Guidelines to CRITIQUE a published research paper

Research Problem
What is the major research problem identified in the study? Is the problem clearly stated?
What is the author(s) justification for conducting the study?
What is/are the purpose(s) of the study?
Is the selection of a quantitative approach instead of a qualitative approach justified?
Is there a theoretical basis for the study? If yes, briefly describe the theory
What is (are) the research question(s), objective(s) or hypotheses?
What is the relationship between the theory and the research questions, objectives or hypotheses?
Measurement
What are the primary concepts/variables in the study?
Are there independent and dependent variables? If yes, what are they?
For each of these variables, state the conceptual definition (where appropriate) and the operational definition. Comment on the adequacy of the conceptualization(s).
Is there evidence that the measures used were valid?
Is there evidence that the measures used were reliable?
Research Design
What specific research design(s) did the author(s) use?
Are there threats to internal and external validity? If yes, please identify them.
(In qualitative research look for the following elements: Credibility; Transfer ability; Dependability;  Triangulation; and Corroboration.)

Sampling
What is the population that the author(s) wanted to study (i.e., target population)?
Does the population (i.e., sampling frame) from which the sample was taken represent all of the appropriate people?
What type of sampling technique was used?
What are the implications of this sampling technique for the findings?
Are there issues with external validity?
Data Collection
What data collection method(s) did the researcher(s) use?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the data collection method(s) used?
Data Analysis
How were the data analyzed?
What type(s) of analysis and statistics used in the study?
Results
What are the major results/findings of the study?
How do these results answer the original research question(s)?
How confident are you with the findings?
Implications of the Findings
What conclusions did the author(s) reach?
Are these conclusion(s) appropriate?
What did the researcher(s) report as the implications of the study?
In your opinion, what is the significance of the findings for your area of interest?
Students Contribution (VERY IMPORTANT): If you were to conduct this study again:
What would you change, and why?
What would you keep, and why?
What would you delete, and why?
Note: It is very important to address this section in at least two pages.