Evaluation definition
To evaluate means to judge or assess the value of something. Evaluation is often a part of reflection or a decision-making approach.
Evaluation writing example
Example of evaluation in writing
(Online PDF – ASA website resource)
Evaluation of literature example and features to look for
Emotional Intelligence: A Critical Evaluation of the Literature
(Online PDF – ASA website resource)
Great example of critical evaluation of the literature from Mental Health Nursing. To guide you, we have added a brief introduction and some skills and features worth noting.
Factors to identify
An evaluation of the literature should ‘tell a story’. It should identify themes, contrasts, disagreements and ideas emerging from the topic. The beginning should establish an interest in the issue and what the question(s), uncertainties, concerns and controversies are surrounding it. The ‘middle’ should analyse what people are saying, how they are agreeing, disagreeing about it and what main themes emerge from the literature. The ‘end’ should be a ‘summing up’ and the relevance and recommendations for practice or a rationale for your research project or dissertation.
When reading this article, it would be useful to note the following:
- What is the reason for the authors undertaking the review? (p.346)
- Identify in the background section – the historical context of the topic, different concepts, definitions, models and instruments and how these are discussed (p.346)
- The type of words used to discuss the literature e.g. ‘multiple studies’, ‘despite these findings’.
- How the authors discuss the ‘significance’ of the issue (p.347-8).
- How did they conduct the literature review and record the papers found? (See methods section on p.348). See table on p.349-352.
- The results of the literature critique are presented under sub-headings and in themes (p.348-354).
- Identify the words used when discussing the studies e.g. ‘Twenty of the articles were …’, ‘…showed an emerging theme …’
- The discussion is a summary of the literature critique, the relevance and recommendations for practice and future research (p.354-355).
- See the comprehensive reference list.
To cite this article: Kimberly R. Powell, Jennifer Lynn Mabry & Sandra J. Mixer (2015) Emotional Intelligence: A Critical Evaluation of the Literature with Implications for Mental Health Nursing Leadership, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 36:5, 346-356, DOI: 10.3109/01612840.2014.994079
Further resources
How to do your research project: a guide for students
(e-Journal – UH only resource)
Doing a literature review: releasing the research imagination
(e-Journal – UH only resource)