Journal Article Analysis Assignment

Learning Objectives:
1) Identify the components and characteristics of primary scientific research.
2) Analyze scholarly, scientific research articles in the field of health and wellness.
3) Describe how the main findings in scientific research apply to personal and public health
and wellness.
Instructions:
For this assignment, you will find, read, and analyze a primary scientific research article
pertaining to our current unit of study. Choose a scholarly, scientific article from the options
provided on Canvas, and then type your answers to the questions in the worksheet provided.
The boxes in the provided worksheet will expand as necessary. Read with a pen and a
highlighter in your hand (or the digital equivalents of these if you prefer to read PDF
articles).
Please refer to the rubric below for more specific details on assignment expectations. If you
have any questions while completing the assignment, please feel free to reach out to your
teaching team through Canvas Inbox for additional help.
You must use the provided worksheet to complete the assignment. Please do NOT type your
answers in a separate document or attempt to make a new worksheet. Fill in the boxes
directly into the .docx or .pdf worksheet file provided on Canvas. If you do not have Microsoft
Word, you have the following options:

1. Download your FREE copy of Microsoft Office from UCI’s Office of Information and
Technology (highly recommended): https://www.oit.uci.edu/help/microsoft-office/
2. Use Google Docs to open the .docx file: https://www.google.com/docs/about/
3. Use a university computer at the library or computer lab that has Microsoft Word
installed
4. Use the .pdf copy of the worksheet and insert textboxes in the appropriate places to
fill in your answers.
Components of Primary Scientific Research:
There are five main sections common to all primary research articles. If an article does not
have all of these sections, it is not a primary research article. Each journal has its own
particular formatting rules, but all primary research articles will contain these sections:
• Abstract—a short paragraph at the beginning that gives a summary of the article.
• Introduction—it may or may not be labeled “Introduction,” but it is the first section
and it describes the problem being researched.
• Methods—a description of how the research was conducted.
• Results—the data collected during execution of the research study.
• Discussion—a description of what the results mean, what contributions to knowledge
are made by the research, how the research compares to prior studies, the
conclusions derived from the research and, hopefully, how the research’s findings
can be applied to “real life.”
Rubric:
Mechanical review: For this assignment to be graded, it must meet the following criteria:
1) The assignment was completed and submitted on time.
Descriptor Superior Good Poor Unacceptable
Points 5 3 1 0 Total
Criterion 1:
Identification
of Components
&
Characteristics
All information
provided in Sections
1 – 4 is complete
and accurate.
Most information
provided in
Sections 1 – 4 is
complete and
accurate.
Most important
details in Sections 1
– 4 are missing.
One or more
sections are left
blank.
Criterion 2:
Article
Understanding
All information
provided in Sections
3 – 6 demonstrates
clear understanding
of the article.
Information
provided in
Sections 3 – 6
demonstrates
general
understanding of
the article.
Information provided
in Sections 3 – 6
lacks substance,
and demonstrates
vague
understanding of the
article.
Information
provided in
Sections 3 – 6
demonstrates a
misunderstanding
of the article’s
purpose.
Criterion 3:
Research
Applications
All information
provided in Sections
7 & 8 demonstrates
a high ability to
apply scientific
research to real life
situations.
Information
provided in
Sections 7 & 8
demonstrates a
general ability to
apply scientific
research to real life
situations.
Information provided
in Sections 7 & 8
lacks some
understanding of
how scientific
research can be
applied to real life
situations.
Information
provided in
Sections 7 & 8
does not
demonstrate how
scientific research
can be applied to
real life situations.
Criterion 4:
Research
Engagement
Student’s
engagement with
the article’s content
is clearly evident
from the
information
provided in Section
8.
Student’s
engagement with
the article’s content
is generally evident
from the
information
provided in Section
8.
Student’s
engagement with
the article’s content
is somewhat evident
from the information
provided in Section
8.
Student’s
engagement with
the article’s content
is not evident from
the information
provided in Section
8.
Criterion 5:
Formatting
The assignment is
free from careless
errors and complete
sentences are used
throughout.
The assignment
has occasional
surface errors and
complete
sentences are used
throughout.
The assignment has
several surface
errors, but complete
sentences are still
used throughout.
The assignment is
not written in
complete
sentences; OR
student did not
type into the
provided worksheet
file.
Total Possible: 25