research critiques

KINESIOLOGY 250 RESEARCH/LITERATURE CRITIQUE

PURPOSE:  As an interdisciplinary field of study, kinesiology uses written forms of communication and involves the application of biological, chemical, physical and mathematical principles to the study of human movement and health.  While much of the writing you will do as an undergraduate asks you to report and interpret experimental findings, some writing skills will ask to reflect on large-scale problems, such as the impact of health issues on our society.

One of the goals/outcomes of this assignment is to demonstrate a thorough understanding of a topic in the field.  In the future you will read more than one research article and then write a document that synthesizes the ideas/findings presented.  The goal is to develop a thorough summary of an area/topic of study and an opinion about the findings of the study as well as a practical application in your intended field. 

SKILLS:  The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this course/in school/ and in this field and professional life beyond school:

• Understanding basic disciplinary knowledge by selecting a relevant topic for your research article
• Identify tools in the library to assist you with identifying the topic and locating a research article based on the following criteria
  • Human subjects research
  • Relevant topic in Kinesiology
  • Research (Methods, Results, Discussion)
• Read and review literature in the field and report on the methodology, results, discussion and conclusion.
• Analyze and synthesize the information obtained from reading/reviewing the research article.
• Interpret the evidence (textual, visual and graphical forms).
• Critically evaluate the article by pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the study.
• Apply information you learned from the article to relevant issues you are learning about in class.   

KNOWLEDGE:  This assignment will also help you to become familiar with the current (within five years) content knowledge in this discipline.  

• Read the following article on and write a research critique.  This critique is a summary of all aspects of this article and you can conclude by summarizing your opinion, what you learned and/or suggestions.  We completed a research critique in KINS 155 in the Fall and this is a similar assignment.  
• Click below to see a student sample critique.