1. Using our library’s online resources (see link below), identify an empirical

1. Using our library’s online resources (see link below), identify an empirical research article that interests you. This article must be published in Archives of Sexual Behavior. If you want to use an article published in a different journal, I’ll need to approve it. https://tinyurl.com/yco5tqdj
Locate the full-text version of the article and screen shot (or otherwise attach) the first page—it should have the title and abstract. Turn in this first page (or the whole paper) along with the assignment.
2. Write a summary and critique of the article. Your paper should be about half summary and half critique. You’ll lose some points if it’s 80% summary and only 20% critique, for example.
Begin with a summary by discussing in your own words what was done and why. When summarizing the article, assume that I have no knowledge of the article. You’ll want to discuss what was done (i.e., what data were collected?), how it was done (i.e., how were data collected?), why it was done (i.e., what hypotheses were they testing?), and what was found (i.e., what did the data show?). Paraphrase by writing in your own words. Do NOT quote when constructing your summary (it’s lazy). Include all of this under a Summary heading.
For the critique portion, you can use the outline of questions on the next page, but note that you do NOT have to answer each of the 30 questions. It simply serves as a guide to the types of questions you’ll ask yourself when reading the article. You’ll want to critique something from the Introduction, Method, and the Results/Discussion. For the critique, indicate strengths and weaknesses and justify the basis for your positive or negative evaluation by including specific reasons and examples related to the article’s content. In other words, do not only state, “The authors’ interpretation of the results was adequate,” for example. You’ll want to explain or give support for why the authors’ interpretation of the results was adequate. For the critique portion, it may be necessary to quote the authors as a way to justify the basis of your evaluations. Include this stuff under a Critique heading.
Note that just because this paper was published in an academic journal does not mean it’s immune to criticism. The scientific literature contains both good science and bad science. I hope you read an example of good science, but if you don’t, do not be afraid to be critical. Be ferocious, if necessary, but be reasonable. Identify strengths and weaknesses.
Finally, I’m interested to hear your own thoughts that are related to the article you read. For example, when reading the article, what did it make you think about? Did it make you think of other hypotheses to test? Did it make you think of methodological improvements that could be made to the study? What questions did this article generate in your mind? Include this under a My Thoughts heading.
This paper will count as 20% of the final course grade. The paper will be 3-4 typed, double-spaced pages. Do not go under three pages or over four pages. Papers turned in after the due date will be penalized, and papers over one week late will not be accepted.