Research Critique in Medicine and Nursing

Research Critique
Ramar G
Principal,
Apex College of Nursing,
Varanasi.

What is research critique?
 A critical evaluation / appraisal of a
research report

Research critique - Definition
“A critical estimate of a piece of research
which has been carefully and systematically
studied by a critic who has used specific
criteria to appraise the favorable, less
favorable, and other general features of the
research study”
Leininger

Research critique
 Requires critical thinking, appraisal &
intellectual skill
 Involves a careful examination of all
aspects of a study to judge the merits,
limitations, meaning and significance
based on previous research experience
& knowledge of the topic

Purposes of critique
 To assess students’ methodological and
analytical skills (identify limitations &
strengths)
 Seasoned researcher to help journal
editions
 Written critique is a guide to researcher
 To advance nursing knowledge &
profession

Approaches for critiquing
 Principles
 Be objective: make comments specific to
the work you are reviewing
 Be constructive: Critique should be an
advisory and constructive nature

Critique process
 Comprehension
 Comparison
 Analysis
 Evaluation
 Conceptual clustering

General guidelines
 Read & critique the entire study
 Be objective & realistic
 Comment on strengths and weakness
 Give specific examples
 Use positive terms whenever possible and say the
positive points first
 Avoid vague generalizations of praise and fault
findings
 Be sensitive in handling negative comments
 Evaluate substantive, ethical, methodologic,
interpretative & presentational dimensions
 Suggest alternatives

Initial critique
 What type of study was conducted?
 What was the setting?
 Were the steps clearly identified?
 Was there a logical flow?

Elements of a research critique
 Substantive & theoretical dimensions
 Methodologic dimensions
 Ethical dimensions
 Interpretive dimensions
 Presentation / stylistic dimensions

Criteria: Introduction
 Is the purpose of the study presented?
 Is the significance (importance) of the
problem discussed?
 Does the investigator provide a sense of
what he or she is doing and why?

Problem statement
 Is the problem statement clear?
 Does the investigator identify key
research questions and variables to be
examined?
 Does the study have the potential to help
solve a problem that is currently faced in
clinical practice?

Literature review
 Does literature review follow a logical
sequence leading to a critical review of
supporting and conflicting prior work?
 Is the relationship of the study to
previous research clear?
 Does the investigator describe gaps in
the literature and support the necessity
of the present study?

Theoretical framework &
hypotheses
 Is a rationale stated for the theoretical /
conceptual framework ?
 Does the investigator clearly state the
theoretical basis for hypothesis
formulation?
 Is the hypothesis stated precisely and in
a form that permits it to be tested ?

Methodology
 Are the relevant variables and concepts clearly
and operationally defined?
 Is the design appropriate for the research
questions or hypotheses?
 Are methods of data collection sufficiently
described?
 What are the identified and potential threats to
internal and external validity that were present
in the study?
 If there was more than one data collector, was
the inter-rater reliability adequate?

Sample
 Are the subjects and sampling methods
described?
 Is the sample of sufficient size for the
study, given the number of variables and
design?
 Is there adequate assurance that the
rights of human subjects were
protected?

Instruments
 Are appropriate instruments for data
collection used?
 Are reliability and validity of the
instruments adequate?

Data analysis
 Are the statistical tests used identified
and the values reported?
 Are appropriate statistics used,
according to level of measurement,
sample size, sampling method, and
hypotheses / research questions?

Results
 Are the results for each hypothesis
clearly and objectively presented?
 Do the figures and tables illuminate the
presentation of results?
 Are results described in light of the
theoretical framework and supporting
literature?

Conclusions / discussion
 Are conclusions based on the results and
related to the hypotheses?
 Are study limitations identified?
 Are generalizations made within the
scope of the findings?
 Are implications of findings discussed
(i.e., for practice, education and
research)?
 Are recommendations for further
research stated?

Research utilization implications
 Is the study of sufficient quality to meet
the criterion of scientific merit?
 Does the study meet the criterion of
replicability?
 Is the study of relevance to practice?
 Is the study feasible for nurses to
implement?
 Do the benefits of the study outweigh
the risks?

Qualitative research evaluation

Statement of the phenomenon
of interest
 Is the phenomenon of interest clearly
identified?
 Has the researcher identified why the
phenomenon requires a qualitative
format?
 Has the research described the
philosophic underpinnings of the
research?

Purpose
 Has the research made explicit the
purpose of conducting the research?
 Does the researcher describe the
projected significance of the work to
nursing?

Method
 Is the method used to collect data
compatible with the purpose of the
research?
 Is the method adequate to address the
phenomenon of interest?
 If a particular approach is used to guide
the inquiry, does the researcher complete
the study according to the processes
described?

Sampling
selection of participants? Is purposive
sampling used?
 Are the informants who were chosen
appropriate for research?

Data collection
 Is data collection focused on human
experience?
 Does the researcher describe data
collection strategies (i.e. interview,
observation, field notes)?
 Is protection of human participants
addressed?
 Is saturation of the data described?
 Has the researcher made explicit the
procedures for collecting data ?

Data analysis
strategies used to analyze the data?
 Has the researcher remained true to the
data?
 Does the reader understand the
procedures used to analyze the data?
 Does researcher address the credibility,
auditability, and fittingness of the data?

Data analysis
 Credibility
 Do the participants recognize the experience as
their own?
 Auditability
 Can the reader follow the researcher’s thinking?
 Does the researcher document the research
process?
 Fittingness
 Can the findings be applicable outside the study
situation?
 Are the results meaningful to individuals not
involved in the research?
 Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the
purpose of the study?

Findings
 Are the findings presented within a context?
 Is the reader able to grasp the essence of the
experience from the report of the findings?
 Are the researcher’s conceptualization true to
the data?
 Does the researcher place the report in the
context of what already is known about the
phenomenon?

Conclusion, implication &
recommendations
 Do the conclusions, implications and
recommendations give the reader a context in
which to use the findings?
 Do the conclusions reflect the study findings?
 Does the researcher offer recommendations
for future study?
 Has the researcher made explicit the
significance of the study to nursing?

Styles in writing
 More formal, impersonal fashion and use
passive voice
 Make concluding evaluation statement as
to the overall worth and relevance of the
study

Conclusion
 Research is the best possible means of
answering many questions, no single study can
provide conclusive evidence
 Evidence is accumulated through the conduct &
evaluation of several studies
 Reader who can do reflective and thorough
critiques of research reports play a role in
advancing nursing knowledge

References
 Burns N, Grove SK. The Practice of Nursing Research
conduct, critique & utilization. 5 ed. W.B. Saunders
Company: Philadelphia; 2005.
 Bush CT. Nursing Research. 1 ed. Reston Publishing
company: Inc. Virginia; 1985.
 Hicks CM. Research Methods for Clinical Therapists –
applied project design and analysis. 3 ed. Churchill
Livingstone: London; 1999.
 Polit DF, Beck CT. Nursing Research Principles and
Methods. 7 ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins company:
Philadelphia; 2004.
 Talbot LA. Principles and practice of Nursing Research. 1
ed. Mosby Year book Inc: St Louis; 1995.

Research Critique in Medicine and Nursing

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