Sample 1 Source Jackson, FM 2002, Considerations for community-based research with African American women, American Journal of Public

Health, April, vol. 92, no. 4, pp.561-5, viewed 12 February 2007, http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/92/4/561 Introduction This review critically reviews the article Considerations for community-based research with African American women in the journal American Journal of Public Health.The review will first summarise the article. Secondly, it will briefly analyse the effectiveness of the articles structure, investigating how the information is set out and whether the reader can access it efficiently. Thirdly, the review will critique the article, evaluating its authority, currency, accuracy, objectivity and coverage. The review will also analyse the graph before finally judging the articles accessibility and credibility. Overall the article was well written, clear and relevant. Article summary The purpose of the article is to explore the need and advantages of conducting community based research with women of colour in the United States. The authoritative knowledge that these women can provide about their lives and their health could form the basis of collaboration between researchers and participants and lead to successful strategies to improve the health of African American women. The article provides the goals for improving African American womens health before investigating the issues related to cultural sensitivity, reciprocity, accountability and authoritative voices in order to argue that the research on these women and their health must be attuned to the multiple identities the women possess that are associated with race, gender and class. Article structure The article was introduced with an abstract, which provided the stance or thesis developed by the article as well as a brief overview of main points. The rationales for the article and for the research it describes were also included. The paragraphs in the body were short and therefore the information in each paragraph was easy to access, however there were only 3 body headings, which meant that there was a lot of quite detailed information contained under each heading. As the article described a research study that was conducted by the author, the article contained the conventional information normally provided in such a study. For example there are sections related to the background and significance of the research, a review of the literature and the methodology as well as the data collection and analysis techniques used. The findings and conclusions were developed towards the end of the article however the conclusion was very short, lacking a comprehensive summary of the main points covered by the article. However the short conclusion did develop future policy and research directions. References were cited in-text and set out clearly in the literature cited section. The articles structure was logically developed overall, with the use of short paragraphs helping the reader access the main points more easily. The article was HMLT rather than a scanned PDF document and included many links, which helped to make the information accessible. There were links to author, journal, subjects, citations and references which allow the reader to evaluate the articles worth more effectively, however linked headings and subheadings may have allowed the reader to move through the paper more quickly. Article critique Authority:

The journal, the American Journal of Public Health, is a publication of the American Public Health Association, which is an objective unbiased public organisation. It was found on the scholarly Academic Search Premier through EBSCOhost, which is a highly credible research database. The authors credibility was established in a number of ways. These included her PhD; the fact that the article was a peer reviewed article; the fact that the author is an academic working at the School of Public Health, Emory University in Atlanta; the fact that the research described in the article was supported by an ASPH/CDC/ATSDR Cooperative agreement and a grant from the Ford Foundation; and the links to the authors other articles in the Reference section. Accuracy: The source of the information in the article was a current research project. It was also backed up and supported by a comprehensive, recent reference list with these sources cited in-text to support both the literature review and the research itself. The strict editorial and refereeing processes also contributed to the articles accuracy as did the links to other expert sources (the journal for example). Currency: The journal was published in April 2002, while the article was accepted for publication in December 2001. The research it describes was current and the article cites up-to-date references in the body of the text (ranging from 1990-2001). Therefore the article is current. Relevance: This was an academic journal on an academic database, which has high credibility in an academic context. It was written to inform researchers and students rather than to entertain or advertise. It would be relevant to both these groups but particularly any academic interested in nursing innovations and in health generally. It could be a difficult article to read and understand and therefore would be less relevant to first year nursing students. Objectivity: The information was objectively developed, well supported with a current research base and with all evidence acknowledged and referenced. There was no evidence of bias, a fact that was reinforced by the recognition that the article documents research, which followed the rigorous research processes, and the necessary ethical considerations demanded of such community-funded research. The article acknowledged the complexity of the issues discussed in a number of ways. For example, the literature review provided explanations of the key terms discussed (for example gender and identity) and supported their research decisions with references to the appropriate and relevant literature. The participants were clearly defined a sample of 545 African American women living in Atlanta - with the findings relevant to other African American women and would also be able to inform research conducted in other countries, for example indigenous women in Australia. Stability: The article, with its source an academic journal on an academic data base is stable as a resource. Analysis of graph (MAT1008 will help you to write this section) Conclusion

This review has both summarised and critically reviewed Jacksons article Considerations for community-based research with African American women. The content, structure, strengths and limitations of the article were analysed and critiqued. The article has contributed to the literature in terms of its valuable critique of current research study on African American women and their health issues and the implications provided for both health interventions and future research collaborative possibilities.

