The document discusses the process of critiquing research. It defines research critique as a systematic, unbiased examination of all aspects of a study to evaluate its merits, limitations, meaning, and significance. The purposes of critique include assessing methodological skills, helping journal editors, guiding researchers, and advancing nursing knowledge. Elements of critique include substantive, methodological, ethical, interpretive, and presentation dimensions. General guidelines are to read the entire study critically and objectively, comment on strengths and weaknesses with specific examples, and suggest alternatives. The document provides detailed criteria for critiquing various parts of a study, including the introduction, problem statement, literature review, methodology, sample, instruments, data analysis, results, and conclusions. It

1. CRITIQUING RESEARCH
Prof.Dr.Chinna Chadayan.N
RN.RM., B.Sc (N)., M.Sc (N)., Ph.D (N).,
Professor,
Adult and Elderly Health Nursing Department,
Enam Nursing College – Savar,
Bangladesh.
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2. WHAT IS RESEARCH CRITIQUE?
• A critical evaluation / appraisal of a research report
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3. RESEARCH CRITIQUE – DEFINITION
• “Systematic, unbiased, careful examination of all aspects
of a study to judge the merits, limitations, meaning and
significance based on previous research experience and
knowledge of the topic” - Burns, N. & Grove, S., 2005
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4. RESEARCH CRITIQUE …
• Requires
 • critical thinking,
• appraisal &
• intellectual skill
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5. Importance of research critique
 • To broaden understanding for use in practice.
 • For implementing an evidence-based nursing practice.
 • Encourages nurses to participate in clinical inquiry and
provide evidence for use in practice.
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6. PURPOSES OF CRITIQUE
To assess students’ methodological and analytical skills
(identify limitations & strengths).
 Seasoned researcher to help journal editions
 Written critique is a guide to researcher
 To advance nursing knowledge & profession
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7. APPROACHES FOR CRITIQUING
Principles
 Be objective: make comments specific to the work you
are reviewing
 Be constructive: Critique should be an advisory and
constructive nature
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8. CRITIQUE PROCESS
Comprehension
Comparison
Analysis
Evaluation
Conceptual clustering
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9. GENERAL GUIDELINES
Read & critique the entire study
Be objective & realistic
Comment on strengths and weakness
Give specific examples
Suggest alternatives
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10. GENERAL GUIDELINES
Use positive terms whenever possible and say the positive
points first
Avoid vague generalizations of praise and fault findings
Be sensitive in handling negative comments
Evaluate substantive, ethical, methodologic, interpretative
& presentational dimensions
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11. INITIAL CRITIQUE
  What type of study was conducted?
 What was the setting?
  Were the steps clearly identified?
 Was there a logical flow?
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12. ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH CRITIQUE
  Substantive & theoretical dimensions
  Methodologic dimensions
  Ethical dimensions
  Interpretive dimensions
  Presentation / stylistic dimensions
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13. CRITERIA: INTRODUCTION
o  Is the purpose of the study presented?
o  Is the significance (importance) of the problem
discussed?
o  Does the investigator provide a sense of what he or
she is doing and why?
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14. Critique: PROBLEM STATEMENT
  Is the problem statement clear?
 Does the investigator identify key research questions
and variables to be examined?
  Does the study have the potential to help solve a
problem that is currently faced in clinical practice?
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15. Critique: LITERATURE REVIEW
  Does literature review follow a logical sequence
leading to a critical review of supporting and conflicting
prior work?
  Is the relationship of the study to previous research
clear?
  Does the investigator describe gaps in the literature
and support the necessity of the present study?
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16. Critique: Theoretical/Conceptual Framework:
•  Check if conceptual framework described?
•  If not, does it detract from the research?
•  Are the concepts to be studied identified and defined?
•  Are measures for each of the concepts identified and
described?
•  Does the research problem flow naturally from the
conceptual framework?
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17. Critique:
RESEARCH QUESTIONS/HYPOTHESES
 Are research questions or hypotheses formally stated?
 Do the research questions and hypotheses naturally flow from
the research problem and theoretical framework?
 Does each research question or hypothesis contain at least two
variables?
Are the research questions or hypotheses worded clearly and
objectively?
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18. Critique: METHODOLOGY
  Are the relevant variables and concepts clearly and operationally
defined?
  Is the design appropriate for the research questions or hypotheses?
