Assignment is related to subject "Substance use and miss use"

Topic - "Substance use and pregnancy (could be alcohol or another substance)".

Critique of article: Assessment task information & instructions

Task Description: You are required to identify two peer-reviewed research articles that provide differing perspectives on a question of interest (a hypothesis) and compare the strengths and weaknesses of each article (maximum of 1,000 words). The articles must not be the same as those provided in course reading lists. Do not use ‘review' articles or ‘commentaries'.

The two articles should focus on the relationship between substance use and individual or social factors. These factors could be correlates and/or predictors and/or consequences of substance use.

You should search two databases (or more) using relevant subject terms or keywords to locate a set of articles from which to select the two suitable papers. Use Boolean logic to refine your search (i.e. combining search terms using any of these operators: AND, OR, NOT).

In evaluating each article, pay attention to the methodological aspects of the study as well as the strength of the arguments that the author(s) put forward. In light of the research methods or sources of data used, is either article based on stronger evidence? Does either article use theory in a more coherent manner? Are the conclusions reached by the authors plausible and reasonable?

Overall, which article provides a more compelling case?

In your assignment, in addition to the critique, you should provide details of the topic, your hypothesis, the databases which you searched, and the combinations of search terms that you used (including any Boolean operators).

You are required to submit a basic self-assessment as part of this piece of work. Using the assessment standards provided, indicate the level you think you have attained against each of the criteria (you can just highlight or mark the document to indicate the level). You are not marked on the self-assessment but it is essential that you complete it.

You should first decide on a topic that interests you. There are some examples of topics below. You may choose one of these topics, or any other suitable topic of interest.

Then, you need to develop a hypothesis (i.e. a question with a yes/no answer) related to that topic. The hypothesis should be fairly specific, e.g. "Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in childhood is associated with higher levels of involvement in computer games in early adulthood". (This is of course a fabricated example!).

You should refine your hypothesis AFTER your initial search and reading of the literature. This is because your hypothesis will need to reflect current debates in the literature. There is no point developing a hypothesis for which there is no available evidence.