Topic: Is aspartame really safe?
Description:
Choose 2 articles: one article says Aspartame is safe and the other one says it is not safe. Please does your critique on primary articles only (that have materials and method section/discussion).
References: Chicago style (as long as you like in terms of numbers).
Importantly: Please remember always that you are critiquing, please do not describe much.
Points to focus on them:
• Does the author have sample and valid evidence?
• Are there any holes in the author’s argument?
• Did the author misrepresent evidence or add bias to evidence?
• Does the author detail the methods thoroughly?
• Is the study designed without major flaws?
• Is there a problem with the sample size?
• Was a control group created for comparison?
• Are all of the statistical calculations correct?
• What evidence has been shown to validate the conclusions.
• Is there a particular bias or framework apparent?
• Are both sides of an argument presented
• Are the main ideas in the text supported by reliable evidence?
• Do you agree or disagree with all/some/none of the premises being o?ered by the author? Why?
• Ensure that everything you say is supported by evidence and references
– Use language that encourages reader support for your argument
• may/maybe/might
• indicates/indicative of
• suggests/suggestive of
• likely
• possible/possibly
• consistent/inconsistent
– Unless there is incontrovertible evidence, avoid ‘absolutes’, terms like:
• impossible
• is/is not
• Never
• Always
• Support unusual/controversial ?ndings with EXTRA evidence, explanations and references (NB: references that are solid)
• Link what you are saying to the overall ?eld of the discipline
• Introduction – Briefly, begin your paper by describing the journal article and authors you are critiquing. Provide the main hypothesis or thesis of the paper and explain why you think the information is relevant.
• Thesis Statement – The final part of your introduction should include your thesis statement. Your thesis statement is the main idea of your critique. Your thesis should briefly sum up the main points of your critique.
• Article Summary – Provide a brief summary of the article, outlining the main points, results and discussion. Be careful not to get too bogged down by your summary.
Remember, this section of your paper should highlight the main points of the article you are critiquing. Don’t feel obligated to summarize each little detail of the main paper. Focus instead on giving the reader an overall idea of the content of the article.
• Your Analysis – In this section, you should provide your critique of the article. Describe any problems you had with the authors premise, methods, or conclusions.
Your critique might focus on problems with the authors argument, presentation or on information, and alternatives that have been overlooked. Organize your paper carefully and be careful not to jump around from one argument to the next. Argue one point at a time. Doing this will ensure that your paper flow’s well and is easy to read.
• Conclusion – Your critique paper should end with an overview of the articles argument, your conclusions and your reactions.
• Tips to be considered:
• Avoid summarizing the article at all costs. It is better to write a shorter critique than to attempt to fill up blank space with boring summation.
• Avoid style-based critiques that include comments such as “I liked it” or “It was written poorly.” Instead, focus on the content of the article