Cleaning Elections in Campaign Finance Reform Research Article Critique
The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate, or critique, a research article in your field of study. The article may be something you found online or in
hard copy at the library.
For the article, you select, provide a brief (at most, one page) summary of the research. Then, using the following format, evaluate the extent to which your
article addresses these points. It may be that some items do not apply, and that is alright. If the article uses a qualitative approach, see the instructor
for an alternative format for review.
QUANTITATIVE ARTICLE REVIEW
FORMAT*
• Title:
o Clear and concise
• Problem and hypotheses:
o Clearly Stated Significance of Problem
• Reasons for conducting the study are clear
• Reasons for conducting the study are important
o A clear statement of hypothesis or research questions
o Testable hypothesis
o Assumptions stated
o Important terms defined
• Appropriate attention was given to the Legal and
Cleaning Elections in Campaign Finance Reform Ethical issues
• Review of the Literature:
o Adequate coverage
• Appropriate studies are cited
• Only relevant studies are cited
o Well organized
• Relationship of studies cited is clear
o Important findings noted
o Studies critically examined
o Related to the problem and hypothesis
• Procedures:
o Assumptions are clear
o Subjects and methodology for selecting subjects are described in detail
o Adequate sample size and selection methodology
o Appropriate design
o Variables controlled that should have been controlled
o Appropriate data gathering instruments were used
• Reliability of the Instrument is stated
• The validity of the Instrument is stated
o Adequate control for internal threats to validity (History, Maturation, Testing, Instrumentation, Statistical Regression, Sampling, Mortality, Selection-
Maturation Interaction) as appropriate
o Adequate control for external threats to validity
• Data Analysis/Results:
o Effective use of tables
o Effective use of figures
o A concise but complete report of findings
• Findings presented for each hypothesis
• Findings are related to the problem (reasons for conducting the study)
• Importance of the findings is discussed
• Findings are described objectively
o Appropriate statistical or other treatment of data
o Conclusions flow from analyses
o Appropriate generalizations
• Overall Form and Style:
o Clear and concise
o Appropriate degree of objectivity
o Referencing according to an appropriate style
