This guide is for NURS 225 Week 7 Research Critique Part 1, start to submission. A 750 to 1,000-word critique of a research article you choose, using the first elements of Table 14-1 in Boswell and Cannon.
NURS 225 is Pre-licensure Research in Nursing, 3 credit hours, in Liberty University's RN to BSN. Canvas and the course guide file print the code as NURS225; it is the same course.
| Course | NURS 225 Pre-licensure Research in Nursing |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 7 |
| Points | 125 points |
| Length | 750 to 1,000 words (3 to 5 pages) |
| Sources | 2 to 3 peer-reviewed resources from the last 5 years |
| Faith integration | Not required by the guide |
| Format | Current APA with a title page and reference page |
What NURS 225 Week 7 Research Critique Part 1 asks for
You choose a research article and write a 750 to 1,000-word (3 to 5-page) critique according to the required information outlined in Table 14-1 of Boswell and Cannon. It includes 2 to 3 peer-reviewed resources from the last five years, a title page and a reference page, in current APA. It is due in Module/Week 7 with chapter 14 and is worth 125 points.
Where it fits in NURS 225
In the published schedule, Research Critique Part 1 is one of 9 graded written assignments in NURS 225. It follows Week 7 EBP Project Part 3 and comes before Week 8 Research Critique Part 2. The same week also has EBP Project Part 3, so plan the week's writing together.
How NURS 225 Week 7 Research Critique Part 1 is graded
Liberty grades Research Critique Part 1 with the rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas, worth 125 points in the published guide. That is about 12% of the course's 1,010 points. Open the rubric before you draft and read across each row: the top column describes what full credit looks like, and the gap between columns tells you what costs points.
Course grades in NURS 225 use Liberty's point scale: an A is 900 to 1010 points of the course total. Missing the length or source minimum usually costs points on several rows at once, which is why the checklist below starts with them.
Timing in the published guide: Each course module/week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Check the due dates in your Canvas section, which govern.
The NURS 225 Week 7 method, step by step
Read the article twice, differently
First read for the story, second read for the method. The critique is graded on the second read: design, sample, data collection, analysis and the honesty of the conclusions.
Describe before you judge
Give a short, exact summary first. If the description is wrong, every judgment after it is suspect, so check the numbers and terms against the article.
Appraise each part of the study
Work through the study section by section and ask the questions the course uses: is the design suited to the question, is the sample adequate, are the measures valid, do the results support the conclusions?
Name strengths as well as weaknesses
A critique is not a list of faults. Say what the study does well and why, then where it falls short and how much that matters to its usefulness.
Say what it means for practice
Close with usefulness: could the findings change practice, for which patients or settings, and with what caution?
Keep to the length and format
Write in paragraphs, inside 750 to 1,000 words, 3 to 5 pages, with current APA citations. A critique that turns into a table or list usually loses its argument.
A structure for NURS 225 Week 7 Research Critique Part 1
Word targets are planning numbers for about 875 words of body text, set by the length in the guide; the rubric decides where to spend more.
| Section | What it must do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Name the article and state your overall judgment. | ~90 words |
| Summary | Purpose, question, design, sample and main findings, accurately. | ~190 words |
| Method appraisal | Design fit, sampling, measures, ethics and analysis, judged. | ~290 words |
| Results and conclusions | Whether the conclusions follow from the results. | ~130 words |
| Use in practice | How far the findings can be applied, and where. | ~120 words |
| Conclusion | Restate the judgment and its main reason. | ~50 words |
A topic angle that works
Choose a primary study you can understand fully, and answer each critique question with evidence from the article: quote the purpose statement, name the design, give the sample size. Judgments without evidence from the article score poorly.
Model paragraph with notes
An original paragraph written by our desk to show the register that earns full rubric credit. It is study material: learn the moves, then write your own.
The purpose statement is clear: to determine whether structured hourly rounding reduces falls on adult medical-surgical units.1 The authors chose a quasi-experimental pre-post design across four units, which fits a unit-level practice change but cannot rule out other changes during the study period, such as new staffing.2 The sample of 3,200 admissions is large enough to detect a modest change in fall rates, which strengthens the study's usefulness.3
- Quotes the purpose precisely.
- Names the design and its key limit.
- Judges the sample with a reason.
Mistakes that cost points on NURS 225 Week 7
- Summarizing without critiquing.
- Ignoring the elements Table 14-1 assigns to Part 1.
- A review article instead of a primary study.
Checklist before you submit
- Length: 750 to 1,000 words (3 to 5 pages)
- Sources: 2 to 3 peer-reviewed resources from the last 5 years
- The summary of the study is accurate and brief
- Strengths and weaknesses are both explained
- Each rubric row read against the section that answers it
Questions students ask
Do I choose the article for the NURS 225 critique?
Yes. The guide says you choose a research article to critique, and use the same one in both parts.
How many points is NURS 225 Week 7 Research Critique Part 1 worth?
125 points in Liberty's published course guide for NURS 225, out of a course total of 1,010 points (about 12% of the grade). The rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas shows how those points are divided.
Is NURS 225 Week 7 the same in every section of NURS 225?
This guide follows Liberty's published course guide for NURS 225. Liberty notes that course content can change from term to term, so if your Canvas section shows different instructions, a different week or different points, follow Canvas and your instructor.
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