Write a critique of the article by discussing how the article relates to your sociological concept or topic of interest and what you have learned as a result of reading this research study.

SOCIOLOGY 1010:
CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT II
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize
you with the way sociologists conduct research and communicate their findings
to the public. By completing this assignment,
you will learn how research is conducted and presented in sociological journals.
You will also learn how to critique a journal article. This assignment is worth a possible 150
points.
Directions (Part II): Using the College’s online databases, locate
a peer-reviewed article that is based on a sociological concept or topic of
interest to you.
A. Identify your sociological concept or
topic of interest
1. Using the College’s online databases
find a peer-reviewed article in sociological journals that is based on a sociological
concept or topic of interest to you
2. Submit your article to your instructor
for approval
3. Read your article and identify the
major components of the study (i.e., the Abstract, Introduction, Methodology,
Results, and Discussion)
B. Write-Up
1. Identify the major components of the article
and briefly describe each component of the research study
2. Write a critique of the article by discussing
how the article relates to your sociological concept or topic of interest and
what you have learned as a result of reading this research study.
3. Submit your 1st draft to your assigned
peer reviewer
4. Submit your 2nd draft to your
instructor for feedback
5. Submit your final paper to your
instructor
C. Criteria for
Grading
You will need to use two sources to write this
critique analysis. The first source is
your textbook. (Use the current edition
of the textbook that we are using for our course). Your textbook will assist you in better
understanding your article and writing your critique.
The second source is an article from a peer-reviewed journal published within
the last five years that addresses a sociological concept or topic of interest
to you. The article
you select to write your critique analysis must be data-driven. That is, the
research study must incorporate the experimental or correlational research
design. Moreover, the article must have
the major components of a research study (i.e., An Abstract, introduction,
Methodology, Results, and Discussion sections) you must use the ASA Style
manual or the APA Style Manual (6th Edition) to write your paper.
Here’s the format for writing your paper:
1. A title page
with the title in the middle of the page
2. Page numbering
in the upper right corner beginning with 1 on the title page
3. In-text citations in ASA or APA format (that means
the citation follows either the quote or the paraphrase of the information provided)
4. A reference
page at the end (called References) in ASA or APA format
D.
Template for Your Critique Assignment
1.
Page 1. A title page with
your name, course, instructor’s name, and title of the article you are
critiquing. (ASA or APA format)
2.
Page 2. Title of article
and ASA or APA-citation
Write a summary in narrative form about
your article, using the questions below as a guide. In other words, do not
respond to these questions in a question/answer format.
The following questions will guide you
in reading, understanding and writing this section of the assignment.
a.
What are the variables or issues of
interest in the study?
b.
What is the study’s hypothesis?
c.
Who specifically were the participants
in the study and how were they selected?
d.
What research method was used in the
study–experimentation or correlation?
e.
What did the researcher have the
participants do? Explain in some detail.
f.
What if any ethical issues were
identified in the study?
g.
What were the major findings of the
research study?
h.
Why are these findings relevant to sociology?
3.
Page 3. The critique should
be approximately two paragraphs and answer the following questions in narrative
format:
a. What is the contribution of this research
study to the field of sociology?
b. In your opinion, do the research findings
support the hypotheses or the research question? Explain.
c. How does this research impact you and the
general public?
Finally, pace yourself.
Start early! Formulate your plan
to work on your critique. It will be
very obvious if you do not start early on this assignment. The effect of not planning is poor learning
and poor quality papers! So be very good
to yourself!