Research Article Review Instructions and Marking Rubric (50 Points)
Read the Guide to Reading a Peer-Reviewed Research Journal Article BEFORE completing this
assignment. This is particularly important for those who have little experience reading peer-reviewed
research journal articles. Next, choose one of the research articles provided. Read the article carefully
and then answer the questions below.
#1. Provide the APA-formatted citation for the article you selected. Do not use a citation formatting
website to do this. Many times they are wrong AND this is something you should know (or learn) how to do.
For example, the citation in APA format for the parent/teen communication article used in the Guide
to Reading a Peer-Reviewed Research Journal Article would look like this:
Beckett, M. K., Elliott, M. N., Martino, S., Kanouse, D. E., Corona, R., Klein, D. J., & Schuster, M. A. (2010).
Timing of parent and child communication about sexuality relative to children's sexual behaviors.
Pediatrics, 125(1), 34-42. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0806
#2. What is the significance of this article? In other words, what is the topic and why is it important?
#3. What were the goals/hypotheses of the study? In other words, what questions were the authors
trying to answer?
#4. Explain why participant characteristics/sample composition matter when doing research in general.
Next, describe the characteristics/composition of participants in this sample and be specific.
#5. How did the authors attempt to answer their questions? Be specific by describing the methods:
• Identify all variables they used and how they measured them (i.e., include the names of specific
measures they used.)
o For example: The authors used the Smith Emotional Functioning Scale to measure
depression.
• If they didn’t use any specific measures, give an example of a specific question they asked.
o For example: Authors used a 5-item scale to measure emotion regulation. For example,
'How often is your child inconsolable?'.
• Identify and briefly describe the type of analysis used.
#6. Give a BRIEF summary of the results.
#7. Give one recommendation for one way authors could improve the study. Explain why that change
would improve the study. Refer to the limitations mentioned in the article – or come up with your own
recommendation.
#8. Give an example of how you would cite this article if you were referring to it in your own research
paper. Specifically, write 1-2 sentences in your own words that describe(s) the findings of the study in a
way that you might cite it if you were writing about it in a paper. Think about how journal article authors
write about the results of other studies in their own literature review. Be sure to include the in-text citation in
your sentence(s). The following is one of two examples of how to do this from the Guide to Reading a Peerreviewed Research Journal Article:
“Although many parents talk with their teens about the consequences of pregnancy
prior to teens becoming sexually active, there is evidence that parents are not talking
with their teenage daughters about basic social skills until after they have engaged in
sexual activities (Beckett et al., 2009). For example, in Beckett et al.’s study examining
the timing of parent and adolescent talks related to sexual behaviors, female
adolescents typically reported talking to their parents about how to ask someone on a
date around the time they were first having sex.”
Writing Guidelines:
• Double space EVERYTHING, including the citation in #1.
• Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
• DO NOT include a title page or any of the information normally included on a title page (i.e., your
name, date, title of the assignment, course name, etc.) as Canvas tells us all of this.
• DO NOT include a bibliography/reference list - you should only be using the one article you selected
as your source and question #1 asks you to provide an APA-style citation, so that will show me you
know how to format a bibliography/reference list.
• Please number your responses as they relate to the eight questions above, answer the questions in
the order listed, begin each of the eight responses as a separate paragraph, and DO NOT include the
questions themselves. We know what the questions are.
• Responses to question #s 2, 3, 4, 6, & 7 should be 2-4 sentences long. It is important that you be
concise in your responses. Your response to question #5 can be longer as it requires more
information. You should still be concise in your response to #5, so keep it to 10 sentences or less.
Your response to #8 should only be 1-2 sentences as indicated above. Marks will be deducted if
you are not within the sentence limits for questions 2 - 8.
• Do not use quotes from the article. Answers must be in your own words. This provides you the
opportunity to avoid academic dishonesty through the practice of paraphrasing. You may need to
use entire phrases when referring to things like goals/hypotheses (#3) and specific measures (#5).
• In-text citations are not necessary for any question except #8. You should not be using any outside
sources to complete this assignment.
• Assume your audience has a basic understanding of research terminology/jargon (like you) and has
access to the article you selected.
 Your reference citation (question #1) and your in-text citation (question #8) should be in APA
Style. For guidance using APA Style refer to UBC’s APA Citation Style Guide. This guide reflects
the most current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association,
and it is very user friendly. Another source that is a bit less user friendly, but more detailed, is
the Purdue University Online Writing Lab. Scroll down a bit and then click on the different Intext Citations and Reference List tabs on the left.
Please find the marking rubric for this assignment on the following page.
Research Article Review Marking Rubric
APA-formatted Citation (Question #1)
Question #s 2-8
Student’s responses reflect:
• Clear understanding of the article
• The ability to discern the most critical, pertinent information from
the less relevant information
• Critical analysis
• High level of inquiry
Points Possible
5
39 (questions 2, 3, 4, 6,
7, & 8 are worth 5
points; question 5 is
worth 9 points)
Organization/Clarity of writing – Student writes clearly and concisely;
provides sufficient detail to enable the reader to understand the topic.
3
Mechanics (Grammar) – Correct spelling, punctuation, and sentence
structure (no sentence fragments or run-on sentences). Uses APA style in
response to question #1 as well as in in-text citation(s) for question #8.
3
Total
50