Research Critique Guidelines

Qualitative Study

Background of Study:

Clinical Problem and Research Problem:
Identify the clinical problem and research problem that prompted this study. What was not known about the clinical issue that, if understood, could enhance healthcare delivery or patient outcomes? This knowledge gap forms the basis of the research problem.

Significance of the Study:

How did the author establish the significance of the study? In other words, why should readers care about this study? Look for statements addressing human suffering, treatment costs, or the number of individuals affected by the clinical problem.

Purpose of the Study:

Identify the purpose of the study. The author may clearly state it, or it might be described as the study’s goals, objectives, or aims.

Research Questions:

List the research questions the study aimed to answer. If the author didn’t explicitly provide them, try to infer them from the study’s content.

Alignment of Purpose and Research Questions with the Problem:
Were the purpose and research questions related to the clinical problem?

Method of Study:

Appropriateness of Qualitative Methods:
Were qualitative methods suitable for addressing the research questions?

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Study Perspective:
Did the author specify a particular perspective from which the study was developed? If so, what was it?

Literature Review:
Did the author reference relevant quantitative and qualitative studies related to the study’s focus? What other types of literature were included?

Currency of References:
Are the references up-to-date? Note that for qualitative studies, older studies may be included if they are pertinent to the research.

Evaluation of Available Studies:
Did the author assess or indicate the weaknesses of the existing studies?

Adequacy of Literature Review:
Did the literature review provide sufficient information to construct a logical argument?

Grounded Theory Method:
In cases where the grounded theory method was used, did the researcher develop a framework or diagram based on the study findings?

Results of Study:

Study Findings:
What were the findings of the study?

Implications to Nursing:
What are the implications for nursing practice?

Contribution to Nursing Knowledge/Science:
Explain how the findings contribute to nursing knowledge and science. Would this impact nursing practice, education, administration, or multiple nursing areas?

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Ethical Considerations:

Institutional Review Board Approval:
Was the study approved by an Institutional Review Board?

Patient Privacy Protection:
Was patient privacy safeguarded?

Ethical Treatment:
Were there ethical considerations regarding treatment or the lack thereof?

Conclusion:

Emphasis on Thesis Statement:
Highlight the importance and alignment of the thesis statement.

Logical Wrap-Up:
Provide a logical conclusion to finalize the critique and leave a lasting impression. Summarize key takeaways applicable to nursing practice.

Critical Appraisal and Analysis:
Incorporate critical appraisal and briefly analyze the utility and applicability of the findings in nursing practice.

Summary of Knowledge:

Quantitative Study

Background of Study:

Clinical and Research Problems:
– Identify the clinical problem and research problem that led to the study. What was not known about the clinical problem that, if understood, could be used to improve health care delivery or patient outcomes? This gap in knowledge is the research problem.

Significance of the Study:

– How did the author establish the significance of the study? In other words, why should the reader care about this study? Look for statements addressing human suffering, costs of treatment, or the number of people affected by the clinical problem.

Purpose of the Study:
– Identify the purpose of the study, which may be explicitly stated or described as the study’s goals, objectives, or aims.

Research Questions:
– List the research questions the study was designed to answer. If the author didn’t explicitly provide them, try to infer them from the study’s content.

Alignment of Purpose and Research Questions with the Problem:
– Were the purpose and research questions related to the clinical problem?

Methods of Study:

Benefits and Risks of Participation:
– Identify the benefits and risks of participation addressed by the authors. Were there benefits or risks the authors do not identify?

Informed Consent:
– Was informed consent obtained from the subjects or participants?

Voluntary Participation:
– Did it seem that the subjects participated voluntarily in the study?

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval:
– Was institutional review board approval obtained from the agency where the study was conducted?

Identification and Definition of Major Variables:
– Are the major variables (independent and dependent variables) identified and defined? What were these variables?

Data Collection:
– How were data collected in this study? What rationale did the author provide for using this data collection method?

Time Period for Data Collection:
– Identify the time period for data collection in the study.

Data Collection Events:
– Describe the sequence of data collection events for a participant.

Data Management and Analysis:
– Describe the data management and analysis methods used in the study. Did the author discuss how rigor was assured? For example, does the author describe maintaining a paper trail of critical decisions that were made during the analysis of the data? Was statistical software used to ensure accuracy?

Minimization of Researcher Bias:
– What measures were used to minimize the effects of researcher bias? For example, did two researchers independently analyze the data and compare their analyses?

Results of Study:

Researcher’s Interpretation:
– What is the researcher’s interpretation of findings?

Validity of Findings:
– Are the findings valid or an accurate reflection of reality? Do you have confidence in the findings?

Study Limitations:
– What limitations of the study were identified by researchers?

Presentation of Findings:
– Was there a coherent logic to the presentation of findings?

Implications for Nursing Practice:
– What implications do the findings have for nursing practice? Can they be applied to general nursing practice, a specific population, or a specific area of nursing?

Suggestions for Further Studies:
– What suggestions are made for further studies?

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Ethical Considerations:

IRB Approval:
– Was the study approved by an Institutional Review Board?

Patient Privacy Protection:
– Was patient privacy protected?

Ethical Treatment:
– Were there ethical considerations regarding treatment or the lack thereof?

Conclusion:

Emphasize Thesis Statement:
– Highlight the importance and congruity of the thesis statement.

Logical Wrap-Up:
– Provide a logical conclusion to finalize the critique and leave a lasting impression. Summarize key takeaways applicable to nursing practice.

Critical Appraisal and Analysis:
– Incorporate a critical appraisal and briefly analyze the utility and applicability of the findings in nursing practice.

Summary of Knowledge:
– Summarize the knowledge learned from the study.

Reference

Burns, N., & Grove, S. (2011).Understanding nursing research(5thed.).St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.