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Critical Appraisal QUALitative Research

Tips from Cardiff University RSSDP course

by  Fiona Morgan on 13th February 2012

Why?

• Vast literature
  (1.4 million academics papers published in 32,000 peer-reviewed scientific journals worldwide)
• But limited time to read
• This is actually how to trash the paper

Reporting

• Methodology should be presented clearly to the readers in order to replicate, assess the quality of your work.

Asking general questions 

• What is this paper about?
• Is it relevant to what you are looking for
• Do I trust it? – Methodology
• What are the results? (The last question!)

Qualitative research

• Interpretive / subjective e.g., Meaning, experiences, feelings or insights
• Variety of methods
• Focuses in understanding how people think, behave in a particular way.
• Language used in qualitative research mostly are user-unfriendly and difficult to read

Assessing qualitative research

• Credible
  – Do we have confidence in the results?
• Transferable
  – Can they be applied in similar settings?
• Dependable
  – appropriate design, methodology and process?

Check list

• Clear statement of aims?
  – What is the purpose
  – What outcomes are expected?
  – The above should be in the introduction
• Research question – SPICE
  – Setting
  – Perspective
  – Intervention/Phenomena
  – Comparison
  – Evaluation/Exploration
• Is a qualitative methodology appropriate?
• Was the recruitment strategy appropriate to the research aims?
  – From where?
  – Who did it?
  – How?
  – What sample size?
  – Why people did/did not take part?  – Selection bias
• Were the data collected in a way that considered the research issue?
  – Is it clear?
  – Where was the study set?
  – how were data collected?
  – How ere they recorded?
  – Were method modified?
• Have ethical issues been taken into consideration?
  – Ethical approval
  – How was the research explained to the participants e.g., expectation, timescale.
  – Was informed consent obtained?
• Reflexivity (research bias)
  – Is the research role examined?

Presenting Research Orally

Tips

• Prepare your presentation for your audience – what do they know before hand?
  This should determine language you will  use i.e., use of jargons, terminology.
  Also this will reflect their interest, what do they want to know from your presentation.
• Speaking  is inefficient method of communicating relatively to writing. Hence you need to cut out the unnecessary from the presentation.
• Normal speed of speaking in presentation ~ 120 -150 words per minute = 25% slower than normal speaking.
• Therefore in 10 minutes, maximum number of words you can cover = 15o x 10 = 1,500 words
• Give preparation time before presentation i.e., checking presenting equipment facilities

Visual aids

• Number of slides
  Rules depend on the disciplines
  History may be just 5 slides for 30 minutes
  I n scientific one would be around 1 slide per minute  (+ intro and Q&A).
•   Visual aids can be used for the following function either “Drivers” or :Supplementary” or “Explanatory”.

Style of Presentation

Introduction

• Name (unless the chair has already introduced you)
• Thanks – Chair, audience
• Title of Research
• Acknowledgement (or at the end of presentation)
• Broad scope of presentation including what you won’t cover but may be expected the the audiences

Opening

• Short hook
  – Asking question
  – Quotation
  – Refer to the current affair (especially in social science)
  – Statistics related to the subject
• Aims and Objectives
• 1 – 1.5 minutes for Introduction + Opening

End (summary and then conclusion)

• Summary = reiterate what have been presented already, not the new things.
  in bullet points
• Conclusion: Includes comments and suggestion of the future works.
  – short punchy phrase

Gesture and Body language

• Gaze – eye contact
  – You can look down to your note but don’t speck during that time, just pause. Speck after you look up  again.
  – Use your eye contact like a lighthouse
  – Don’t look at other things, focus on your audiences.
  – Don’t pat too much attention on a particular person e.g., experts or persons who nodding their heads all the time.
• Whole body orientation
• Posture
• Gesture  – hands/arms
  – Show your hands to people
  – get your hands in fornt of you
  – Don’t over gesture. bring your hands back to the focal point (e.g., stand or note or other object)
  – If you use cards, put numbers on them and stick them together so that you will not mess them when you drop them.
  – Use open-palm gesture as it is the normal gesture that doesn’t offense anyone.
• use of space

Tips for questions

• Offer to deal with the details afterwards
• Be prepared to concede
• Useful expression “It’s a case that we may have to agree to disagree”.
• Keep calm and don’t take it personally
• Do not comment on anything outside your area of expertise
• Use the experts in the audience
• If no question, you may ask yourself. “This is the question that I have been asked previously”.

Time Management Tips

Tips

• Create a to-do list
• Having small tasks in the list rather than a big one. Therefore you can tick those taks off easier
• Prioritise the tasks based on their “Importance” and “Emergency”.
• Here is the suggested priority (ranked by Urgent then Important
  1. Urgent and  important
  2. Urgent but not important
  3. Not urgent but important
  4. Neither urgent nor important
• Be flexible -> Plan for unplanned things. Don’t fill all the slot in the whole day, give some room for emergency.
• A bit under-estimate yourself on how long it would take to finish the task. If you think the task would take 2 hours, you may put 2.5 or 3 hours on the list/diary.
• Don’t forget the small things that relates to the task e.g., travelling time.
• Pomodoro technique (Pamodoro = Italian for tomato) -> Working in blocks of 25 minutes.
• More info in the Website PomodoroTechnique.com
• and the book as below (click the picture to see on Amazon)
  
• Pomodoro technique suggests you to just focus on only one task in the slot of 25 minutes (or the amount of time that fit you).
• Vitae Booklet “Balanced Researcher” (PDF)
• Priority is moving around i.e., things getting more urgent or more important. Thus long term plan needed!
• Know when you are the most effective and not the active. Allocate tasks accordingly.
  e.g., If you are a bit lazy during 3-4pm of the day, assign yourself small taks during that time.
• Your head/brain is like a hard drive. Don’t put too much in there unless its processing will get slower and slower. Organise and Re-organise your data, information, tasks.
• Dare to put unnecessary stuffs into the trash.
• Create waiting list, next action with specific required time and deadline.
• Using Calendar to organise … sync with your mobile device if you have or consider Cloud based application.
• Email tip … if you can finish it within 2 minutes, then do it now and delete it. If it requires > 2 minutes, put it in the waiting list. Subject to how urgent it is.
• Time wasters! -> You need to have your own time for things you love … hobby, sports, Internet or Social Network Site. They are not time wasters as they make your life more lively unless you overspend your time on them. Hence balance them with your duty, prioritising and stick with it.
• Learn to say “No” to things that are not necessary or will make your life difficult or will mess up your schedule/priorities.
• Don’t check your Email/Social Network first, do your planned task on the day first.
• If you need concentration, create such environment … turn off distractions e.g., email notifications, TV if they are so.
• Remember that it’s not always gonna be a perfect day, prepare for it!