Are there flaws or limitations with Smith’s methodology or theory?

4. Be critical. This is a term that you will hear a lot over the next 12 months and we will talk about it throughout the course so do not worry of you don’t immediately grasp it. You must go beyond describing a piece of research (e.g., “Smith (1996) found that x leads to y”). The next stage – to get into the distinction grade range – is to tell me (the reader) why Smith’s findings should or should not be accepted. For example:
a. Is the fact that Smith’s research is 18 years old an issue? If so, why? Have more recent studies progressed the research community’s understanding of y?
b. Are there flaws or limitations with Smith’s methodology or theory? E.g., is it a biased sample (such as students, rich people or females)? Are the findings generalizable to the wider population (external validity)?
c. Has Smith’s study been replicated elsewhere? Or do other researcher’s agree with her position?
d. Do other researchers disagree with Smith’s theory? Does Smith neglect alternative theories (i..e, counter theories) that might also explain changes in y?
e. Academic phrase bank. The following is an excellent resource that is useful to help you write in a critical manner https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
5. Citing in the essay (also see #6, list of references). This is a really important issue; a failure to provide reference can lead to several issues, the most serious of which is plagiarism.