Being able to summarize and analyze a research article is important not only for showing your professor that you have understood your assigned reading, but it also is the first step to learning how to write your own research papers and literature reviews. The summary section of this assignment will show that you understood the basic facts of the research. The analysis portion will show that you can evaluate the evidence presented in the research and explain why the research could be important.
Why was the research done?
What happened in the experiment?
What conclusions did the author draw?
Was this research effective at answering the research question?
Was the purpose of the study properly addressed by the experiment?
● Was the scope of the paper too broad or narrow?
○ Was there any unnecessary information?
○ Was there not enough information?
● Was there anything about the study that could be improved?
○ Consider factors such as sample size, confounding factors, potential errors, etc.
○ Were there any limitations that prevented them from improving the study in this
way?
● Was the author’s interpretation of the results valid? Why or why not? Were there possible
alternate explanations for the results?
● If there are issues with the research, does the author address them?
● Was the article overall clear, effective, and well written?
How is this research relevant or important?
What is the usefulness of this study in the larger context? What further research could
build on it?
● Does this research build upon old information or is it something new? Does it contradict
something previously thought to be true?
● Is the author funded by an organization that might imply skewed results?
The paper chosen is https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293884.