PrintAssignment 7.1
Write a peer review critique of a scientific, engineering, or technical journal article concerning water resources (e.g., river restoration, life cycle of aquatic organism, international water policy review) or a hydrologically-related issue (e.g., proposed dam, summary of historic flow records). You can draw upon topics that were relevant to Lessons 2, 3, 6, or 7. You can choose the topic, the source, and the specific journal article. Your critique can be in outline form, about 2 pages in length; include a full citation of the article you review. Remember, a critique need not be negative. You can be complimentary if the article is well-written. Conversely, you can be constructive if improvements would make it a better product.
Note: A journal article is a publication about scientific research in a specialized journal. This excludes news articles, books, policy briefs, and magazine articles. Also, although often publisehd in scientific journals, book reviews are not journal articles and should not be the focus of this assignment.
The following reference is a good source for guidance about writing a critique. (Registered students can access the Guidance for Writing a Critique resource under Lesson 7 in Canvas.)
- Peer Review Guidance
From the science publisher Springer (with some extra notes), two pages, easy to follow suggestions.
| Description | Full points | Partial points | No points | Points total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selection | Appropriate journal article selected. | Did not select an appropriate journal article. | 5 | |
| Content | Critique addressed WHY the research question is well defined, the data is sound, the methods are appropriate, etc. Demonstrated an understanding of the journal article. | Critique only states if the research question is well defined, the data is sound, the methods are appropriate, etc. No explanation of WHY. Demonstrated an understanding of the journal article. | Critique is brief and lacks detail. Only states if the research question is well defined, the data is sound, the methods are appropriate, etc. Lack of understanding about the journal article. | 15 |
| College-level writing | No grammar or spelling mistakes. Content is organized well. | 2-3 grammar or spelling mistakes. Flow and organization of content could be improved. | 3+ grammar or spelling mistakes. Content does not flow and is unorganized. | 5 |
| Citations | Included in-text citations and a complete works cited page . All information is in the student’s own words and appropriately cited. | Missing 2-3 in-text citations or works cited page is incomplete. Some information is not written in the student’s own words. | Missing 3+ in-text citations or works cited pag e is incomplete or missing. Most information is not written in the student’s own words. | 5 |
Deliverable
Please submit your 1 page paper using the Assignment 7.1 - Journal Article Critique drop box under Lesson 7 in Canvas.
(See the Calendar in Canvas for specific due dates.)