Thomas J. Leeper > Teaching > Research Design Course > Problem Set 7

Problem Set 7: Article Critique

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to prepare you for Part B of the summative exam, which asks you to critically evaluate the research design of a published, empirical article.

Overview

You are being asked to choose an empirical research article (or book chapter/section) that you have read for any course at the LSE. With reference to that article, please answer the following questions.

Your Task

1. Select an empirical research article from another course you are currently completing or that you have completed in the past. This article can use any research method to study any social science topic.

2. Provide a complete citation to the article, including a digital object identifier (DOI), and abstract of the article (if available) at the end of your assignment.

3. With reference to your chosen article, describe the following:

   • The article’s research question
   • The article’s key social science concepts
   • The article’s theory and/or hypotheses
   • The article’s research design and method(s) of analysis

4. In 1/2 to 3/4 of a page, evaluate the quality of the research design given what you have learned in the course.

5. In a few sentences, briefly reflect on what was easy or difficult about this assignment and provide any feedback on the assignment for the instructor.

Submission Instructions

Your assignment should be no more than 3 pages of double-spaced A4, Times New Roman font size 12. Submit the assignment via Moodle by Tuesday, February 27.

Feedback

You will receive feedback within two weeks.