Students are presented with published articles selected by the instructor and required to answer the following questions. Variations of the assignment can include completing it during class or as a homework assignment, having the students work on the assignment individually or in groups, or designing more specific questions tied to a particular article (see Suter & Frank, 1986).

1.    What was the hypothesis being evaluated?

2.    How would you describe the design used in this study? Is it an experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, or non-experimental design? Explain your answer.

3.    What were the key variables being studied (e.g., variables being correlated, independent and dependent variables)?

4.    What extraneous variables were controlled and why? What other specific control techniques were used and why?

5.    Summarize the operational definitions of the key variables.

6.    Who were the participants? How were they selected and assigned to treatment conditions?

7.    Were there any ethical issues invoked in this research and how were they handled,

8.    Outline what happened to a participant in each experimental condition, observational group, or other type of treatment condition.

9.    What statistical tests were used? Explain why these tests were or were not appropriate given the research design and measurement scale. What were the significance levels? Did the researchers address effect size?

10.   Was a relationship found between any of the variables examined in this study Summarize the evidence that supported or did not support the hypothesis being tested?

11.   Did the researchers address any alternative or rival explanations? How did they rule these explanations out?

12.   To what degree can these results be generalized to individuals other than those represented in the study?

13.   Can you detect any potential bias on the part of the author(s)?

Some of the items listed above were adapted from suggestions in:

    Chamberlain, K., & Burrough, S. (1985). Techniques for teaching critical reading. Teaching of Psychology, 12, 213-215.

    Suter, W. N., & Frank, P. (1986). Using scholarly journals in undergraduate experimental methodology courses. Teaching of psychology, 13, 218-221.