QUANTITATIVE NURSING RESEARCH
For each question discuss/explain aspects of your
QUANTITATIVE NURSING RESEARCH
For each question discuss/explain aspects of your critique and document your discussion with examples from the research article.
A. Title
1.Does the title summarize the main idea of the article?
2.Are the primary variables referred to in the title?
3.Does the title refer to the population?
B. Abstract
1.Is the abstract concise and specific?
2.Does the abstract report objectively without evaluation?
3.Is the abstract coherent and readable (grammar and sentence structure)?
4.Does the abstract identify the problem or purpose in one sentence?
5.Does the abstract describe the subjects?
6.Does the abstract describe the method (data collection, design, and instruments)?
7.Does the abstract discuss findings and statistical levels of significance?
8.Are conclusions, implications, and applications discussed in the abstract?
C. Problem and Purpose
1.Is the problem stated clearly and easy to identify?
2.Does the problem statement build a cogent and persuasive argument for the study?
3.Does the problem have significance for nursing?
4.Was the purpose stated and introduced promptly and clearly?
5.Does the purpose express a relationship between independent variable(s) and dependent variable(s), implying empirical testability?
6.Does the purpose specify the nature of the population being studied?
7.Is there a good match between the research problem, the purpose, and the paradigm and methods used? Is a quantitative approach appropriate?
D. Hypothesis or Research Questions
1.Is there a clear statement of: Research question and/or Hypothesis, please list it
2.Can the independent and dependent variables be identified as stated in the
research questions or study hypothesis?
3.If a hypothesis is present, is the direction of the relationship in each hypothesis clearly stated? What is the direction of each?
4.Are the variables measurable or potentially measurable? Are they testable?
5.Do the research questions or hypothesis directly relate to the purpose?
6.Is each research question or hypothesis (if stated) consistent with the literature review?
7.If the report does not formally state a hypothesis, is the absence justifiable?
E. The Literature Review
1.Are all the relevant concepts, variables, and topics included in the review?
2.Is current research cited?
3.Does the literature review uncover areas of agreement, disagreement, or gaps in empirical and conceptual knowledge?
4.Does the literature review include strengths, weaknesses, or
limitations of the reviewed studies?
5.Is the review well organized? Is the development of ideas logical and clear?
6.Were primary sources mainly used? Give some examples.
7.Does the literature review provide a solid basis for the present study?
F. Conceptual or Theoretical Framework
1.Was a conceptual or theoretical framework clearly identified and described?
2.If not, does the absence of an explicit framework detract from the usefulness or significance of the research?
3.Are the key concepts adequately defined conceptually? If yes, please list them.
4.Are the relationships among concepts clearly stated? What are the proposed relationships?
5.Did the framework guide the study methods? Do the operational definitions correspond to the conceptual definitions?
6.Is the framework consistent with the research paradigm?
7.Do the research questions or hypothesis flow from the conceptual framework?
G. Research Design
1.Is the study design:
_______ Experimental?
_______ Quasi-experimental?
_______ Non Experimental?
2.Is the research design appropriate for the research problem, purpose,
research questions or hypotheses?
3.Is this study:
_______ Internally valid?
_______ Externally valid?
4. Were measures done by the researcher to minimize threats to internal or external validity of the design?
H. Sample
1.Was the method of sampling:
_______ probability?
_______ nonprobability?
2.Were inclusion and exclusion criteria for sample selection specifically identified? If yes, please list the criteria.
3.Was the method of sample selection appropriate?
4.Were sample characteristics described? If yes, please state the sample characteristics.
5.Was the sample representative of the defined population?
6.Was the sample size adequate?
7.Was power analysis performed to determine adequate sample size?
8.Are sampling biases or weaknesses identified? If yes, please state the biases or weaknesses.
I. Legal and Ethical Issues
1.Were study participants subjected to physical harm, discomfort or psychological distress?
2.Were appropriate informed consent procedures used?
3.Were appropriate steps taken to protect the privacy of the participants?
4.Was the research approved/monitored by an Institutional Review Board or similar ethics review committee?
J. Data Collection Methods
1.Was data collected by:
_______ Physiological measurement?
_______ Self-report questionnaires?
_______ Observational methods?
_______ Interview?
_______ Available data and records?
2.Were data collectors qualified and/or trained?
3.Was there adequate description of data collection procedures?
4.What is the data collection procedure? Were data collection procedures appropriate?
5.Were data collection procedures consistent for all subjects?
6.Are specific instruments adequately described?
K. Reliability and Validity
1.Were validity and reliability described for each tool?
2.Were validity and reliability adequate for each tool?
3.If the sample from the developmental stage of the tool was different from the current sample, were the reliability and validity recalculated to determine if the tool is still adequate?
L. Descriptive Data Analysis
1.Were descriptive statistics appropriate to the level of measurement for each variable?
2.Are summary statistics provided for each major variable?
3.Are the results in the text and tables clearly and completely stated?
4.Is the sample size large enough to prevent one extreme score from affecting the summary statistics used?
5.Is there enough information present to judge the results?
M. Inferential Data Analysis
1.Do the research questions/hypotheses indicate that the researcher is interested in testing for differences between groups or in testing for relationships?
2.Were parametric and nonparametric statistics reported? Identify the level of statistical significance reported.
3.Were the statistics used appropriate to the problem, hypotheses, method, sample, and level of measurement?
4.Are the results presented clearly for each hypothesis or research question, with good use of tables and figures?
N. Interpretation and Discussion of Findings
1.If hypothesis-testing was done, were the hypotheses supported or not supported by the study results?
2.Were conclusions based on statistically significant results?
3.Are findings discussed in relation to previous research and the conceptual/theoretical framework?
4.Are unjustified generalizations made beyond the study sample?
5.Are limitations identified by the author? If yes, please list the identified limitations.
6.Are there any limitations present that were not identified by the author?
7.Did the researcher discuss the study’s implications for future clinical practice, or nursing research?
O. Application and Utilization
1.In what ways do the findings add to the current body of knowledge?
2.How can the study findings be applied to practice?
3.Identify an audience for communication of the findings. Describe specific suggestions for communicating the research findings to your selected audience.
P. Reflection
Please write down your reflection about critique the research article.
Q. Reference