29 Jan What: This article reviews

Critical Review-Evaluating Scientific Reports in the Media

It is important that you learn how to critically review research. In our society today, we are exposed to so much information and so many studies. Some of this information is excellent, some is useful, and some is very, very bad. How can you determine what information is useful and what is dangerous? One way is to take a course like Critical Thinking; however, the facts that I give you will be outdated all too soon. The most important thing you will learn from this course—and from your college education—is how to critically evaluate information presented to you. Critical thinking involves asking five questions: who, what, when, where, how.

1. Find and read an article in the media or a video clip that reports the results of a scientific study. You must include the link to the website.

2. How accurately did the mass media report the study?

3. Answer the above five questions about the article (Who, What, When, Where, and How). Refer to page 353 of your text and be sure to cover all the highlights discussed.

Do NOT use entertainment or sports articles for your review. These are to be research based.

Directions and Critical Review Examples to follow below:

Directions

You will write a one-page critical review of the article. The review should answer each of the five questions. You must cite your source. If it is a website, please make sure you put the entire web address. Remember you are evaluating critically, not just summarizing. See the examples below the grading rubric:

Critical Review

Point Value

Total

Adequately covers and answers the 5 questions, plus the summary section (10 points per section)

60 points

Chooses a scholarly/researchable topic

10

Correct use of spelling/grammar/punctuation/capitalization

10

Meets the required word minimum (150 words) and posts word count

10

Follows APA formatting with parenthetical citations and referencing

10

Total

CRITICAL THINKING REVIEW EXAMPLE

Critical thinking involves asking five questions—who, when, what, where, how. You should organize your paper in the following manner:

Your Name Critical Review

Author, I. (date of publication). Title of article. Name of Publication, volume #, page #-#.

OR

Author, I. (date of publication if available). Title of article. Retrieved [date accessed] from the World Wide Web: [Web site address]

Where: Where did this article/Web page appear? Is this reasonable? Is the publishing entity respectable/responsible?

Who: Who wrote/published the article/Web page? What are their credentials? Are the credentials appropriate for their argument?

When: Is this current information? If yes, do you think it will stand the “test of time”? If no, is it outdated or is it classic?

What: What argument is/are the author(s) making? Is it logical? Based on what you know, is it reasonable? What evidence is given to support the argument? Can you think of evidence to refute it?

How: How was the supporting/refuting evidence collected? Is this credible? What kind of evidence do you think needs to be gathered to test the argument? Did the author(s) do this?

Summarize the quality of the article (it does not have to be a “good” article in your opinion), and whether you consider this to be a worthwhile and trustworthy article. Did you think it was biased? Could the author have underlying motives? What do you think? Is it valid?

NOTE: Do not simply answer yes or no to the questions above. Write a thoughtful response to each section.

SAMPLE CRITICAL REVIEW

Virginia Norris Critical Review

Eggenberger, T. Sentinel node biopsy. Retrieved August 30, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.intellihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9103/29497.html

Where: The Intellihealth Web site is a general information health Web site. It draws information from “trusted sources” (e.g., Harvard Medical School, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine); however, it sells health products and is financed by an insurance company. They do not endorse specific products. In general, the information on this site should be viewed with caution but may be an appropriate first step.

Who: Ty Eggenberger, a correspondent for Intellihealth. No evidence is given for the author’s credentials, but the Web site indicates that the editors are experts and use trusted sources.

When: Although the site was last updated 8/27/01, there is no indication when the article was written. It appears to be current, but this cannot be evaluated.

What: This article reviews a new diagnostic procedure, sentinel node biopsy, for breast cancer. They suggest that women investigate this option, but caution that the surgeon’s experience level is associated with diagnostic accuracy. The information is supported with quotations from a surgeon at a prestigious hospital. The argument appears reasonable and is appropriately cautious. If I were looking for advice on this issue, I would search in more clinically oriented databases to look for data on hits and misses for this diagnostic tool.

How: I was disappointed that no source was cited. This makes it difficult for me to evaluate how the evidence was collected.

In summary, this is a good first-step article that presents a new diagnostic tool; however, before insisting on this type of biopsy over an axillary dissection, I would look for further information.