Sample 2 Source Bell, RL & Lederman, NG 2003, Understandings of the nature of science and decision making on science and technology based issues, Science Education, vol.87, no.3, p.352-77, viewed 15 March 2005, EBSCOhost database Academic Search Premier, item: AN9578033 Introduction This review critically reviews the article Understandings of the nature of science and decision making on science and technology based issues by Randy L. Bell and Norman G. Lederman which appeared in the journal Science Education. The review will firstly summarise the article. Secondly, it will briefly analyse the effectiveness of the articles structure, investigating how the information is set out and whether the reader can access it efficiently. Thirdly, the review will critique the article, evaluating its authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, objectivity and stability. The review will also analyse the graph before finally judging the articles accessibility and credibility. Overall the article was well written, clear and relevant. Article Summary The purpose of the article was to investigate whether knowledge of the nature of science impacted on decision-making regarding science and technology based issues. The article also determined the factors and reasoning used to reach decisions. The study involved 21 adult volunteers, selected from university professors and research scientists from across the United States. The participants completed two open-ended questionnaires and subsequent interviews. The first questionnaire and follow up interview were designed to assess participants decision making. Participants were then grouped according to their views on the nature of science as gauged by the second questionnaire and follow up interview. The groups overall decision making were then profiled using the responses to the Decision Making Questionnaires and follow up interviews. After comparison of both group profiles, it was found that there was little difference in the groups overall decisions, factors influencing decisions or processes used to reach decisions. Participants in both groups based their decisions mainly on ethics, personal values or social/political concerns. All considered scientific evidence but more as a part of a multifaceted issue. The nature of science did not significantly impact on either groups decision making. These results contrast with basic assumptions of current science education reform efforts and call for a re-examination of the goals of nature of science instruction. Future research directions include the relationship between general epistemologies and decision-making, and the relationship between decision making and moral development. Article Structure The article under review was accessed via EBSCOhost in a clear and well set out form. It was retrieved as a PDF document. The article was introduced with an abstract that briefly outlined the purpose of the article, its main points, findings, conclusions, implications and future research directions. The article is broken into headings and subheadings with relatively short paragraphs making the information readily accessible. The Introduction provided background

information and the rationale behind the article. This allowed clear understanding of the context and importance of the study. The body was logically organised into scientific headings Method, Results, Discussion and Implications, Appendices and References. This allowed the reader to read the entire article or just the part of interest. The article had both qualitative and quantitative aspects with excerpts from interviews and surveys combined with statistical data from the study. The article was summarised but this occurred in the Discussion and Implications section in a long and jumbled form making a clear and concise understanding of the main points difficult. There were extensive references cited in-text and set out clearly in the References section. The article was a PDF document which meant it could easily be printed and read. It did not have links throughout the text but did have links in the citation. The sentences were structured so that an average person could read most of the article however in some sections the level of literature was advanced. The overall accessibility of the information was quite good. Article Critique Authority The authors credibility was established in a number of ways. Both authors are associated with education institutions with Randy L. Bell being an academic at the Curry School of Education at University of Virginia and Norman G. Lederman is an academic in the Department of Mathematics and Science Education at Illinois Institute of Technology. The authors are also recognised in their field with an early version of the article being presented to the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching in 2000. The authors have also written a number of other articles, some of which are included in the References section. The article was from the journal Science Education, which is a reliable and peer reviewed journal. The article was found through EBSCOhost on the Academic Search Premier database. This is a highly credible research database. It can be seen that the article has authority. Accuracy The information included in the article was from a study conducted in 1998. The information is verified and supported with in-text referencing and an extensive list of references. The editorial and reviewing processes that the article was subject to both contribute to the accuracy and reliability of the article. The information in the article is therefore accurate and reliable. Currency The study the article is written about was conducted in 1998. The article was written in 2001, revised in early 2002 and accepted for publication 19 April 2002. It was published in May 2003. The references included in the list of references range from 1963 to 2001. The article is therefore current and supported by a range of studies over an extensive time frame. Relevance The article is from an academic journal and is therefore intended for the scientific community. It was written to inform and detail specific research conducted by the authors, not to entertain. The subject is covered well but because it was conducted in the United States on a limited amount of high level academics, it is not generalisable. The article is very detailed with the topics being explored in great depth. The material is presented in a logical and organised way. The article is accordingly relevant to the academic community. Objectivity The information presented in the article is from a research study. The results are presented in an objective way with all evidence and supporting documentation acknowledged. The authors clearly outline some of the limitations of the

research and make reference to alternative points of view, enhancing the objectivity of the article. The article is based on fact with all stringent research processes and decisions clearly explained. As a result, the information presented in the article is objective. Stability The article is from an academic journal that is available in both print and electronic forms. It can also be found on an established and highly credible academic database: EBSCOhosts Academic Search Premier. For these reasons, the article is stable as a resource. Analysis of graph (MAT1008 will help you to write this section) Conclusion This review has summarised and critically reviewed Bell and Ledermans article Understandings of the nature of science and decision making on science and technology based issues. The structure, accessibility, content, strengths and limitations of the article were analysed and critiqued along with the graph which was included. The authors and journal are credible, accurate and current. The articles information is accessible, well structured, relevant and presented in an objective way. The article is also stable as a resource. The article has therefore contributed valuable information and understanding about how knowledge of the nature of science influences decision-making on science and technology based issues.

