or almost all of the questions are answered correctly. Answers to the questions about strengths and weaknesses demonstrate an excellent understanding of research methods.

The questions to be answered are on the following page. Do not use this document to create the Word document with your assignment. Use the template that is in a separate Word document to create your assignment.

1. List the study aim(s).

2. Study Design
a. Name the study design:
b. Briefly describe the study design (including the intervention, if any) (maximum of 1 or 2 sentences):
c. Strengths (including how threats to internal validity were addressed):
d. Weaknesses (including threats to internal validity that are relevant for this study and how they may affect findings):

3. Sample
a. What is the target population?
b. What is the study population?
i. Was study population appropriate? Why or why not?
c. What is the sample size?
d. Eligibility criteria:
i. What were the inclusion criteria, if any?
ii. What were the exclusion criteria, if any?
e. What sampling frame, if any, was used?
i. What were the strengths and limitations of the sampling frame?
f. Was a probability or nonprobabilty sampling plan used?
g. What is the specific name of the sampling plan that was used (e.g., systematic random sample).
h. What is the response rate? If the response rate was not provided, state that.
i. Strengths (how threats to external validity were addressed):
j. Weaknesses: (threats to external validity that were not addressed and how this might affect generalizability of the findings to the target population?

4. Measures
a. List the independent variable(s) in this study.
b. Give the operational definition for one of the independent variables.
c. List the dependent variable(s) in this study.
d. Give the operational definition for one of the dependent variables.
e. List the other variables in this study.
f. Based on the study aims, what are the strengths of the measures in this study? This may include the choice of measures and/or how the measures were operationalized.
g. Based on the study aims, what are the weaknesses of measures in this study? This may include the choice of measures and/or how the measures were operationalized.

5. Data collection methods
a. How were the data collected?
b. Based on the study aims, what are the strengths of how the data were collected?
c. Based on the study aims, what are the weaknesses of how the data were collected?