Article Summaries
Reviewing articles increases student’s ability to read, understand, and critique primary literature. In psychology, the primary literature consists mostly of empirical journal articles. These articles report the results of research studies.
APA format makes it easy to identify whether an article is empirical. Typically, an empirical research article has all of the following: Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, and References section. Your goal in this assignment is to read closely enough to have a general understanding of the articles. You will form your own assessment of the research, general findings, limitations, and relevance of your topic.
Directions: Choose three (3) empirical research articles that relate to a topic in human development. The articles should be published in a psychology related journal. Again, the articles should contain most, if not all, of the aforementioned subheadings. A good tip is to enter, “qualitative study” in your search (e.g. the effects of schizophrenia AND qualitative study). Please do your best NOT to choose paper’s labeled as meta-analysis, literature review, or theoretical paper. Instead, make sure the articles contain the sections listed above (Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, and References section.)
For each article you have selected, answer ALL of the following questions found in the Article Summaries Template. Make sure that your answers are complete, well written, and in your own words. It is recommended that you read the article and then complete the assignment from your recollection. Be sure to limit the use of direct quotes. You may review the document Summarizing a Research Article for additional tips.
Your article summaries should be uploaded to the Turn it in Dropbox.
Article Summaries Template
Article #1
1. Article citation in APA format:
2. What was the major purpose or problem described in the article?
3. List the hypotheses or research questions.
4. What type of sample was used in the research (i.e., who was studied)?
5. What types of methods were used (e.g., questionnaires, observations, interventions, etc.)?
6. What were the results and conclusions of the research?
7. What were the limitations of the research?
8. How does this study contribute to our understanding of human development?
Article #2
1. Article citation in APA format:
2. What was the major purpose or problem described in the article?
3. List the hypotheses or research questions.
4. What type of sample was used in the research (i.e., who was studied)?
5. What types of methods were used (e.g., questionnaires, observations, interventions, etc.)?
6. What were the results and conclusions of the research?
7. What were the limitations of the research?
8. How does this study contribute to our understanding of human development?
Article #3
1. Article citation in APA format:
2. What was the major purpose or problem described in the article?
3. List the hypotheses or research questions.
4. What type of sample was used in the research (i.e., who was studied)?
5. What types of methods were used (e.g., questionnaires, observations, interventions, etc.)?
6. What were the results and conclusions of the research?
7. What were the limitations of the research?
8. How does this study contribute to our understanding of human development?
