It is important that you learn how to critically review research. In our society today, we are exposed to so much information and so many studies. Some of that information is excellent, some is useful, and some is very, very bad. How can you determine what information is useful and what is dangerous? One way is to take a course like Critical Thinking; however, the facts that I give you will be outdated all too soon. The most important thing you will learn from this course -- and from your college education -- is how to evaluate the information critically that is presented to you. Critical thinking involves asking five questions: who, what, when, where, how. Assignment 1. Find and read an article in the media or a video clip that reports the results of a scientific study. You must include the link to the website. It is essential that the article you review would either argue for something or present a theory or idea with supporting evidence for its claims or conclusion. News items, even if they are about scientific discoveries are not suited fo this assignment because news items report the news (naturally) and provide no theory or arguments and supporting evidence that could be criticized based on its strengths/weaknesses. Explanations/educational articles (such as WebMD explaining to us what certain conditions are) are not good for our purposes either because they teach us something, telling us what is what, and thus do not provide supporting evidence that could be criticized. Teaching/explaining are very different from arguing! Please keep this in mind when you choose an article! 2. Discuss how accurately did the mass media report the study? 3. Answer the above five questions about the article (Who, What, When, Where, and How) 4. Do NOT use entertainment or sports articles for your review. The articles must be research-based and must include claims/conclusions and supporting evidence, which are to be criticized!. Directions: You will write a one-page critical review of the article. The review should answer each of the five questions. You must cite your source. If it is a website, please make sure you put the entire web address. Remember you are evaluating critically, not just summarizing. See the examples below the grading rubric: CRITICAL THINKING REVIEW EXAMPLES: Critical thinking involves asking five questions - who, when, what, where, and how. You should organize your paper in the following manner: Your Name Critical Review Author, I. (date of publication). Title of article. Name of Publication, volume #, page #-#. OR Author, I. (date of publication if available). Title of article. Retrieved [date accessed] from the World Wide Web: [Web site address] Where: Where did this article/Web page appear? Is this reasonable? Is the publishing entity respectable/responsible? Who: Who wrote/published the article/Web page? What are their credentials? Are the credentials appropriate for their argument? When: Is this current information? If yes, do you think it will stand the "test of time"? If no, is it outdated or is it classic? What: What argument is/are the author(s) making? Is it logical? Based on what you know, is it reasonable? What evidence is given to support the argument? Can you think of evidence to refute it? How: How was the supporting/refuting evidence collected? Is this credible? What kind of evidence do you think needs to be gathered to test the argument? Did the author(s) do this? Summarize the quality of the article (it does not have to be a "good" article in your opinion), and whether you consider this to be a worthwhile and trustworthy article. Did you think it was biased? Could the author have underlying motives? What do you think? Is it valid? NOTE: Do not simply answer yes or no to the questions above. Write a thoughtful response to each section. SAMPLE CRITICAL REVIEWS: Critical Review Kathleen Doheny, Nov 18, 2010. Mental Illness Affects 1 in 5 Americans. Retrieved on November 26, 2010 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-healthews/20101118/mental-illness-affects-in-in-5-americans Where: The WebMD website provides valuable health information tools for managing health and support to those who seek health information. WebMD provides credible information by board-certified physicians, award-winning journalists, and trained community moderators. WebMD verifies the qualifications of all medical professionals on the site to bring credible information at all times. Who: The article was written by Kathleen Doheny, a Los Angeles-based journalist specializing in health, fitness, and behavior topics. In addition to writing for WebMD, she contributes regularly to other websites and to national magazines such as Los Angeles Times, Shape, Natural Health, Westways, Weight Watchers Magazine, Prevention magazine, Consumers Digest, cancerandcareers.org, and webvet.com. The article was revised by Laura J. Martin, MD, MPH a medical editor for WebMD who is responsible for reviewing WebMD news and feature stories to ensure their medical accuracy. Dr. Martin has many years of experience in the practice of both inpatient and outpatient internal medicine. She has served as a medical educator in the fields of general internal medicine, palliative care, and medical ethics. When: This article seems to be current as it was written on November 18, 2010. What: This report shows the result of a new government survey that indicates that 1 in 5 adult Americans had experienced mental illness in the past year. The information is supported by statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA). The argument here is that mental health is not considered to be part of health, and people don't access health for themselves because they don't appreciate is a disorder. The article intends to encourage people to accept mental illness as part of health and to seek attention for this problem. With the statistic shown I can say that is a great article to show people the facts of Mental illness, and to seek the appropriate help for the disorder. How: The sources for this article were cited. I was able to verify the statistics, and I was able to visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) web site, and concluded that the article was well cited, and there are no biases for medications, or treatments. In summary, this is a good tool in regards of knowing some realities of mental disorders, as well as to start helping yourself and others to seek the deserved attention to mental disorders they need. WC/425