critical_review

CriticalreviewThemeaningofcriticalreviewBeingcritical:•involvesorrequiresmakingjudgmentsastothetruth,merit,relevance,effectiveness,breadth,contributionofsomethingtoaparticularfield,aswellasitsinformationalstructure.Review:•theprocessofgoingoverasubjectagaininstudyorrecitationinordertofixitinthememoryorsummarizethefacts.•ageneralsurvey,esp.inwords;reportoraccount.•tosurveymentally;examine:toreviewthesituation.•topresentasurveyofinspeechorwriting.Thereareacoupleofunderlyingassumptionswhichyoushouldbeawareofwhenattemptingtocriticallyreviewanyacademicworkintheareaofyourresearch:•Theliteratureisoftenwritteninexpository,notliterarystyle,anddealswithinformationwhichisarrangedaccordingly.•Tobeabletomakeusefulcommentsaboutanytopicinyourfield,thereshouldatleastbeanunderlyingknowledgebasewhichprovidesacontextandanunderstandingofthebreadthofthesubjectmatter(whoisimportant,whatistheircontribution,whatdidhe/shefindetc.).•Thefirststepistoacquirethatknowledgebasebywidereadingaccordingtothemaindescriptorsorconceptsthatyouhaveusedtofindthereadingsinthefirstplace.SkillstocultivateforresearchandcriticalreviewYouneedtoaskthereadingquestions.Forexample...Fortextbooks:•Whatisthetopicorsubjectareaofthisbook?•Whatisthemainpurposeofthisperson'swriting?UTS:ELSSACENTRE2•Whyhasthispersonwrittenthisbook?(aims)•Whatistheinformationstructureofthiswriting?Howistheinformationarranged?•Whatistheorderofpresentation?Wasitaccordingtotimeortopicorimportance?•Whatarethewriter’smainpointsandsub-points?•Whoarethemostimportantresearchersmentioned?•Whatconclusionsarereached?•Wasthetexteasytoread?Why/whynot?•Wastheinformationarrangedforeasyretrieval?•Didthewriterfulfillhis/heraims?•Hownewisthecontent?Arethereotherbooksonthissubjectmatter?•Didthewritermissanyimportantresearchersinthisfield?Doesitseemtobeup-to-date?•Whichpointsareofmostinteresttoyourareasofinterest?•Diditstimulateyourinterest?Isitrelevanttoyoursituation?Forarticles(journal,collectionofreadingsanddissertations)•Whatweretheaimsofthisstudy?Whyhastheresearcherdonethisstudy?•Whatweretheresearcher'shypotheses?Weretheyclearlyexpressed?•Whatweretheresultsofthestudy?Whatconclusionswerereached?•Didthisstudyadvancetheknowledgebaseofthediscipline,confirmotherresearchinthesamearea,orsimplyrepeatwhatisalreadyknownbywayofconfirmation?•Doesitsuggesttoyouareasforfurtherresearch?Diditstimulateyourinterest?Isitrelevanttoyoursituation?LanguageforreadingandwritingcriticallyTobecriticalinthecontextofreadingandwritinginvolvesbeingableto:•makejudgementsaboutwhatyouread.Thesejudgementsmaybepositiveornegative.Examples:•SeveralauthorshavecategorisedtheeffectsofXinveryusefulways.•ManypapersignorefactorssuchasXwhenconsideringtheapplicationsofY.•defineaphenomenonclearlybydrawingonthekeyaspectsofdefinitionsprovidedbyotherauthors.Examples:•Xisadifficultconcepttodefine,because...3•Thekeyconcepts/aspectsthatarecoveredinexistingdefinitionsareA,BandC.•establishtherelativesignificanceorimportanceofdifferentaspectsofwhatyouread.Examples:•Themosturgentofthesequestions/challengesisX,because...•ThemostimportantcategoryidentifiedappearstobeX,since...•ThemostfrequentlymentionedadvantagesareA,B,andC.•distinguishbetweencontexts,andmakejudgmentsaboutthevalidityorrelevanceofcertainideas/information/solutionswithinthosecontexts.Example:•Thissolutionhasbeenshowntobeextremelyeffectiveinsmalltomediumenterprises,butitisdebatablewhetheritwouldbeappropriateinlargeenterprises.•showtherelationship(similarities,differences)betweendifferentideas,information,theories.Example:•WhileXtheoryfocusesontheroleofrelationshipsinbuildingtrust,Ytheorydealsprimarilywiththewayinwhichthetechnologyitselfmayenhanceordiminishtrust.•showtheimplicationsofdifferentideas/theories/solutions.Example:•FromtheperspectiveofX(theory),then,solutionswouldhavetoaddresswaysofbuildingrelationshipsinanonlineenvironment,whilefromtheperspectiveofY(theory)solutionswouldinvolvedevelopingeffectiveuserinterfaces.•showanawarenessofpossiblecounter-claimsonanyissue.Example:•ThepredominantviewonXisthatitcanbestbesolvedbymeansofY.However,itcouldbearguedthatYwouldonlyworkinthecaseoftherebeingcertainconstraintsoncompetitionbetweendifferentorganizations.•identifyanygapsintheliterature.Example:•OnefactoruponwhichappearstobeoverlookedistheinfluenceoforganizationalstructureonXpractices.•identifytrendsandpatternsinexistingwork.Examples:•ProblemsrelatingtoXareincreasinglybeingrelatedtotheuseof...•WhilethevalueofXisbeingemphasizedinthecontextofY,thereisalsoatrendtowardsconsideringXinthecontextofZratherthanY.4•sumupkeyissues,implications,orproblemsthatemergefromeachsectionthatyoucover.Examples:•Itwouldseem,then,thatXleadstoY,whileAusuallyleadstoFandG.Thismeansthat,intakingatwo-prongedapproach,thedisadvantagesofintroducingXcan,tosomeextent,bemitigatedbyusingAatthesametime.•Tosumup,then,thecrucialpointstobetakenintoaccountareXandY.Adaptedfromthefollowingsources:Royce,T2009,Themeaningofcriticalreview,ELSSACentre,UTS.Royce,T2009,Skillstocultivateforresearchandcriticalreview,ELSSACentre,UTS.Royce,T200