Summarizing or critiquing a journal article is a common assignment for a student completing a course in psychology, regardless of the level. It is an important skill to master early on, as it will be encountered repeatedly. If you continue in the field of psychology, this skill will enhance your own research abilities, helping you tell the good research from the bad. Sometimes you'll be asked to summarize an article so that you have a condensed version of the details of the piece; more often, a summary will require you to also make some form of critique.
