Essay Question Following is the findings of a scientific art

[Essay Question] Following is the findings of a scientific article that a student reported. Take a look at the following evaluation of a research article and spark any ideas or point out any mistakes.

1. Journal reputation - The prestige of the journal is important; where an article is published matters. What do you know about the journal that this article was published in? Who funds it? Is it for profit or not for profit? What is the history of the journal? Is it new or does it have a prestigious past? Why do they publish articles? (Hint: visit the main site for details)

Prior to searching for an article relating PTSD and combat veterans, I had never heard of this journal. I never knew a journal existed based solely on anxiety disorders. Elsevier publishes this journal. Elsevier is a part of the RELX group. Elsevier has been around since 1880. It is a for-profit company. This journal is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United States Institutes of Peace. Elsevier publishes articles. Elsevier publishes to help the field of science grow and ultimately enable professionals to give better treatment.

2. Title - (very important) It is what the reader first encounters and then decides whether to continue or not. The title should pose a question, emphasize the main conclusions, or possibly have some sort of impact on the reader other than describing the nature of the study. How does the title of your chosen article function? Could it be improved?

\"Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Examination of Treatment Effectiveness for Veterans of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq\" is the title of my article. It does not necessarily emphasize the conclusions, but it tells you the gist of what the article is about. This title tells the reader that is will examine mechanisms of treatment for PTSD in veterans. It could definitely be improved. This title is somewhat informative, yet bland.

3. Abstract - The abstract should be understandable on its own and not need to make references to the entire article. What is the abstract like in your chosen article? Do you know all that there is to know of the material?  

The abstract is very understandable, but maybe because I have background in statistics. It discusses statistical tests that I am able to understand. I belive that the abstract was clear

4. Key Words - They should be relevant and helpful, are they? Do they tell you what the main ideas of article are?

There are no key words in this article. Key words normally assist me in understanding the article better, especially in context.

5. Structure - Does the research article follow the IMRAD structure? If not, what structure does it follow? Does the structure affect your understanding of the research?

This article follows the IMRAD structure.

6. References - How many references does the article have? Are they varying types of references? What does this mean?

There are 38 references for this article. This proves to the reader that they wanted to have a wholesome inclusion of research and background for this article. Most discuss different topics-- such as VA practices alone, depression, etc.

7. Data displays - What type of information is included in the tables, charts, etc? How is the information/data visually displayed? Is it helpful or distracting for understanding the study?

The information included in one table concerns demographics and it is portrated in a simple table layout showing percentage of participants from each background, average age, and their baseline measures. A second table focuses on the data from the study. These tables are coherent and help the reader better understand the article. There are also 2 figures- one is a bar graph and the other is a line graph. The bar graph seems to make the information more confusing, whereas the line graph is much easier to follow.

References: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-anxiety-disorders/

Tuerk PW, Yoder M, Grubaugh A, Myrick H, Hamner M, Acierno R. Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Examination of Treatment Effectiveness for Veterans of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Journal of anxiety disorders. 2011;25(3):397-403. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.11.002.

Solution

\"Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Examination of Treatment Effectiveness for Veterans of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Journal of anxiety disorders. 2011;25(3):397-403.\'

Journal Reputation:

Journal of Anxiety Disorders is a reputed journal that publishes open access articles. The journal has Thomson Reuters impact factor of 2.11. It is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes all aspects of psychology. Elsevier publishes this journal. Elsevier is a part of the RELX group. Elsevier has been around since 1880. It is a for-profit company. This journal is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United States Institutes of Peace. Elsevier publishes articles. Elsevier publishes to help the field of science grow and ultimately enable professionals to give better treatment.

Title -

\"Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Examination of Treatment Effectiveness for Veterans of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq\" is the title of my article. It does not necessarily emphasize the conclusions, but it tells you the gist of what the article is about. This title tells the reader that is will examine mechanisms of treatment for PTSD in veterans. It could be improved. The title does not pose a question and may be improved to attract the readers.

Abstract -

The abstract is very understandable and complete. It comprises of few lines on the background of the subject, overview of the methodology used and the results obtained. It also presented statistical tests employed. The abstract was clear

Key Words

There are no keywords in this article.

Structure

This article follows the IMRAD structure.

References

There are 38 references for this article. The references are the variable type and include research papers, books, chapter in books, report and a citation to a website. This indicates that the authors were thorough with the review of the literature before publishing the manuscript.

Data displays

The information included in one table concerns demographics and it is portrayed in a simple table layout showing percentage of participants from each background, average age, and their baseline measures. A second table focuses on the data from the study. These tables are coherent and help the reader better understand the article. There are also 2 figures- one is a bar graph and the other is a line graph. The figures and tables are helpful in understanding the data.