Does the title clearly tell you what the research is about

Guide to Qualitative Research Critique

There are lots of research out there. Some of the research is good and some not so good. The areas below should be a guide for you as you are evaluating quantitative research to help you determine if the research was done in a valid, non-partisan way which adds to the body of nursing practice or knowledge. Each of the following sections should have a brief discussion and examples from the research article as appropriate to support your evaluation of that section. Each section does not have to be addressed in the research article to make it good research but the preponderance of the evidence from the article, based on the following analysis, should be evident in the article. Generally a research critique is about 2-3 pages with each section of the analysis clearly identified (by headings) and discussion.

Topic/ Heading	Discussion to include in your analysis of the article
Introduction	Here state in 200 words or less the name and author (s) of the article, what the purpose of the study, and what your paper will discuss
Article Title	Does the title clearly tell you what the research is about
Authors Credentials	What are the credentials of the authors: What does it tell you about their research experience? Does the authors have a background in the subject area?
In your own words state the purpose of the study	Is the purpose clear? Relevant to your practice? Was there a need for the study? Will the study improve nursing practice and / or add to the body of nursing knowledge?
Literature Review	Does the literature review appear comprehensive in nature? Is the literature review current ( consider the date the article was published- as a general rule literature should be no more than 5-7years old from the time the article was written. Does the literature review align with the philosophical underpinnings of the study?
Theory, framework concepts and the relationship to nursing	Is there an identified theoretical basis or concepts/ model used to help develop the research? If so it clearly stated? Is there a clear link between the research question/ purpose and the theoretical / conceptual framework?
Research design	Is the research design clearly stated? Is the rationale for the methods approach clearly stated? Does it appear to align with the philosophical underpinnings of the study?
Sample	Was the size/ description of the sample stated? Was there a description of how the sample was identified and recruited? Was the sample appropriate to represent the population of the study?
Ethics	Was human rights protected? Did the study identify IRB clearance?
Data collection	How was the data collected? Was the method/ strategies of data collection clearly described? Is there a description of methods to ensure consistency of data collection across subjects? Does data collection methods appear appropriate for the purpose of the study?
Data Analysis	Was the data analysis procedures clearly stated and discussed? Does it appear appropriate for the study? Does it appear the researchers followed the steps identified to conduct the data analysis? Is there a method to control for biases?
Rigor	Does the researcher discuss how rigor was assured? Was credibility, dependability, transferability and goodness discussed?
Conclusions and Recommendation	Does the authors summarize the research, identify strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for future study? Was the purpose of the study adequately addressed? Was the results placed In the context of what is already known about the phenomena studied in this research?
Your conclusions	After you have reviewed and discussed the above steps, what is your conclusions about the appropriateness and usefulness of the article? Can you use the information in your practice? If so how?