Research Critique Template: Nursing & Health Sciences Study, Singapore

Research Critique Template

School of Health Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Instructions to Students:

• Critique the different parts of the paper using the guiding questions. Your critique should be in the form of an essay.
• In your final submission, please delete the instructions and guiding questions (i.e., everything in blue).
• To avoid losing your hard work, always work on an ONLINE copy of the assignment. Requests for extensions due to hardware issues may not be entertained.

Part 1: Article Information

• Title: Is the title clear, accurate, and unambiguous? Is it of appropriate length? Does it include elements of PICO? If yes, what are they?
• Abstract: Does the abstract offer a clear overview of the study, including the research problem, sample, methodology, findings, and recommendations? Is it clearly presented and well-organized?

Part 2: Introduction to Article

• Background Introduction: Does the introduction provide enough information about the research topic? Are statistics provided to support the rationale?
• Rationale: Is the rationale clearly linked to the research topic? Is it strongly supported (e.g., does it fill a research gap or address inconsistent results)?

Part 3: Designing the Research I

• Aim or Purpose: Is it clearly stated and relevant to nursing practice or research?
• Hypotheses or Research Questions: What are they? If not clearly stated, what can be inferred? Does the study examine differences or relationships between variables?

Part 4: Designing the Research II

• Variables: Are independent and dependent variables clearly stated? Are their measurements clearly described?
• Research Design: Is it clearly identified and appropriate for the study question? What are its strengths and limitations?

Part 5: Methodology I

• Sampling Methods: Has the target population been identified? Is the method appropriate? What are its strengths and limitations?
• Sample Size: Is it large enough to represent the population? Is a rationale for the size provided (e.g., calculations)?
• Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Are they clearly defined? Why are these criteria important?

Part 6: Methodology II

• Ethics Procedure: Were participants informed, and was their autonomy guaranteed? Was ethical approval granted?

Part 7: Methodology III

• Data Collection Instruments: Are they identified and described? Were reliability and validity discussed?
• Data Collection Procedure: Were steps logical and detailed? Why is this important?

Part 8: Discussion/Conclusion

• Limitations: Were they discussed? Were recommendations made for further research?

Word Count: Keep your word count within the range of 900–1100 words. Two marks will be deducted for every 100 words outside this range.

References: Must include at least three journal articles, with corresponding in-text citations.