Introduction
Research is an integral part of studies especially in the institution of higher learning and other learning institutions. Peer-reviewed scholarly articles are one of the fundamental research sources that students use to source academic information. J.D. Wallace authored an article, Accelerated Peer-Review Journal Usage Technique for Undergraduates, to explain how students use these sources on their research and academic purposes. Wallace (2008) delineates a chronology flow of how students should interact with the peer-reviewed journals in order to make their maximum usage. Therefore, this paper outlines the various notions discussed by Wallace in regards to research methods. It provides a critical summary to Wallace’s article in order to get an insight of students’ interactions with the peer-reviewed journals.
The process
Wallace (2008) begins by acknowledging that there is a massive use of internet in accessing articles through online databases. He asserts that in spite of this accessibility, students are still having difficulties in using the peer-reviewed articles effectively. Therefore, Wallace (2008) defines a process that he states it is very useful to the students. The process involves engaging in an activity, debriefing and appraisal stages. To start with, the activity step is very crucial as Wallace explains in his article. It begins by a student embracing the recognition skills prior to the actual usage of the journal. Recognition asserts that the peer-reviewed articles contain a lot of information and students should be aware of what they are looking for in those articles. Wallace (2008) disseminates that the lecturer may ask the students to identify hypothesis and methodology while another may ask the students to discern the variables. Therefore, it is important for the students to identify what they require to avoid overlooking into the whole article, which may be tiresome and boring. Additionally, the students should be able to identify which article is peer-reviewed and which is not. Wallace states that some students encounter problem in identifying the peer-reviewed articles.
After recognition, student should familiarize with the acquisition of the articles from the library support systems. Wallace (2008) is concerned with the acquisition of full-text articles because students often access in complete texts especially from on line database. According to Wallace, internet filters do not provide a hundred percent of the requisite information. Therefore, the student should identify the education software that provides complete information.in order to acquire a complete-text article, Wallace asserts that the article should contain an abstract, have at least ten references, and a descriptive section. The last activity incorporates the step of evaluating the article in order to decipher the information it contains. Evaluation involves reading the article abstracts, outlining the critical elements and the bibliography (Wallace, 2008). The student should also identify the number of stylistic aids. Evaluation requires the students setting an individual deadline so that they can be pushed to read the article. Similarly, since the students require a section of the article, they should identify the unifying themes which can be read collectively. Wallace suggests that an article of 1000 pages can be reviewed within one to three days using this method. The activity step is followed by debriefing where students interrogate their abilities before returning the assignments. Debriefing also allows comparisons amongst students’ work where they identify their strengths and difficulties. Lastly, APJU involves appraisal in order to identify its advantage and the help it gives to students. Therefore, Wallace believes teaching students of how to use peer-reviewed articles is an important move towards effective research methods.
Reference
Wallace, D. (2008). Accelerated Peer-Review Journal Usage Technique for Undergraduates. Communication Teacher. 22(3): 80-83
