CMP 114
Journal Article Summary Guidelines
Find a scholarly, peer-reviewed, professional journal article in your field of study and
summarize it in a short paper. These professional journals can be found by using the Carroll
Library link on Canvas.
If you are having a hard time finding an acceptable journal article, you may use one from your
minor or another field that interests you.
Do not use magazine articles, newspaper articles, blog posts, opinion pieces, etc.
Your journal article summary should do the following:
• Describe the problem(s) the author(s) was/were investigating
• Briefly outline the procedure(s) followed in the paper (what, how, etc.)
• State which statistical test(s) was/were used in the study
• Report results and the conclusion(s) drawn by author(s) of paper
Upload your summary paper to Canvas as a Word document or a PDF.
There is a two-page (double-spaced) minimum length for your summary paper.
Include a pdf copy of the journal article you used. You can upload this along with your article
summary paper to Canvas.
Please keep in mind that descriptive stats alone is not a statistical test.
See table below for examples.
Statistical Test NOT A Statistical Test
z-test or t-test; 2-Sample t-test Descriptive Statistics
Mann-Whitney U Test SPSS, R, Software of Any Kind
ANOVA Univariate Analysis
Kruskal-Wallis Test Bivariate Analysis
2-Way ANOVA Sampling Techniques (e.g., Cluster)
Chi-Squared Test Longitudinal Study
Regression and/or Correlation Cross-Sectional Study
Scoring Rubric
Each article summary paper you submit is worth 30 points
Paper 1: You will lose 5 points if you do not discuss at least one legitimate statistical test that
the author(s) used in their article. You will also lose 5 points if your summary does not meet the
minimum length requirement of two double-spaced pages. There will also be various other
penalties for omitting any of the assigned aspects of your summary, etc. as I deem necessary.
Paper 2: The same rules apply as for Paper 1, but each penalty increases to 10 points instead
of 5. This increased penalty applies whether you made the same mistake(s) on the first paper or
not. This applies to all students, regardless of their score on Paper 1.
Paper 3: The same rules apply as for Paper 2, but each penalty increases to 15 points instead
of 10. This increased penalty applies whether you made the same mistake(s) on the first paper
or not. This applies to all students, regardless of their score on Paper 1.
Paper 4: The same rules apply as for Paper 3, but each penalty increases to 20 points instead
of 15. This increased penalty applies whether you made the same mistake(s) on the first paper
or not. This applies to all students, regardless of their score on Paper 1.