Library Guides: ASC321 Research Skills Guide: Evaluate What You Find

Critical Review of Articles

Critically reviewing a research article is not just about summarising the article, but evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the article. It also looks at the value of the research conducted in context of similar research.

The following guides show how to structure and write a critical review:

Critiquing research articles - a pdf guide by Flinders University (101 KB)

Structure of a critical review - a guide from the University of NSW

Evaluate information

Use the CRAP test to evaluate any resources you want to use in your assessments.

Criteria	Ask Yourself	Example
Currency	When was the information published? Does currency matter for this topic? Is it current enough for your topic? When was the webpage last updated?	History of educational theories - older resources may be appropriate vs Social media in education - older resources may not be appropriate
Reliability	Who published the information? Is the source reputable? Is it peer reviewed? Does the creator provide references and are those references credible? Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?	A satirical news website (e.g. Betoota Advocate) vs A not for profit media group sourcing content from academics and researchers (e.g. The Conversation)
Authority	Who is the creator or author? Sources without an author may be less credible What are their qualifications, affiliations and experience? Are they an expert in the field?	An article written by a self-appointed expert that appears on a blog vs A peer reviewed article written by a team of university academics
Purpose	Why was the information published and who is the intended audience? Is the creator trying to sell, inform, entertain, persuade? Is it fact or opinion? Is it biased or balanced?	A webpage on diabetes from a pharmacy company that produces drugs to treat diabetes. They may have a vested interest. vs Diabetes information from a government website such as Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW). They have no vested interest.

Reviewing a research paper

Find Peer reviewed articles

Articles published in peer reviewed or refereed journals have been through a formal approval process. This process is intended to ensure that the article is:

accurate
well-researched
contributing to the body of knowledge in the field

To find peer reviewed articles:

Select to show only peer reviewed journals in Primo Search
Limit to peer reviewed or scholarly journals in journal databases

However, as these options are just an indication of peer review status the definitive way to find out if your article has been peer reviewed is to use Ulrichsweb Global Periodicals Directory.