Research the internet or local newspapers about an issue regarding child protection. The article/newspaper article must be within the last 6 months and you must DEAL WITH ONLY CURRENT NEWS ABOUT A CHILD PROTECTIVE ISSUE OR AN ISSUE that can manifest itself into a child abuse/neglect.
For instance: child poverty, lack of education, children’s death, lack of investigation procedures, etc.
Provide a copy of the article in your submission. If this article is on a newspaper you may scan the article for the class and instructor to review and attach it next to your review.
Please follow these instructions in detail as you will be evaluated in your ability to perform the following:
1. Come up with a title for your article review paper. This title should reflect the focus of your review and NOT the title of the article. Decide between a declarative title, descriptive title or interrogative title. Write your cover page properly. Ensure that you follow APA guidelines for your paper. If you should have any questions about APA format, you are encouraged to use the APA resources available in the course.
2. Write the introduction of your review. The introduction of the article review will have the identification sentence. It will also mention the central themes of the article and the arguments and claims of the author. You also need to state the author’s thesis. Sometimes, the thesis has multiple points. The thesis may not be clearly stated in the article, so you may have to determine the thesis yourself.
Don’t: make statements in the first person (“I”).
Do: give an overall impression of the article using the 3rd person and a formal, academic style.
- Your introduction should only be 10-25% of your review.
- End the introduction with your thesis. Your thesis should address the focus of the article you chose:
- For example: Although the author has some good points, his article is biased and contains some misinterpretation of data from others analysis of the effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy in the prevention of child/abuse and neglect.
Summarize the article. Express the main points, arguments, and findings of the article in your own words, referring to your summary for assistance. Show how the article supports its claims. Make sure to include the article’s conclusions. This may be done in several paragraphs, although the length will depend on requirements established by your instructor or publisher.
Don’t: cover specific examples, statistics, or background information familiar to experts in the field.
Do: capture the main points of each section, as space allows.
- Use direct quotes from the author sparingly.
- Review the summary you have written. Read over your summary several times to ensure that your words are an accurate description of the author’s article.
Write your critique. Use your outline of opinions to write several paragraphs explaining how well the author addressed the topic. Express your opinion about whether the article was a clear, thorough, and useful explanation of the subject. This is the core of your article review. Evaluate the article’s contribution to the field and the importance to the field. Evaluate the main points and arguments in the article. Decide if the author’s points help her argument. Identify any biases. Decide if you agree with the writer, then provide sufficient support as to why or why not. End by suggesting which audiences would benefit from reading the article.
Don’t: fill your review with a long list of unrelated critiques.
Do: tie your grievances and praise together into a coherent argument, forming your own thesis.
- Support your critique with evidence from the article or other texts.
- The summary portion is very important for your critique. You must make the author’s argument clear in the summary section for your evaluation to make sense.
- Remember, this is not where you say if you liked the article or not. You are assessing the significance and relevance of the article.
- Use a topic sentence and supportive arguments for each opinion. For example, you might address a particular strength in the first sentence of the opinion section, followed by several sentences elaborating on the significance of the point.
Conclude the article review. In a paragraph, summarize the main points of the article, as well as your opinions about its significance, accuracy, and clarity. If relevant, also comment on implications for further research or discussion in the field.
- This should only be about 10% of your overall essay.
- For example: This critical review has evaluated the article “Protective Measures employed by a corrupt child abuse and fractured system” by Theresa McManon . The arguments in the article show the presence of bias, prejudice, argumentative writing without supporting details, and misinformation. These points weaken the authors arguments and reduce his credibility.
Proofread. Reread the review. Look for grammar, mechanics, and usage mistakes. Make sure to cut any extra, unneeded information.
- Make sure you have identified and discussed the 3-4 key issues in the article.
