Reading and analyzing the scientific assignment is an exacting task that requires maximum knowledge, effort, skills, and excellence. Inexperienced learners, who have never had an opportunity to accomplish a similar task before, may have significant issues with the task. So, do you have little idea on how to critically analyse a scientific paper?
Start with the basics, trying to understand the main aspects of the problem. The most common mistake learners make is trying to read the scholarly work as a usual textbook, evaluating its structure, logic of the information presented, and similar items. Anyway, this is a completely different assignment that requires much deeper analysis.
Considering a research paper or other kinds of academic works, the student should be aware of other aspects of the question. Investigate the field, learn valuable data on the topic and discover other elements of the theme that may help you stay critical, making reasonable conclusions.
At the same time, it is necessary to mention that the knowledge of the subject, as well as impeccable writing skills, will not help you succeed with the assignment. Instead, the student should be aware of the main criteria that will determine whether the research paper is worth attention to or not.
How to Critically Analyse a Research Paper: Factors to Be Taken into Account
Writing an academic essay is complicated, but analyzing the already created research paper is a much more responsible and demanding task. College students who have never had a chance to estimate and evaluate scholarly work should investigate the key rules on how to critically analyse a journal article or research paper. Check out the main elements you should pay attention to as you look through the academic writing:- research question;
- sample;
- research designs;
- data analysis;
- consistency and coherence of the paper;
- relevance and credibility to conclusions;
- ethics.
How to Critically Evaluate a Research Paper: Issues to Mind before the Experience
First of all, the student working on the research paper analysis should acknowledge the meaning behind the task. In fact, to be critical has nothing in common with criticism or other negative connotations. Instead, this phrase is related to a clear and reasonable analysis of some aspects of the paper and an ability to estimate them.
Additionally, the learner should realize that assessing the text, one should highlight both strong and weak parts of the text. To accomplish this task, the student should know the basic criteria of the paper estimation. Moreover, it is critical to understand the aim of the writing, the type of information used in the paper, as well as other aspects that may help you succeed with the task, evaluating the research paper properly, and following all the specifications.
What should the student bear in mind before the experience? How is it possible to be ready for the process?
- Skim the paper to get an idea of its structure and peculiarities.
- Read the work to grasp the main idea.
- Come up with several questions that can be asked before, during, and after reading the paper.
- Draw attention to the most important parts of the text.
- Take notes so that you miss none of the critical points.
Critical Analysis of Research Paper Checklist
Have you got the task to analyze the research paper? Have you already accomplished the task? Finally, it is time to double-check the quality of the assignment completion. Look through the checklist mentioned below to get a better understanding of how to do a critical analysis and what parts to include.
- Abstract. Does the paper contain the thesis statement and the purpose of writing? Has the writer included a description of specific materials and processes used during the research? Have you got an accurate explanation of the analytical methodology of the paper?
- Introduction. Can the readers acknowledge the framework of the research?
- Literature Review. Has the writer provided the folks with background information? Do you understand the purpose of the study?
- Method. Are the methods used in the paper replicable?
- Results. Is there a coherent and logical explanation of the study results?
- Discussion. Is the research question answered? Has the writer supported or rejected the hypotheses?
- References. Have you included all the references in the text?