  Are methods of data collection sufficiently described?
  What are the identified and potential threats to internal and
external validity that were present in the study?
  If there was more than one data collector, was the inter-rater
reliability adequate?
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19. Critique: SAMPLE
Are the subjects and sampling methods described?
Is the sample of sufficient size for the study, given the
number of variables and design?
Is there adequate assurance that the rights of human
subjects were protected?
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20. Critique: INSTRUMENTS
Are appropriate instruments for data collection used?
 Are reliability and validity of the instruments adequate?
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21. Critique: DATAANALYSIS
Are the statistical tests used identified and the values
reported?
Are appropriate statistics used, according to level of
measurement, sample size, sampling method, and
hypotheses / research questions?
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22. Critique: RESULTS
 Are the results for each hypothesis clearly and objectively
presented?
 Do the figures and tables illuminate the presentation of results?
 Are results described in light of the theoretical framework and
supporting literature?
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23. Critique:
Conclusions / discussion
 Are conclusions based on the results and related to the
hypotheses?
Are study limitations identified?
 Are generalizations made within the scope of the
findings?
Are implications of findings discussed (i.e., for practice,
education and research)?
 Are recommendations for further research stated?
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24. Critique:
RESEARCH UTILIZATION IMPLICATIONS
 Is the study of sufficient quality to meet the criterion of
scientific merit?
 Does the study meet the criterion of replicability?
 Is the study of relevance to practice?
 Is the study feasible for nurses to implement?
 Do the benefits of the study outweigh the risks?
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25. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH EVALUATION
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26. STATEMENT OF THE
PHENOMENON OF INTEREST
 Is the phenomenon of interest clearly identified?
 Has the researcher identified why the phenomenon
requires a qualitative format?
 Has the research described the philosophic
underpinnings of the research?
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27. PURPOSE
  Has the research made explicit the purpose of
conducting the research?
 Does the researcher describe the projected significance
of the work to nursing?
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28. METHOD
  Is the method used to collect data compatible with the
purpose of the research?
 Is the method adequate to address the phenomenon of
interest?
  If a particular approach is used to guide the inquiry,
does the researcher complete the study according to the
processes described?
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29. SAMPLING
  Does the researcher describe the selection of
participants? Is purposive sampling used?
 Are the informants who were chosen appropriate for
research?
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30. DATA COLLECTION
 Is data collection focused on human experience?
 Does the researcher describe data collection strategies
(i.e. interview, observation, field notes)?
 Is protection of human participants addressed?
 Is saturation of the data described?
 Has the researcher made explicit the procedures for
collecting data ?
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31. DATAANALYSIS
  Does the researcher describe the strategies used to
analyze the data?
  Has the researcher remained true to the data?
  Does the reader understand the procedures used to
analyze the data?
 Does researcher address the credibility, auditability,
and fittingness of the data?
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32. DATAANALYSIS
 Credibility
  Do the participants recognize the experience as their own?
 Auditability
 Can the reader follow the researcher’s thinking?
 Does the researcher document the research process?
 Fittingness
 Can the findings be applicable outside the study situation?
 Are the results meaningful to individuals not involved in the research?
 Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the
study?
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33. FINDINGS
  Are the findings presented within a context?
  Is the reader able to grasp the essence of the
experience from the report of the findings?
  Are the researcher’s conceptualization true to the
data?  Does the researcher place the report in the
context of what already is known about the
phenomenon?
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34. CONCLUSION, IMPLICATION &
RECOMMENDATIONS
  Do the conclusions, implications and recommendations
give the reader a context in which to use the findings?
  Do the conclusions reflect the study findings?
  Does the researcher offer recommendations for future
study?
  Has the researcher made explicit the significance of the
study to nursing?
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35. STYLES IN WRITING
More formal, impersonal fashion and use passive voice
Make concluding evaluation statement as to the overall worth and
relevance of the study
Research is the best possible means of answering many questions, no
single study can provide conclusive evidence
Evidence is accumulated through the conduct & evaluation of several
studies
 Reader who can do reflective and thorough critiques of research
reports play a role in advancing nursing knowledge
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36. IN CONCLUSION…..
A word about your style:
let your presentation be well reasoned and objective.
If you passionately disagree (or agree) with the
author, let your passion inspire you to new heights of
thorough research and reasoned argument.
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