Step 1: Choosing an article to review You are required to select and critically review a psychology research article from a list of possible options. Select only one article to review. You may use the remaining articles as supporting literature to help you build your argument, but a well-constructed review might require you to conduct further research through the Swinburne Library. Step 2: Writing your critical review Write a critical review of your selected article, including the following: Title Page (not included in word count) – Criterion 1 The title page should be in APA format and include an informative title that makes sense. Introduction (approx. 100 words) – Criterion 2 The introduction should say why the general subject of the research article being evaluated is important or interesting and what you are going to do (e.g. ‘This critical review will … ‘). Your final sentence should state your overall judgment about the strength of the article. Body: Summary (400 words) – Criterion 3 Provide a summary of the author’s research question/hypotheses, major arguments/ideas, strengths/weaknesses and conclusions. Critical evaluation (approx. 400 words) – Criterion 4 You can find information regarding critically evaluating resources in the marking guide below. If you are unsure of how you would go about critically evaluating, please have a go at Activity: Critical review generator as it will provide you with a starting point. Conclusion (approx. 100 words) – Criterion 5 The conclusion should provide a summary of the major points of your argument, and your overall evaluation of the research article. Perhaps consider what the article has contributed to your understanding and to the development of knowledge in this area of research. Writing style and structure– Criterion 6 Please consider general spelling, grammar and paragraph structure. Must include relevant subheadings and use appropriate topic/linking sentences. All headings and formatting must conform to APA format. In-text referencing/References list (in APA style) – Criterion 7 Include a reference list in APA style. It should be presented on its own page with a separate heading. You may find the APA style guide (Links to an external site.) useful. This Guide to writing critical reviews will assist you. Please note that the allocation of words to each section is a guideline, and will vary across individual assignments. Note that your evaluation should go beyond a simple ‘good’ or ‘not good’. Rather, you are evaluating the extent to which the argument is supported by the evidence and the extent to which the methods address the research question. (Tip: Don’t forget the strengths. It is unlikely that the paper is perfect, but as it is a published article, it probably has some strengths as well.) Article: Xu, P., & Cheng, J. (2021). Individual differences in social distancing and mask-wearing in the pandemic of COVID-19: The role of need for cognition, self-control and risk attitude. Personality and individual differences. , pp. 1-8.
