Microsoft Word - Journal Critique.docx
• Journal Critique
You will write a journal critique on a article about one psychological disorder of your choice: Schizophrenia (considered
the cancer of mental disorders), Anxiety (the most common mental disorder of the United States), Depressive Disorder
(Mood disorder), Bipolar (Manic episodes), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (thoughts and actions like handwashing),
Personality Disorder (Narcisstic) and Dissocative Identity Disorder (Alters). This should be no more than 3 pages not
including the Cover and Reference page The article has to be less than 10 years old. Here are all the parts that should be
included in the critique:
Introduction: to educate the reader on the topic/concept):
•
o will define topic, other key terms, symptoms, statistics of occu
ence and
cu
ent information in the field
o Main body: to explain the research conducted in the article, will state what you found in the
journal article
HYPOTHESIS:
• What were the researchers trying to discover (i.e. what was the hypothesis or purpose)?
• This is usually found at the beginning of the article. Usually the hypothesis or statement of a
problem appears at the end of the review of the literature, most often in the last or next to last
paragraph. The words that indicate that it is a hypothesis are, "We will examine. . ." or
"Our hypothesis is . . ." In a statement of a problem, the researcher may say, "We plan to see if a
elationship...," "We proposed to observe...," or "The problem we proposed to study..." (You
must use your own words—do NOT use quotes).
METHODOLOGY:
• How was the research conducted (research design or type of study)?
• Is the research descriptive (case study, naturalistic observation, laboratory observations,
surveys, tests), co
elation, experimental, or developmental? For more information on
esearch methods, refer to chapter 1 of your text.
• When and where the research was conducted?
• How long did the study take?
• Who were the participants? (number [N], age, sex, criteria to be a part of study)?
RESULTS/DISCUSSION:
• What did the researchers actually find in relation to their hypothesis/purpose?
• ARTICLE MAY STATE: The researchers found that . . .
• What limitations did the researchers reveal?
o Summary/Conclusion: to show critical thinking in regards to the research)
§ How does the information in the article integrate with
information from class discussion, the text, and/or other
information in the discipline?
§ TIP: It is a
good idea to
use the subject
index in your
text to look up
the topic in
your text.
§ What is your opinion of the research findings?
§ EXAMPLE:
was this
esearch well
done or not
and why?
§ Why is this topic
esearch important? (relevance
enefits
to community and/or society)
§ EXAMPLE: A
conclusion to
a study that
suggests a
new
therapy/treat
ment for
children with
ADHD might
help the child
struggling to
perform
successfully
in school,
which then
improves her
confidence,
her
elationship
with her
parents,
siblings, and
classmates.
Write about
the
implications
of this new
treatment.
§ In what ways does this topic relate to your own personal
experience and how is your experience in agreement or
disagreement with the outcome of this study?
§ How has your opinion of this topic changed since your
eview of the study?