Common Course Assignments: Critique/Analysis

After each summary, your annotations should include a critique or analysis of each source. In this section, you will want to focus on the strengths of the article or the study (the things that would make your reader want to read this source), but do not be afraid to address any deficiencies or areas that need improvement. The idea of a critique is that you act as a critic—addressing both the good and the bad.

In your critique/analysis, you will want to answer some or all of the following questions (taken from the KAM Guidebook):

• Was the research question well framed and significant?
• How well did the authors relate the research question to the existing body of knowledge?
• Did the article make an original contribution to the existing body of knowledge?
• Was the theoretical framework for the study adequate and appropriate?
• Has the researcher communicated clearly and fully?
• Was the research method appropriate?
• Is there a better way to find answers to the research question?
• Was the sample size sufficient?
• Were there adequate controls for researcher bias?
• Is the research replicable?
• What were the limitations in this study?
• How generalizable are the findings?
• Are the conclusions justified by the results?
• Did the writer take into account differing social and cultural contexts?