Critiquing Research Papers

Critiquing Research PapersCritiquing research papers is a very important activity in which students who are also tutors will use this opportunity to support the grade of the student. A lot of students rely on reading, writing and speaking in order to express their ideas and analyze the study materials.There are different methods of critiquing papers depending on the grade they are given. A course or lecture paper can be critiqued in the process of lecture, while in the case of a student's thesis or dissertations there can be independent critique. Both the methods provide the students with a different perspective on the paper, one that either strengthens or weakens the situation.Critiques can be formal or informal; but in both cases they act as an evaluation of the research papers. It can be taught that each type of critique is based on different standards and this can be seen when students evaluate their own work. Formal critiques will determine the validity of the evaluation by look ing at the things about the paper such as what was written in the thesis and dissertation, what the findings were based on, the quality of the research method and whether the information provided to the students is accurate and reliable. An informal critique will only ask questions such as how well the instructor is motivating the students, how is the review of the literature, does the research information come from credible sources, what is the organization of the paper, the formatting and layout of the paper, etc.The student can do two types of critiques in the case of research papers. In formal critique, the student will discuss the problems of the paper, he/she will usually prepare some questions about the paper and they will present their answers in a way that not only explains the errors but makes the paper more understandable. It can be seen that it will be easier for the student to correct the mistakes if the student already has a good idea about the problems and if he/she h as an opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of the research paper.On the other hand, informal critique can be very interesting topics will be discussed. The students will discuss the problems and weaknesses of the paper in an informal way, at least to the professor. This type of critique provides a good balance between the formal critique and the informal one, since it has both important qualities.Since an analysis and critique will take place, a student will find out what the weaknesses are. He/she will understand that the problem could be solved with the knowledge and tools that were provided to the students. Thus, the flaws in the paper will be exposed and the need for correcting them will be highlighted.When analyzing research papers, it is important to think in terms of the grade of the students. They should be given an equal voice with respect to the grade they should receive.