Journal Article Evaluation and Critique

You must select THREE related research articles in social psychology focusing on one topic or issue in socialization, self, and/or identity. The journals on the following list are strongly recommended, but others may be approved by special consent.

NOTE: You must include with your report a photocopy (or printout) of the title page with the abstract (not the entire article!) for each article (3 in all); papers will NOT be graded without these.

Papers should be 8-10 pages, typed, double-spaced, with page numbers. Late papers will not be accepted without documented proof of an emergency.

SELECTED JOURNALS

Social Psychology Quarterly / Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Journal of Social Psychology / Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

American Sociological Review/ American Journal of Sociology/ Social Forces

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships / Journal of Applied Social Psychology

Basic and Applied Social Psychology / American Journal of Community Psychology

GUIDELINES

You will first address each article separately (label Article #1, #2, #3).

Copy/paste the title page/abstract of each article into your document at the end of your report.

For EACH article address the following [24 points for each article]:

1. Provide the title, author, and citation. Describe the research question/hypothesis under investigation.

2. Which of the four theoretical perspectives in social psychology is the author using ?You need to be explicit about WHY you think the theoretical model used in the paper is drawn from one of the four main perspectives.

3. Briefly (!) describe the sample and the research design/type of data. What were the major findings? Was the hypothesis supported?

4. What do YOU think of the quality of the research reported?  Do you think the author's reported theoretical findings are a valid interpretation of the data (why/not)? What does the research contribute to your understanding of socialization and/or identity (be specific)?

5. What might you do differently if you wanted to replicate (or improve) this study? What alternative theoretical perspective might you take? Why? How would the hypothesis and data differ as a result?

THEN, the CRUCIAL essay section synthesizes the articles and should address:

6. How are the articles complementary and/or contradictory? Compare and contrast the perspectives and research designs. If the findings are in conflict, which makes the stronger argument or provides stronger evidence, and why? What more do you understand about the issue by combining the articles together?.