THE RESEARCH CRITIQUE

Prepared by Arif Rakhman

Objectives
Background
Purpose of research critiques
Elements of a research critique
Background
Nursing practice can be based on solid
evidence only if research reports are
critically appraised.
Most research has limitations and
weaknesses.
Consumers who can do reflective and
thorough critiques of research reports also
play a role in advancing nursing
knowledge.
Purpose of Research Critiques
To demonstrate the methodologic skills
Plays a role in assembling evidence into
integrative reviews of the literature on a topic
Determine the strengths and limitations of a
piece of research
To develop a balanced evaluation of a studys
contribution to knowledge.
Help to advance a particular area of knowledge.
Reflect a balanced consideration of a studys
validity and significance
Guidelines for the Conduct of a Written
Research Critique
Be sure to comment on the studys strengths as
well as weaknesses. The critique should be a
balanced analysis of the studys worth. All
reports have some positive featuresbe sure to
find and note them.
Give specific examples of the studys strengths
and limitations. Avoid vague generalizations of
praise and fault finding.
Justify your criticisms. Offer a rationale for your
concerns.
Cont,,,
Be objective. Avoid being overly critical of a study
because you are not interested in the topic or
because your world view is inconsistent with the
underlying paradigm.
Be sensitive in handling negative comments. Put
yourself in the shoes of the researcher receiving the
comments. Do not be condescending or sarcastic.
Dont just identify problemssuggest alternatives,
indicating how a different approach would have
solved a methodologic problem. Make sure the
recommendations are practical.
ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH CRITIQUE
Substantive/theoretical dimensions,
Methodologic dimensions,
Interpretive dimensions,
Ethical dimensions, and
Presentational/stylistic dimensions
Substantive and Theoretical Dimensions
(Box 2 4)
The substantive and theoretical dimensions of a
study are normally communicated in a reports
introduction.
Significance of the problem, the soundness of
the conceptualizations, the appropriateness of
the conceptual framework, philosophical or
theoretical underpinnings, hypotheses and
literature review. Ask?
Researchers must consider how to advance
knowledge on a topic in beneficial ways. Ask?
Methodologic Dimensions (Box 5 16)
How to go about answering the research
questions or testing the hypotheses.
The heart of a research critique lies in the
analysis of the methodologic decisions
adopted.
Focus critical : Quantitative research and
Qualitative research.
Quantitative study -- the 4 major decision points to
focus critical attention are as follows:
Design: What design will yield the most
unambiguous and meaningful results about the
relationship between the independent & dependent
variable? What extraneous variables need to be
controlled, and how best can this be accomplished?
Sample: Who should participate in the study? What
are the characteristics of the population to which the
findings should be generalized? How large should
the sample be, from where should participants be
recruited, and what sampling approach should be
used?
Cont,,,
Data collection: What method should be used
to collect the data? How can the variables be
operationalized and reliably and validly
measured?
Data analysis: What statistical analyses will
provide the most appropriate tests of the
research hypotheses or answers to the research
questions?
Qualitative studies, the major methodologic
decisions to critique are as follows:
Design: Which research tradition best matches
the research question?
Setting and study participants: What setting
will yield the richest information about the
phenomenon under study? Who should
participate, and how can participants be
selected to enhance the studys theoretical
richness? How many participants are needed to
achieve data saturation?
Cont,,,
Data sources: What should the sources of data
be, and how should data be gathered? Should
multiple sources of data (e.g., unstructured
interviews and observations) be used to achieve
method triangulation?
Data analysis: What data analysis techniques
are appropriate for the research tradition?
Quality enhancement: What types of evidence
can be obtained to support the credibility,
transferability, dependability, and confirmability
of the data, the analysis, and the interpretation?
Ethical Dimensions (Box 17)
Inadvertent actions or activities that
researchers did not interpret as creating
an ethical dilemma.
Made a conscious decision that the
violation was modest in relation to the
knowledge that could be gained by doing
the study in a certain way.
Interpretive Dimensions (Box 18)
Research reports usually conclude with a
Discussion, Conclusions, or Implications section.
Attempt to make sense of the analyses, to consider
whether the findings support or fail to support
hypotheses or theory, and to discuss what the
findings imply for nursing.
Wary if a discussion section fails to point out any
study limitations.
To contrast your own interpretation with that of the
researcher and to challenge conclusions that do not
appear to be supported by the results.
Presentational and Stylistic Dimensions
(Box 19)
The writing in a research report should be
clear, grammatical, cogent, concise, and
well organized.
Be alert to indications of overt biases,
unwarranted exaggerations, emotionally
laden comments, or melodramatic
language.
Summary
Research critique is not only to judge the exist
research, but to advance knowledge together
between reviewers and researchers. It is
important to the reviewers whose will conduct
research, because of research critique serve as
an insight to conduct better research. Reviewers
should strive to be as objective as possible and
to indicate the reasoning for the judgments
made.