Article Analysis

For this exercise, select one of the four articles listed below. The exercise you create will complete the questions about the article, summarize the main points the author(s) made in the article, and include your analysis of the content and the argument being made.  Consider how good or bad of a job the author(s) did in making the main points that are discussed in the article.  Provide support for your conclusions with evidence from the article. Do not add other research sources to this exercise.

Select from one of the following articles to do this exercise. See the e-handout on using OhioLINK Research Databases for how to access the article using the title or the Accession Number (AN).

These entries are in a streamlined APA format:

1. [crypto-currrency]  Young, P. L (2014). Bitcoin revolution wins over world.  Amass, 19 (53), 42-43.  AN 101021932

2. [multi-tasking] Rosen, Christine. "The Myth of Multitasking." New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology &       Society 20.(2008): 105-110. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.  Accession Number:  33186635.

3. [procrastination] Tice, Dianne M., and Roy F. Baumeister. "Longitudinal Study of Procrastination, Performance, Stress, and Health: The Costs and Benefits of Dawdling." Psychological Science 8.6 (1997): 454-458. PsycINFO. Web. 23 Jan. 2016

Accession Number:  1997-43695-008

4. [sleep] Stanley, A. (2015). The cult of no sleep. Seventeen, 74(11), 70.

AN 110121187

5. [surveillance] Lambertson, J. A.  (2015). Careful, you're being watched.  Library Journal 140(130), 41-43. AN109056199.

ARTICLE ANALYSIS QUESTIONS

Submit the completed questions, along with a one-paragraph, single-spaced, informative summary of the article's content and one to two paragraphs of analysis about the quality of the article.The summary of your article should be no longer than nine (9) typed lines, using Times New Roman font, size 12.

Questions about the basic information the article:

1. Name of the specific indexing source used to find the article: 
   1. Please be more specific than OhioLINK or EBSCO.  Example: Academic Search Complete, MasterFILE, ERIC, etc.   Look at the abstract page to find this information if you're not sure.

1. Identify the Accession Number (AN) or DOI number on the abstract page: __________________
2. Copy and paste the complete http location of the article from EBSCO: _________________________________

Questions about the ARTICLE'S CONTENT:

 4.  What categories or types of the information does this article address?  (background,
definition of the problem, causes, effects, solution,  not applicable, and so forth) 

 5.  Is the article's information about the topic adequate?   If not, what is missing or what is      

      wrong with the information?

6.  Is needless information included?                If so, give an example.

      Is necessary information missing?               If so, what kind(s)?  

 7.  If conclusions/results/findings are given in the article (answer yes, no, both, or can't tell for each of the following four questions):

     a.  is the information logical?    ______

     b.  does the discussion explain and support each conclusion the author(s) drew? _______

     c.  are the findings "primary" (meaning the author(s) did the questionnaire or experiment) or has the material been taken from several other sources?  __________

      d. is it made perfectly clear to the reader as to where and how each fact was found by the article's author(s)?   ________

8.  Does the language style being used clarify things for YOU, the researcher?   If not, what iswrong with it?

9.  Is the author's data/supportive information CURRENT?  Note: in most professional areas, "current" is defined as within the last five years.

10.  Is the article's date of publication current enough for the topic in question?  (Rule of Thumb: no older thanfive years.

Questions about the JOURNAL (or host source) and the TARGET AUDIENCE:

11.  Are the journal's or host source's credentials creditable in the area that is being addressed by the article? How do you know? If the credentials of the journal or host source are not "good," why might you decide to use this article?

12.  What type of audience does this journal or host site address?  Example:  professionals in a specific field, newcomers to a field, a general audience looking for entertaining information, etc.

Questions about the AUTHOR(S):

13.  Is the article signed or unsigned? ­­­ ________(specify which, do not say Yes or No). If signed, answer 2a and b. If not, answer 3.  (NOTE: signed meansthe author's or authors' name(s) is/are identified in the article.)

14.  a.  If the article is SIGNED, what is/are the author's/authors' stated qualifications?                                   

b.  If the information about the author's/authors' credentials was/were not given in the articleitself,where did you look to find them?    

15. If the article is UNSIGNED, what is the "something" about the information that makes you "trust" this source for accuracy? Add your one-paragraph summary of the article's content after the questions.  Below that, add your brief critique of the quality of the information and argument in the article.

Maximum point value:  50

Criteria for evaluation of this exercise: 

¨     How suitable the language level and usage are

¨     How clear and effective the language is

¨     How effective sentence structure is

¨     How accurately the writer has summarized and explained the author's ideas without bias or skewing

¨    The thoroughness and accuracy of the exercise.