Superior Research Article Review
Source:
Selected a full-length research article from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal on a topic clearly pertaining to course goals and objectives (see syllabus)
Formal Guidelines:
PDF of research article attached
Used the “Research Article Review Template” to write paper
Submitted on or before the deadline
Provided reference of research article on top of the first page
Provided complete reference list of all sources cited, including the reviewed article
APA Style:
Correctly applied APA style for general formatting throughout the paper, see checklist below
Correctly applied APA style to in-text citations throughout the paper, see checklist below
Correctly applied APA style to entire reference list, see checklist below
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling:
Throughout the paper, rules of grammar, usage and punctuation are followed; spelling is correct
Throughout the paper, language is clear and precise; sentences display consistently strong, varied structure
Throughout the paper, word choice and tone are scholarly
Summary Section:
Clearly states research questions and/or purpose or thesis statement
Clearly explains why the research is important (significance)
Clearly states theoretical framework, if applicable[unique_solution]
Clearly states methods, procedures, and population, if applicable
Clearly states what primary sources were used to support findings, if applicable
Clearly states most important findings and results
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, using correct citations. Used few short quotations. Did not use long quotations.
Length: 250 words (+/- 20 words)
Reflections & Connections Section:
Clearly explained article choice
Clearly discussed important implications of the information for future profession
Made many explicit connections between the article, class lectures and discussions, as well as other class readings
Analyzed and synthesized information from three additional scholarly sources
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, using correct citations. Used few short quotations. Did not use long quotations.
Length: 750 words (+/- 50 words)
Satisfactory Research Article Review
Source:
Selected a full-length research article from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal on a topic pertaining to course goals and objectives
Formal Guidelines:
PDF of research article attached
Used the “Research Article Review Template” to write paper
Submitted on or before the deadline
Provided reference of research article on top of the first page
Provided complete reference list of all sources cited, including the reviewed article
APA Style:
Correctly applied APA style for general formatting in most of the paper, see checklist below
Correctly applied APA style to in-text citations in most of the paper, see checklist below
Correctly applied APA style to most of reference list, see checklist below
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling:
In most of the paper, rules of grammar, usage and punctuation are followed; spelling is correct
In most of the paper, language is clear and precise; sentences display consistently strong, varied structure
In most of the paper, word choice and tone are scholarly
Summary Section:
States research questions and/or purpose or thesis statement
Explains why the research is important (significance)
States theoretical framework, if applicable
States methods, procedures, and population, if applicable
States what primary sources were used to support findings, if applicable
States most findings and results
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, using correct citations. Used several short quotations. Did not use long quotations
Length: less than 210 words or more than 290
Reflections & Connections Section:
Explained article choice
Discussed some implications of the information for future profession
Made some explicit connections between the article, class lectures and discussions, as well as other class readings
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, using correct citations. Used several short quotations. Did not use long quotations
Length: less than 675 words or more than 825 words
Well Below Standard Research Article Review
Source:
Selected a full-length research article from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal on a topic not directly pertaining to course goals and objectives
Formal Guidelines:
Did not attach PDF of research article
Did not use the “Research Article Review Template” to write paper
Submitted after the deadline
Did not provide reference of research article on top of the first page
Provided incomplete reference list of all sources cited
APA Style:
Incorrectly applied APA style for general formatting in most of the paper, see checklist below
Incorrectly applied APA style to in-text citations in most of the paper, see checklist below
Incorrectly applied APA style to most of reference list, see checklist below
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling:
Rules of grammar, usage and punctuation are followed inconsistently; few spelling errors
Language often lacks clarity and precision; many sentences display weak, repetitive structure
Word choice and tone are often conversational and informal
Summary Section:
Vaguely states research questions and/or purpose or thesis statement
Vaguely explains why the research is important (significance)
Vaguely states theoretical framework, if applicable
Vaguely states methods, procedures, and population, if applicable
Vaguely states what primary sources were used to support findings, if applicable
Vaguely states some findings and results
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, at times lacking correct citations. Relied on many direct quotations.
