Commentary Assignment
Commentary Assignment
Due: November 12th. Please submit online to Turnitin via Quercus by 11:59 pm. Please attach a copy/screenshot of the first page of the research article that you have written your commentary on to the end of your submission.
Value: 25% of your final grade.
Description: Commentaries call attention to research papers of particular note. You should choose a recent research study (ie. an experiment – NOT a review – published 2015, or more recently) that is relevant to the course (ie. the research is performed in the field of human sexuality). The focus of your commentary is on what you think is an important research development in the field. This can include, but is not limited to, a new finding, a new program, new treatments, controversies, etc. The elements used to evaluate the review/commentary are discussed below. The marking scheme is also included for yourinformation.
- Please confirm your selected article with one of the TAs prior to writing your commentary. I use PubMed.com to search for journalarticles!
- Please include a descriptive and unique title for your commentary (don’t just use the research paper’stitle).
- You should structure your paper asfollows:
-An introduction to the topic and brief review/overview of the existing knowledge on the topic prior to the publication of the research paper (include why this study was performed – what was the gap in our knowledge that it filled?);
-A brief description of what was found (and the methods, if relevant) in the research study (aka the results);
-A commentary on the significance/importance of the results and how the research study has advanced the field.
-Reference list
-A screenshot of the research article first page (this will have the title, abstract and the author information).
- In your commentary section, you should highlight the major points of the research, commenting on potential implications and significance. Rather than a critique that looks at negative aspects of the paper, you are commenting on the strengths of the research and why it is important: How does this research advance the field, provide support for an existing theory or model, etc. You should discuss the new research in light of previous research in the field, clearly identifying a ‘gap’ in this previous knowledge and discussing why this new research is significant. This is where your insightfulness will beassessed.
- Length: Approximately 5 pages (not including references or title page). You must write in the 3rd-person, using scientific language, and beconcise.
- Your paper (title page, font, page numbers, in-text citations, reference list, etc) must be formatted in APAstyle
ààsee https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for guidelines. Please follow these guidelines, as you will be marked on grammar, spelling and APA formatting.
- Include at least 5 peer-reviewed references (in-text citations and references in APA format!) in addition to the research study you’re writing the commentary on. These sources can be review articles and/or from any year of publication. Please note that course textbooks do not count toward the 5 required peer-reviewedsources.
- Please attach a copy/screenshot of your article abstract to the end of your submission. If you do not do this, you will receive a deduction from your final mark.
Grading Scheme
Content (20 total marks):
-Major points of the selected article and their significance/importance are clearly and correctly discussed (13 marks)
-Suitable references are utilized and discussed in relation to the selected article (2 marks)
-Critical thinking and insightfulness/thoughtfulness demonstrated (3 marks)
-Originality and overall quality of the report is sound (2 mark)
Writing Quality: (5 total marks)
-Proper spelling and grammar are utilized
-APA formatting is utilized throughout the entire paper
-Writing style is clear and sound, paper flows well
-Proper paragraph structure and summaries are present
Marks may be deducted if the commentary is too long or too short. Please note a late penalty of 10% will be applied per day.
