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Research Paper Assignment

DISEASES OF BODY SYSTEMS RESEARCH PROJECT

Overview:  The purpose of this activity is to consider a disease, condition or health issue of special interest to you from the list provided. The topics on this list have been well studied and were chosen because they deviate from normal anatomy and physiology, and they involve several systems in the body.  Your goal is to apply your knowledge of anatomy and physiology to the topic chosen.  

Learning outcomes: The expected outcomes are to apply and integrate basic anatomy and physiology knowledge to clinical applications, to access reliable references and communicating (in written form) the information effectively. 

The research project must include the following components:
  • Introduction: This introductory paragraph or paragraphs should contain a general definition of the disease/condition including a brief discussion of the etiology (cause or causes) of the disease.
  • Normal Anatomy / Pathogenesis / Pathophysiology: This section of the research paper should include a basic overview of the normal anatomy and physiology of TWO primary systems affected by the disease.  It should also describe the Pathogenesis and Pathophysiology of the disease.  Pathogenesis is an explanation of the origin and development of the disease or in other words how the disease causes changes in the normal anatomy.  Pathophysiology is an explanation of how the disease/condition affects the normal functions of the organ(s) or system(s). Be sure to describe all organs/ systems involved in the disease.  It is important that terms not commonly used by the general public be explained or defined in the paper or you can use an asterisk (*) at the end of the word if you choose to define the term in the glossary at the end of the paper. This will typically be the longest section of the paper and will be worth the most points.
  • Clinical manifestations: This section of the paper should describe the consequences of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease/condition, including the major signs and symptoms.   Again it is important that terms not commonly used by the general public be explained or defined in the paper or as mentioned you can use an asterisk (*) at the end of the word if you choose to define the term in the glossary at the end of the paper.
  • Treatments: This section of the paper should describe any treatment options available.  Include a discussion of how the treatments generally work to treat the etiology, pathogenesis, pathophysiology or signs and symptoms.

** The above topics can be used as subheadings in your paper if you wish.

** Throughout the research paper, a clear connection to normal anatomy and physiology must be made!

In a separate section (after the written report) you must also include the following:
  • Glossary of medical terms: A list of medical terms used in the research paper identified with an asterisk (*). 
  • Graphic (picture/diagram):  You must include at least one relevant to the topic, with a caption/explanation of the graphic written in your own words. The source of the graphic must be cited as are all references used throughout the paper.
  • Evaluation report of ONE website used:  Refer to the “evaluation of websites” section of this handout for further information.
  • References: You must include for all sources used to gather information to write the paper the full reference information in correct APA format.

Format and style of the paper

  • Use vocabulary and writing style appropriate to beginning health occupations students, or in other words, “use your own words”.  It is usually quite obvious when students simply “copy” text from research journals using terminology beyond their training or understanding.
  • The main part of the paper should be 6-8 pages of text (Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced,  using 1” margins).
  • Where appropriate, bulleted lists can be used rather than full sentences, but in these areas of the paper use single spacing between the lines.
  • Glossary, graphic, web evaluation, and references are additional pages (not included in the 6-8 pages of content).
  • References must be cited in the body of the report as well as in the “References (bibliography)” section at the end of the paper using the correct APA format.
 

References

References: 
  • You must use at least 3 references:
    • One must be a medical/health sciences reference book (written for health practitioners, not the general public).  A good example is the Merck Manual.  An A&P text book or medical dictionary like Taber’s do NOT count as medical reference books although you may certainly use them as additional resources.
    • One must be an article in a scientific journal or magazine such as the Journal of American Medicine Association (JAMA)  or British Medical Journal (BMJ) to name a few .  This source will generally be published several times a year, so should include the volume or issue # and pages used.
    • One must be a website, that generally has a URL that ends in .edu, .org, .gov, or .com.  A search engine like yahoo, google, or Proquest used to find an article or source is NOT a website.
  • ALL sources of information (not just direct quotes) must be properly cited using correct citation format (APA style).. 
    • In the body of the text:  This is done by citing the author and date of the work in parenthesis)
    • In a Literature Cited section (at end of paper): This is done by listing the references used in alphabetical order by the last name of the primary author.
  • It is not acceptable to simply download information directly from the Internet, or to directly copy the wording of any sources (unless short sections of direct quotes are enclosed in quotation marks).  All information must be put into your own words, organized logically, and formatted uniformly. (Exception: a graphic may be printed directly, but the source must be clearly and correctly cited.)   Do not include any information or graphics that you don’t understand!
  • Use of our class textbook or other basic anatomy/physiology textbooks, or excerpts from a medical/nursing dictionary (Taber’s) do not count as required references. These sources may be used, but are in addition to the required references.
  • Since only a small section of any of these books will be used, the literature citation must include the page numbers used.

 

 
Subjects: Anatomy, Biology