Critiquing Research and Developing Foundations for Your Life Care Plan. Starting Your Search

Transcription

1 Critiquing Research and Developing Foundations for Your Life Care Plan Sara Cimino Ferguson, MHS, CRC, CLCP With contributions from Paul Deutsch, Ph.D., CRC, CCM, CLCP, FIALCP, LMHC Starting Your Search Why look for research articles? A life care planner will begin looking for articles to include as foundations to justify recommendations in the life care plan. It is essential that life care planners understand how to locate and review appropriate research. Starting Your Search Where can I look? Peer Reviewed Journal Articles Text Books Practice Guidelines The Internet (use caution) Use sites with.org or.gov for the most reliable sites 1

2 Databases Where do I locate peer reviewed journals? Look to your databases Examples of databases include: PsychInfo, PubMed, Current Contents Connect, Web of Science, WebMD, Emedicine.com, ERIC, and Google Scholar Databases View the tutorials on the databases! Save time! Save frustration! Save money! The Best Way to Start Your Search Know what you are looking for Who is your client? Know the basic demographics age, gender, area, etc. What is their injury? Brain injury, vision impairment, amputation What is the foundation for? Counseling, prosthetic device, routine medical visit 2

3 The Elements of A Research Report Title Abstract Introduction Literature review Methods Results Discussion Title The title of the research article should: Identify the topic of the research report The variables studied The key concepts of the research Title Not all titles are created equal: When searching by title remember to think of appropriate synonyms that describe what you are looking for EX: psychological issues for counseling EX: head injury for brain injury 3

4 Title Critique Determine: Did the title adequately describe the study? Would a keyword search retrieve this article in a database? Is the title concise and free of extraneous words and phrases? Abstract An abstract is intended to provide you with a brief summary of: The topic The demographic population studied The hypothesis Objectives of the research The variables The results Abstract Once you have completed an initial search for articles, you should read the abstract to determine if the study warrants additional exploration. You need to review the entire article to determine if it meets your needs. 4

5 Abstract Critique Did the abstract summarize the purpose, methodology, and findings of the study? Did the abstract specify the independent and dependent variables? Were primary findings mentioned? Abstract Critique Did the abstract provide enough information for a reader to determine whether the article was relevant to his/her research efforts? What types of research design most accurately describes this study? Introduction The introduction of the article will familiarize the reader with: The topic of the project The theories The concepts The reason the study is being completed The research question 5

6 Introduction By reading the introduction, you should an even better idea if the article meets your needs. The Introduction: Critique Determine if: The research problem was clearly defined The problem is important enough to warrant investigation Was the problem logically deduced from a particular theory or set of theories? Literature Review The literature review will give the reader a review of relevant literature that provides a foundation for the current study. It should help the reader determine why the present study is being conducted. 6

7 Literature Review The literature review should describe what has been completed in the past, including what has been effective/ ineffective. The research question, or hypothesis usually concludes the literature review. The Literature Review At the end of the literature review, you should be able to: Identify the independent variable(s) Identify the dependent variable(s) Understand the hypotheses or research question Literature Review: Critique Does the review logically lead to the testing of the hypothesis and the Methods that were selected to test it? Are the hypotheses and research questions clearly stated and do they indicate the anticipated findings? 7

8 Methods The methods section of the article should describe how the present study was conducted so that the study can be replicated. Methods This section should include: Participants/ Subjects Variables Instrumentation Materials Research design Procedures Methods Critique Determine If the procedures are thoroughly described in chronological order. If the treatments and/or data collection methods are adequately described to allow the study to be replicated. 8

9 Methods Critique Determine in procedures section If the treatments were administered so that extraneous sources of error were either held constant for all treatments and control groups or randomized among subjects within groups? Methods Critique Design: Was the design explicitly identified? Was an appropriate research design selected in the analysis of the problem? Was the normative population clearly defined? Were the sampling methods clearly described? Methods Critique Design: Was a control or comparison group chosen in the same manner and from the same population as the sample? Is the study population consistent with the client on whom you are developing a life care plan? 9

10 Methods Critique Design: How were individuals designated to treatment groups? What, if any, incentives were offered to subjects to enroll in the Study? If incentives were offered, were they sufficiently compelling as to compromise the subject s voluntary consent to participate in the research? Methods Critique Instrumentation: Are the instruments described in the study appropriate measures of the variables being investigated? Did the author include the relevant psychometric properties (i.e., validity, reliability) of the instruments used throughout the study? Are all materials listed clearly described? Results The results section tells the reader what the research showed (the findings of the data) Gives answers to the hypothesis or research questions Tables and charts may also be included here 10

11 The Results Critique Measurement Is the results section clearly written and logically organized? Is the analytical procedure appropriate to the research design and hypotheses of the study? Were tables, charts and graphs easily interpreted and helpful to the reader in conceptualizing the results? The Results Critique Measurement Do the reported results address all aspects of the hypotheses/research questions? Was any evidence of reliability of the measurements given? Was any evidence of the validity of the measurement given? Discussion The discussion section is intended to help the reader place the results into perspective. The authors should also delineate the limitations of the study and may give suggestions on how these limitations can be avoided in future research. 11

12 Discussion The authors may also give the reader a sense of what additional research is needed to help benefit the field. Discussion Critique Were the conclusions consistent with the obtained results? Were the generalizations confined to the population from which the sample was drawn, and not extrapolated to other populations? Were the study s limitations and their implications clearly discussed? Discussion Critique Are findings discussed in terms of the purpose of the study, the research problem and hypotheses? Are suggestions for future research provided? Are the implications of the results of the current research to the field of study discussed? 12

13 References If the article is sound and can be included as your foundation, but you still need additional sources, sometimes you can come up with more sources by looking in the reference section. References Critique Are the citations sufficiently current? Are classic studies within the body of literature of the discipline referenced? Do the works cited represent a comprehensive review of the existing literature within the discipline? Your General Opinion Was the article well written and well organized? What did you learn from the article? What are the strengths of this study? 13

14 Your General Opinion Did the study address an important issue affecting individuals with disabilities or catastrophic injuries? How could this study have been improved? Was the study important? Why? Do you understand the study? Reference: Information for this presentation was adapted from: Deutsch, P., Allison, L., and Kendall, S. (2003). Chapter 9B, Research Design and Statistics: A Practical Guide to Reading Research Literature and Practice Guidelines. In Deutsch, P. and Sawyer, H. A Guide to Rehabilitation. AHAB Press Inc.:White Plains, NY. 14