Locate  a peer-reviewed article about human services research, related to a topic that interests you, in the University Library.

Complete  the checklist in Ch.1 (p. 10) of Practical Research Planning and Design.

CHECKLIST Reflective Questions to Consider When Evaluating Research

1. In what journal or other source did you find the research article?

Was it reviewed by experts in the field before it was published? That is, was the article in a juried (refereed) publication?

2. Does the article have a stated research question or problem? That is, can you determine the focus of the author’s work?

3. Does the article describe the collection of new data, or does it describe and synthesize previous studies in which data were collected?

4. Is the article logically organized and easy to follow? What could have been done to improve its organization and readability?

5. Does the article contain a section that describes and integrates previous studies on this topic? In what ways is this previous work relevant to the research problem?

6. If the author explained procedures that were followed in the study, are these procedures clear enough that you could repeat the work and get similar results? What additional information might be helpful or essential for you to replicate the study?

7. If data were collected, can you describe how they were collected and how they were analyzed? Do you agree with what was done? If you had been the researcher, what additional things might you have done?

8. Do you agree with the interpretation of the results? Why or why not?

9. Finally, reflect over the entire article. What is, for you, most important? What do you find most interesting? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of this article? Will you remember this article in the future? Why or why not?

ISBN: 0-558-65200-X Practical Research: Planning and Design, Ninth Edition, by Paul D. Leedy and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod. Published by