Research Article Review 1 – Title, Abstract, Introduction, and Literature Review

Prepare a review of the title, abstract, introduction, and literature review sections of a research article. Your review should demonstrate your understanding of the research process. A list of suitable review articles will be provided from which you may choose the subject of your review. Further details will be provided in the assignment instructions.

Choose one of the articles listed below for your review. Note that all are published in volume 33 of Library and Information Science Review, and all are available online through Science Direct at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/07408188 (Links to an external site.)

Connaway, L. S., Dickey, T. J., & Radford, M. L. (2011). “If it’s too inconvenient I’m not going after it:” Convenience as a critical factor in information seeking behaviors. Library & Information Science Research, 33, 179-190.

Luo, L. (2011). Fusing research into practice: The role of research methods education. Library & Information Science Research, 33, 191-201.

Chu, S. K. W., Tse, S. K., Loh, E. K. Y., & Chow, K. (2011). Collaborative inquiry project-based learning: Effects on reading ability and interests. Library & Information Science Research, 33, 236-243.

(APA note: This journal uses volume pagination, so different issues within the volume simply pick up where the previous issue left off. Although this is issue three, its pages run from 177 to 258, therefore there is no need to include the issue number in the citation.)

Remember in part I you’re only looking at the title, abstract, introduction, and the literature review. You will look at the remaining sections in part 2.

Your task is to examine the article and comment on how well each section fulfills its task. Does the title communicate the content of the article? Does the abstract really give the essence of the article in miniature? Does the introduction give you enough context to understand the need for the study and the importance of this particular study? Does the literature review situate this research firmly within the context of previous research? Is there enough for you to understand what is going on and where this particular study will fit?

You should take advantage of the Pyrczak questions, although note that not every question will be appropriate to your chosen study, nor should you necessarily attempt to answer every question. However, the questions do serve to give you plenty to think about as you consider your article. You should also take into account what you’ve learned from the Beck and Manuel chapters we’ve read, as well as the discussions we had in class.

Your review should be in the form of an essay, so you must compose your review in paragraphs. You should not lay this out in a question/answer format. The questions are simply prompts to help you evaluate your article. You should use headings such as Title, Abstract, Introduction, and Literature Review, to distinguish the appropriate sections, and you should address these in order. Your essay should be between two and three pages long, 12 point, double spaced type with 1-inch margins. Please make sure you include your name on your essay – not just in the file name you submit to Canvas.

Research Article Review 2 – Method, Findings, Discussion & Conclusion (12 points)

Using the same article as in Evaluation 2, prepare a review of the method, findings, discussion, and conclusion sections of your research article. Again, your review should demonstrate understanding of the research process.

You should use the same article for this assignment as you used for part 1.

In this assignment you’re looking at the method section, the findings/results section, the discussion section, including any limitations of the study, and the conclusion.

Again, your task is to examine the article and comment on how well each section fulfills its task. Do the methods proposed sound reasonable to answer the questions raised or to discover what the researcher is looking for? Are the results reported clearly and concisely? Does the discussion place these findings within the context of previous research and endeavor to explain any patterns or anomalies within them? Does the conclusion follow from the other sections? Does it suggest a way forward?

You should take full advantage of the Pyrczak questions, although note that not every question will be appropriate to your chosen study, nor should you necessarily attempt to answer every question. However, the questions do serve to give you plenty to think about as you consider your article. You should also take into account what you’ve learned from the Beck and Manuel chapters we’ve read, as well as the discussions we had in class.

Your review should be in the form of an essay, so you must compose your review in paragraphs. You should not lay this out in a question/answer format. The questions are simply prompts to help you evaluate your article. You should use headings such as Method, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion, to distinguish the appropriate sections, and you should address these in order. Your essay should be between two and three pages long, 12 point, double spaced type with 1 inch margins. Please make sure you include your name on your essay – not just in the file name you submit to Canvas.