NURS 4523 Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice for RNs

NURS 4523 Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice for RNs

NURS 4523 Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice for RNs

University of West Georgia

Tanner Health System School of Nursing

NURS 4523 Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice for RNs

Research Report Appraisal Guidelines

As a consumer of nursing research, nurses are increasingly expected to be able to use the research literature for evidence-based practice. In order to do this well, students should be able to read and understand the research literature. As a result, this assignment requires the student to read and identify various components of an assigned research report article (posted in CourseDen). All students will be critiquing the same article; however, students are to complete the critique or appraisal independently. Students are NOT to collaborate with other students, family, or friends in the completion of this assignment (i.e. do not discuss the article or your critique with others, especially other students in this course). The paper should be approximately 5 – 7 pages (not including the title page and reference page). Be succinct but informative in your writing. APA formatting/style is expected including:

· Title Page

· Headings

· Margins (1 inch)

· Font size – 12

· Double-spacing

· Page numbers

· Reference Page

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Direct quotes: You may only have 1-2 direct quotes. If there are more, points will be deducted in the formatting section

Use APA format for citations and references

DO NOT use personal pronouns (such as “I”, “we”, “our”) except in, perhaps, the “Assessment of the Research Article” section

Do use correct grammar and spelling

Be sure to proof read your paper for errors and typos

Keep it succinct!

Remember: Evidence of student cheating, fabrication, or plagiarism could result in failure of this course.

Research Report Assessment Headings

Article Summary

Research Question(s) or Hypothesis

Research Variables

Independent Variable(s)

Dependent Variable(s)

Extraneous (or Confounding) Variable(s)

Research Design

Population, Sample, and Setting

Study Setting

Target and Accessible Population

Sample and Sampling Plan

Ethical Issues

Data Collection Procedures

Date Collection Instruments

Data Analysis & Results

Researcher’s Discussion/Conclusions:

Main Findings/Conclusions

Generalizability

Limitations

Nursing Implications

Future Research

Assessment of the Research Article

Presentation and Stylistic Dimensions of the Article

References (Include on separate page with citation for article used for appraisal in APA format)

Research Report AppraisalGuidelines

Article Summary (1 short paragraph):

Write a succinct summary of what the research article is about. Include a statement about what problem was being addressed and why the problem is important. Indicate what the purpose (or aim or objective) of the research study was (as identified by the researchers).

Research Questions/Hypothesis:

If none are provided,state an appropriate research question or hypothesis for this study based on the purpose of the study.

Research Variables:

What are the independent, dependent, & extraneous or confounding variables?

Research Design:

Identify the design of the study (quantitative, qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological, randomized controlled trial, etc.). Be as specific as possible. Explain what makes it that type of study (1 or 2 sentences) and/or why it was an appropriate design for the study

Population, Sample, and Setting:

Describe the setting, population (target & accessible), and the sample used in the study (include who was in the study, number of participants, etc.). Identify the sampling plan (i.e. convenience sample, purposive sample, etc.), recruitment strategies (how did they get people to participate). Are there inclusion and exclusion criteria? What were the main demographics of the study sample?(i.e. average age of participants, percentage of males/females, etc.)

Ethical Issues:

Identify and describe any measures taken to protect the participants (esp. informed consent, IRB or ethics committee approval, protecting participants’ identity, etc.)

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Data Collection Procedures:

Describe how the researcher went about collecting the data (i.e. sent out questionnaires, interviewed participants, measured blood samples, collected data over 6 months, followed up with phone calls, or whatever)

Data Collection Instruments:

Describe EACH instrument used to gather data; include the name of the instrument (if provided); the purpose (what it measures); reliability and validity (R&V) information (if provided); level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio) and how a score on the instrument is derived; and number of items on each instrument, if stated. If they don’t talk about an instrument but they report data, then describe that. Or if they describe an instrument but don’t talk about the R&V, you can just say R&V was not addressed.

Data Analysis & Results

Identify the statistical tests that were used in the study (name them) – both descriptive (i.e., means, standard deviations, etc.) and inferential (i.e., t-test, ANOVA, etc.). Describe the main findings or results of the study as they relate to the research questions or hypotheses.

Researcher’s Discussion/Conclusions:

Describe the researcher’s conclusions about the study. What did they say were the main study findings? According to the researcher, were the study findings generalizable? What limitations or barriers to the study, nursing implications, and recommendations for future research were made by the researcher(s)? Did you note any other limitations? (Generalizability deals with threats to external validity of the study findings; limitations or barriers to the study deal with threats to internal and external validity of the study and findings)

Assessment of Research Article (1-2 paragraphs):

Did you agree with the researcher(s) about the study findings? Why or Why not? Was there anything that you felt was not appropriate? Was the problem being addressed made clear? Did the hypothesis or research question(s) seem to fit with the problem? Did the study design seem to fit with the hypothesis or research question(s)? What about the sampling plan? Did it seem effective and appropriate? Did you note any problems with internal and external (generalizability) validity in the study? Were the findings clinically significant? Do you think there were any alternative reasons for the results the researcher(s) got? Anything else?

Presentation and Stylistic Dimensions of the Article:

Evaluate the manner in which the findings were communicated in the research report – areas you might consider: amount of information; writing style; anything missing; Do the tables seem to be laid out appropriately and do they make sense?

References

Include a proper reference citation for the research article and any other sources you might have cited in the paper. (NOTE: no additional sources are required, but be sure to cite sources if you do decide to