Read the research that you have been presented with. Read the content of the research, the in-text citations (footnotes and parentheses) and the bibliography. If there is an author cited in-text who is not cited in the bibliography, note this as an error.
Write notes on the exhaustiveness of the research presentation. A qualitative research project should have a section where it explains the methods it uses and another section where it presents the raw findings in tables, images or any other format relevant to the nature of the findings. If either of these elements are missing, make a note of it.
Reread the sections where the author attempts to represent participants' experiences. Take notes on the credibility of these representations. Credible representations draw on a broad population sample, long-term observation and face-to-face engagement. Good research has these elements, flawed research does not.
Read over the context-specific claims (e.g. claims about a particular town) in the paper. If the author uses these claims to make generalizations about the world at large, ask yourself how valid these generalizations are. If the author explains how the principle can be universalized, note this. If not, note that it is missing.
Make notes on the rigor and reliability of the research. Ask yourself whether the research employed multiple researchers, peer review, descriptive language and rigorous data recording. If these factors are present, note this as a positive. Otherwise, note the lack as a negative.
Make notes on whether the research can be replicated. If the same research could be completed by a different researcher, note that as a positive. Check for whether the research uses diaries, biographical information and process notes that would allow an independent researcher to follow the same research, step by step.
Present a final evaluation based on whatever rubric you are using. If you are evaluating this research for a journal article, write a few paragraphs summarizing its strengths and weaknesses. If you are grading an undergraduate assignment, assign 20 points each to the completeness, credibility, transferability, dependability and ability-to-confirm criteria sections. Add up the percentages to arrive at a percentage score and convert this to a grade.