Introduction
- When was the article published?
- Who wrote the article?
- What are the credentials of the author?
- What is the central purpose of the study?
- What was the nature of the study? (See Research Methods for Cyber Security.)
- Are the references in the literature review authoritative and relevant?
- Did the author present a good justification for why this research was done?
Research design and methodology
- Is the methodological design appropriate to the research problem?
- Could the study be duplicated from the methods and information given?
- Is the sequence of methods clear and pertinent?
- Could the method be improved?
- Would another approach have been better?
- Are there any limitations or flaws?
- How can the data be used for future research?
Interpretation and discussion of the findings
- Does the study reveal what the researcher intended?
- Were there were any major omissions in the results that could indicate bias?
- Did the researcher find a clear correlation (relationship) or a cause?
- Are there alternative interpretations of the findings?
- Did the author(s) point out any limitations to the study?
- Is it possible to draw alternate conclusions that the author(s) did not report?
Writing quality, clarity, & style, and the organization of information
- Does the source reflect the genre of the source’s discipline(s)?
- Does the source offer sufficient detail?
- Does the source present the information logically?
- Are there gaps in the description or places with unnecessary description?
- Are the data organized for easy comparison and interpretation?
- Do the author present an objective viewpoint?
- Does the author seem to have a bias or blind spot?
The value of the study
- Is the research problem significant?
- What contribution does the study make to the advancement of knowledge, theory, or practice?
- Did the research result in the formulation of new questions or hypotheses?
- Have other researchers subsequently cited and supported or refuted the observations and interpretations of these authors?
- Did the research produce any practical applications?
- What are the social, political, technological, medical implications of this research?
Adapted from https://www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/files/ssc/wss_critique_2014.pdf
