To do a thorough literature review for an academic research, each source should be analyzed carefully and critically evaluated. Below is a helpful template for journal article analysis which helps to analyze an academic source. The sample topic considered is consequences of divorce on children.
Instructions: When analyzing a journal article, first focus on the title of the article and/or the abstract. Determine the main variables from these sections. If the variables are what You are researching, then go ahead and read the whole article and fill out the following information below. The purpose of filling out this template is to organize the most relevant information in a journal article. In addition, it is possible that some articles do not provide the information needed to complete this template (e.g., treatment).
Reference (APA style): Check the guides for referencing to properly format Your source.
Background of the Problem:
- According to the article, what are some behavioral (e.g., conduct problems) problems that children face? What is the APA citation (author, year)?
- According to the article, what are some cognitive (e.g, low academic achievement) problems that children face? What is the APA citation (author, year)?
- According to the article, what are some emotional (e.g., self-esteem, depression) problems that children face? What is the APA citation (author, year)?
Rationale: Why did the authors research this specific topic (i.e., significance of the paper)? In other words, are there many articles on this topic? Look for the phrase ‘few studies’ or ‘not many studies.
Purpose: What is the purpose of this study? Key phrase to look for is ‘to determine’ or ‘to examine’.
Past Studies: What are some facts or statistics that are relevant to Your topic? For example, if Your topic is on parenting styles, then what are some correlations related to negative parenting styles? Include APA citations (author, year).
Participants: What is the age group(s), gender, ethnic group(s)? SES?
Assessments:
- What is the name of the first variable?
- What is the name of the assessment that measure’s the first variable?
- Do they provide an example question for the assessment? What is it?
- Is there is a Likert-scale? Example: 1 = always 5 = never
- What is the name of the second variable?
- What is the name of the assessment that measure’s the second variable?
- Do they provide an example question for the assessment? What is it?
- Is there is a Likert-scale? Example: 1 = always 5 = never
Treatment: Describe the intervention/program if applicable
Name:
Duration:
Describe the activities:
Medication:
What is the hypothesis or research question(s)?
What was significant (results) in the study? Focus on the variables that You have picked. What reasons do the authors give for the significant data (key phrase in the discussion section: may be, might be)?
Implications: What is the study recommending to educators? How can educators apply what they have learned to their children/students/clients?
Source: AEssay Team
If You need professional help with an article analysis, You can order literature review from our writing team right now.