Sample 3 Source Cregan, K 2005, Ethical and social issues of embryonic stem cell technology, Internal Medicine Journal, vol.35, no.2, viewed 15 March 2007, Ethical and social issues of embryonic stem cell technology Introduction This review critiques the article Ethical and social issues of embryonic stem cell technology by Kate Cregan in the Internal Medicine Journal. The article will be summarized and its purpose defined. The review will then examine the structure of the article in terms of how the information is displayed and the ease with which the reader can access the information. The article will be critiqued based upon its authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, objectivity and stability. The review will also analyse the graph before finally judging the articles accessibility and credibility. Overall the article was well written, clear and relevant. Article summary The purpose of this article is to consider the negative implications of embryonic stem cell technology on an ethical and social level. According to the article, the issues relating to this controversial topic transcend the religious arguments commonly brought to the fore in such debates. The use of stem cell technology will lead to the transformation of societys view of life, causing it to be commercialized and simultaneously devalued. The article does acknowledge the possible benefits of the technology. However it questions whether such benefits for a privileged few are worth the commercialization of women living in poverty - those most likely to become a source of embryos for such technology.

The use of stem cell technology will have harmful consequences affecting not only these women, but also society as a whole as the concept of life is reduced to a scientific process. Article structure The article was introduced with an abstract that provided an effective overview of the article by establishing the background to the issue as well as the theme and main points of the piece. The article itself is qualitative in nature and is two pages long. It is accessible online as a PDF document. As such, links are not included in the article, but contact details for the author are provided. In addition, the citation of the article, available through EBSCOhost MegaFILE Premier does contain links to articles related to key words and subject terms. These links provided useful background to the topic. Despite the shortness of the article, information is not easily accessible. There is a logical ordering of points, but the piece lacks headings and both the paragraphs and the sentences are long, so accessing the information, reading and understanding the article is not easy. Furthermore, the conclusion is not a summary of the points made but a question defining the overall theme of the article. There is no in-text referencing, but three references are provided in a reference section. Additionally, there is a section acknowledging the piece upon which the article was based. The original piece, co-authored by Kate Cregan and Paul James, Stem-cell alchemy: techno-science and the new philosophers stone in the Arena Journalincludes several in-text references and twenty-one references in total. Overall therefore, while the abstract is effective and the links provided via the citation are useful, the structure of the article makes it difficult to read and understand. Article critique Authority The official journal of the Adult Medicine Division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Internal Medicine Journal in which the article was featured is an extremely reputable source. This journal aims to inform and educate, its target audience being the medical community. In addition the fact that the article was found via EBSCOhosts Academic Search Premier, which is known to be a reliable database, adds to its credibility, as does that fact that it is peer reviewed. Furthermore, the author is a research fellow for the Australian Research Council, as well as an academic at Melbournes RMIT University and has written numerous other books and articles. The various positions and the contact details of the author are displayed on the article. All of this information indicates that the article is highly credible. Accuracy The source of much of the information in the article was the original piece upon which the article was based. While the article itself has only three references and no in-text referencing, the original, co-authored by Kate Cregan and Paul James contains several in-text references and a total of twenty-one references, implying great accuracy. The articles accuracy is also confirmed by the careful scrutiny that it was subjected to by Internal Medicine Journal it was accepted for publishing nine days after being received. The fact that the article is peer reviewed also verifies its precision. Currency The journal issue containing the article was published in February 2005, while the article was accepted for publishing in October 2004. Its references date from 2001. The original piece upon which the article is based was published in 2002, with references dating from 1998. The recent publication of the article and the recent references indicate that the article is very current, as does the content of the article which deals with the latest developments in stem cell technology. Relevance

The article was published in a medical journal intended to inform the medical community. As it was written to provide information for an educated sector and published in a reputable journal, it is relevant to the intended audience. The topic covered is also a significant one in todays society. The article covers several aspects of the issue, and although the information originates in Australia, it relates to the global community. Objectivity: The information in the article was derived from Doctor Cregans extensive experience in the area of stem cell technology, associated with the Australian Research Council. The article shows research decisions, and contains both facts and opinions. However, where opinions are presented, both sides of the argument are illustrated. The fact that the article considers the negative implications of embryonic stem cell technology on an ethical and social level does not lead to bias because the positive possibilities of the technology are also acknowledged. Limitations of stem cell technology and conversely, the restrictions of not utilizing such technology are discussed. The majority of the claims and arguments made are supported, if not in the article, then in the original piece, by references to prior research or literature, and frequent mention is made of alternative points of view. However, in several instances, strongly worded assertions are made, and are not supported by documented evidence. The article serves its purpose as an objective presentation of the negative social and ethical aspects of stem cell technology to the medical community. However it could have been written more objectively if emotive and strongly worded statements had not been used or had been better supported. Stability Having been published in a medical journal, and being accessible through a credible and reliable academic database, the article is a stable resource. Analysis of graph (MAT1008 will help you to write this section) Conclusion This review summarised and critically reviewed Cregans article, Ethical and social issues of embryonic stem cell technology. The content, structure, strengths and limitations of the article were analysed and critiqued. The article has contributed to a better understanding amongst the medical community of the disadvantages, both social and ethical of stem cell technology. Although it lacks an accessible structure and is therefore difficult to read, it is well researched and highly credible.