PNUR1257 Research Assignment Rubric

PNUR1257 Reading Research Assignment Guidelines

Nurses use research to answer questions and discover trends in health care. It is essential that nurses are able to locate, review and utilize research to inform their practice.

· Differentiate the attributes of qualitative and quantitative research for use in evidence-informed practice.

· Review the link between research, evidence-informed practice and best practice guidelines

· Differentiate between quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches to research and identify the benefits of each in nursing

· Identify peer-reviewed or refereed journals

· Demonstrate effective use of library databases to find research documents

· Develop beginning skills in critically reading nursing research articles

· Identify ways a practical nurse can incorporate research into everyday practice

· The essay is worth 20%. The passing grade for this assignment is 65%. Papers exceeding page limit will not receive full credit. The assignment should be 3 page in length (

not including a cover page and reference page). 
Maximum length = 5 pages.
This assignment is to be a

scholarly guided reflection
written in a paragraph format submitted following guidelines from:
APA @ Conestoga.  The reflection must be submitted through
Turnitin (eConestoga dropbox is formatted with Turnitin) by the due date. If your originality score is >20%, it is your responsibility to lower your score. The submission will not be graded until the score is <20% and/or the teacher is notified with explanation of the issue.  Refer to the

Academic Integrity
policies outlined in the “School of Health and Life Sciences Practical Nursing Program Standards and Procedures Handbook”. Ethical guidelines must be adhered to. Plagiarism is considered unethical behaviour and will be handled following the guidelines in the “Conestoga College Student Procedures Guide and the School of Health Sciences Student Handbook”.

Submitting a portion or all of another student’s work will result in a Failure grade and an academic offense.
An extension must be granted in advance of the due date to avoid a failure mark as per the Practical Nursing Handbook.

· Access writing support services through the LRC at
https://lib.conestogac.on.ca/writing-services/about

· Format the essay according to current APA@Conestoga 7th edition. A sample paper can be found through the LRC
https://lib.conestogac.on.ca/writing-services/about

· All sources must be referenced. Follow APA@Conestoga to write your in-text citations and reference list.

Completing the Essay

The purpose of this assignment is to identify the research method of your chosen article. Explain the benefits of this method and why the authors chose to use it for their research. You will strengthen your argument by finding a second research article on a similar topic and compare it to the first.

Step 1:
Select one article from the list below and find it in the LRC databases

A. ‘Effects of a Mixed Media Education Intervention Program on Increasing Knowledge, Attitude and Compliance with Standard Precautions Among Nursing Students.’ by Xiong, Zhang, Wang, Leong, and Hall (2017)

B. ‘Making Sense of Moral Distress Within Cultural Complexity’ by Bressler, Hanna and Smith (2017)

C. ‘Does Simulation Enhance Nurses’ Ability to Assess Deteriorating Patients?’ by Bliss & Aitken (2018)

D. ‘Perspectives of Older Adults on Aging Well: A Focus Group Study’ by Halaweh, Dahlin-Ivanoff, Svantesson, and Willen (2018).

Step 2:
Read your chosen study several times to make sure you understand the content

· What question is the study trying to answer?

· What type of research method/design is used? Why did the authors choose this method? Is it appropriate for the research question?

· What results did the authors find? What are the implications for nursing?

A. Using the reference list at the back of your chosen article, find one additional, current research article with a similar focus.

B. You will use this additional article to support your views and opinions about your chosen article.

Step 4:
Writing the essay

A. You may use ‘I’ as the first person. You are asked to express your view based on theory and knowledge acquired from your readings.

B. INTRODUCTION. An introduction is needed with a clear statement of why you are writing this essay and how the essay will be developed. Include the title of the article you will be discussing.
Remember, this is
NOT a paper about the subject matter of the chosen article. Rather this is a demonstration of your ability to read, review and critique the article as research. You are expected to support your comments using the additional research article.

C. BODY. The bulk of your essay should include the following.

a) Identify the
purpose of the study; what is the research question?

b) Identify the research approach (
method/design) that was used?

c) Define the method and explain some of the benefits of using this method. Identify why you think it was chosen for this particular study.

d) Explain how the review of additional research articles relate to the study and support your comments?

e) Explain the impact this study, as well as reading research in general, will have on your future practice and on nursing practice as a whole?

D. CONCLUSION. Your conclusion should summarize the purpose of your paper and clearly address how you demonstrated your ability to read a research study.

E. REFERENCE LIST. All in-text citations will be in the reference list. Your reference list will include the additional research article you have mentioned in your essay
to support your statements. If you did not refer to an article in your essay, it should not be in your reference list.

F. Proficient writing reflects critical thinking, personal insight, and original thoughts supported with evidence.

See eConestoga rubric for weighting and values