Journal Article Critique
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Due Jun 7 by 23:59 Points 20 Submitting a file upload File Types pdfAvailable Mar 4 at 9:00 - Jun 30 at 23:59 4 months
60117 Understanding Data and Statistical Design
Assessment Task 4: Journal Article Critique
This assessment task is marked from 20.
It is worth 30% of the marks for this subject.
Please submit your completed assignment in PDF format with name
“60117_AssessmentTask4_Surname_FirstName”
and email with subject
“60117 – Assessment Task 4”
to
scott.alexander@uts.edu.au.
Due by 23:59 Friday 7th June 2019.
Report length guideline: 2500-4000 words.
In this assessment task you are to select a scientific journal article and write a critique. In this context, a critique is a critical analysis assessing the strengths and weaknesses of scientific research and whether the conduct and findings of this research have been communicated in an effective and clear manner.
The selection of the journal article is the most important aspect of this exercise. Of course, you should select an article that is of interest to you and is connected with your particular field of science. However, it must also give you scope for discussion within the context of the subject matter presented in this course, Understanding Data and Statistical Design.
That is, you should look for an article that provides plenty of scope for scrutiny from the perspective of experiment design and from the perspective of statistical analysis. One way to ensure your selected article does provide this opportunity is to look for some key words. Look for an article that explicitly mentions some of the topics we discuss, for example:
factors, levels, treatments, blocks etc.
randomisation, replication etc.
T-test, ANOVA, linear regression, logistic regression, non-parametric tests etc.
Although not compulsory, you are encouraged to send your selected journal article to me (scott.alexander@uts.edu.au) prior to the start of writing; I can have a quick look over your article and advise you if it is appropriate to the task or if you would be better served by looking for an alternative. Of those who did request me look over their article last semester about half were advised to find another.
With an assessment weighting of 30%, this is a substantial assignment requiring a substantial report. A substantial report requires the author to have plenty to write about, underlining the need to select an article well-suited to the task.
Your reports will be marked from twenty, with the following general marking scheme:
Appropriate article (5 marks). Not only is this important to the assessment task, but this will also demonstrate your fluency with the theoretical content of this course and your ability to detect situations where this content is relevant and can be applied.
Analysis of research aims and suitability of experiment design employed (5 marks). Not all experiment designs are suited to every piece of research, although for many experimental situations multiple designs can be considered. Your task is to not only assess suitability, but to consider whether alternative designs may have allowed stronger conclusions to be drawn from the research.
Analysis of statistical methodology (5 marks). Different statistical tools are used for different experiment designs. Your task is to determine whether the tools applied in the research have been appropriate to the situation or whether alternatives could or should have been employed. Where parametric tests have been used, determine whether the assumptions on which they are built have been properly addressed in the journal article.
Quality and structure of report (5 marks). Put yourself in the position of an employee in industry or research when writing this report. Your boss would be looking for a well-formatted and structured report, one where it is easy to extract information and analysis from. Make sure you report is sectioned properly; at a minimum you will include an introduction, experiment design, statistical analysis and conclusion sections.
When submitting the assignment you must also include a completed cover sheet, which can be accessed here
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