Qualitative Critique: A Heuristic Tool for Doctoral Students to Use in Improving their Research Skills

Early in a doctoral program, it is important for students to understand heuristically how to critique published research. There are several reasons that undergird this important task. First, students of research must be able to integrate findings into practice; second, they must be able to determine the impact of the research on the field, and third, students must be able to decide how the research is related and impacts their own studies. Fourth, the ability to critique published research, and internalizing such a process, provides the students with tools to improve their own research. Fifth, as students develop their review/critique of literature for the dissertation, it is important that they incorporate a critical assessment of the published research. They must know whether the research is viable to support their own work or to refute their findings.Based on these needs, Irbydeveloped a tool for doctoral students that would assist them in evaluating qualitative research studies, named, the Irby Qualitative Research Critique (IQRC). In teaching sudents the use of the took, they are provided with a qualitative research article. Theyare asked to use the IQRC for reviewing the article.In this paper, we share the IQRC and examples of what a beginning doctoral students work in critiquing qualitative studies might entail.The IQCR (Lunenburg& Irby, 2007) includes 14 components.