Length: less than 190 or more than 310
Reflections & Connections Section:
Vaguely explained article choice
Vaguely discussed implications of the information for future profession
Made vague connections between the article, class lectures and discussions, as well as other class readings
Analyzed and synthesized information from one additional scholarly source
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, at times lacking correct citations. Relied on many direct quotations.
Length: less than 650 or more than 850
Clearly Unsatisfactory Research Article Review
Source:
Did not select a full-length research article from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal
Formal Guidelines:
Did not attach PDF of research article
Did not use the “Research Article Review Template” to write paper
Submitted after the deadline
Did not provide reference of research article on top of the first page
Did not provided reference list of all sources cited, including the reviewed article
APA Style:
Failed to apply APA style for general formatting, see checklist below
Failed to apply APA style to in-text citations, see checklist below
Failed to apply APA style to of reference list, see checklist below
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling:
Did not follow rules of grammar, usage and punctuation; many spelling errors
Throughout the paper, language lacks clarity and precision; most sentences display weak, repetitive structure
Throughout the paper, word choice and tone are often conversational and informal
Summary Section:
States research questions and/or purpose or thesis statement
Explains why the research is important (significance)
States theoretical framework, if applicable
States methods, procedures, and population, if applicable
States what primary sources were used to support findings, if applicable
States most important findings and results
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, often lacking correct citations. Relied on too many direct quotations.
Length: less than 150 or more than 350
Reflections & Connections Section:
Did not explain article choice
Did not discuss implications of the information for future profession
Did not make connections between the article, class lectures and discussions, or other class readings
Did not analyze and synthesize information from additional scholarly sources
Paraphrased information using student’s own words, often lacking correct citations. Relied on too many direct quotations.
Length: less than 600 or more than 900
APA Style Checklist
Correctly applied APA style for general formatting, for example:
- All abbreviations are written out the first time they are used an introduced in parentheses
- Uses gender-inclusive (non-biased) language throughout
- Each paragraph is indented
- Numbers are expressed correctly (spell out numbers below 10 and any numbers at the beginning of a sentence)
- Does not use contractions (e.g., doesn’t)
- Uses “smart” or “curly” double-quotation marks before and after direct quotations.
- Uses single quotation marks inside of double quotation marks, e.g., One participant was skeptical about the process: “I don’t put any stock in these ‘dream diaries.’”
Correctly applied APA style to in-text citations, for example:
- Smith (2016) noted an increase in student participation.
- Note: the publication year goes behind the author’s name.
- According to Smith (2016), “Using APA is fun” (p. 21).
- Note: APA uses “p.” and MLA uses pg. Also note that the closing period follows the closing parenthesis.
- According to Smith (2016), “Learning APA is easy” (pp. 21-22).
- Note: If a quotation spans two pages in the original source, APA uses “pp.” and MLA uses pgs.
- According to Smith and Jones (2012), “Using APA is a lot of fun” (p. 21).
- Note: Use “and” in citations with multiple authors outside of parentheses.
- Some scholars argued that using APA can be entertaining (Smith & Jones, 2012).
- Note: Use “&”in citations with multiple authors within parentheses.
- Some scholars found that using APA can be a pain (Allen, 1999; Zakrajsek & Moller, 2012).
- List authors in alphabetic order, if you cite two or more sources within same parentheses separated by a semicolon.
Correctly applied APA style to reference list, for example:
- Includes all sources cited in the paper (and no additional sources)
- All references are listed in alphabetical order, by first author’s last name (e.g., Webster, A. G.)
- All lines after the first line of each entry is indented one-half inch from the left margin (hanging indentation)
- When referencing multiple sources by the same author, list entries in chronological order (earliest to latest)
- Capitalize all major words in journal titles.
- For titles capitalize only the first letter of the first word and the first word after a colon, as well as all proper nouns