Journal final

IHP 525 Final Project Article Review Guidelines and Rubric

Overview

There are two �nal projects in this course. One is an article review and the other is a data analysis.

Regardless of their �eld of interest, health professionals across disciplines need to be able to analyze and use biostatistical data to address health concerns among the populations they serve.

They need to be able to identify trends, draw conclusions, and make recommendations for improving health outcomes based on solid evidence. It is also important that they are able to

communicate that information effectively to those directly or indirectly impacted. They also need to understand what others are doing in their �eld, the strengths and limitations of that work,

and how it affects their own organization, even if they do not intend to become statisticians.

The two summative assessments for this course lay the foundation for these critical skills. Final Project Article Review asks you to evaluate the strengths and limitations of existing

biostatistical articles and to identify the selection process of appropriate methodologies in different contexts (Final Project Article Review). You will present your analysis through a written

executive summary geared toward an audience of fellow health professionals. In the Final Project Data Analysis, you will calculate descriptive and inferential statistics of a small data set. You

will explain the basic parameters of the data, graph it, and run simple hypothesis tests. You will present your analysis in a statistical report geared toward a non-technical audience, draw

conclusions, and make recommendations for further research.

For your Final Project Article Review, you will review and analyze published research that you might encounter as a health professional. You will select two journal articles from the provided

list on a topic of interest. You will create an article review that identi�es the articles and their relevance to your �eld; summarizes the articles, including their �ndings; compares and contrasts

the statistical methods used in the articles; explains why the methods used were appropriate; discusses their limitations; and concludes with recommendations for future work.

Final Project Article Review is divided into three journals, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality �nal submissions. These

article journals will be submitted in Modules Two, Five, and Six. The completed article review will be submitted in Module Eight.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

Analyze the role of biostatistics for its impact on professional decision making in the public health, nursing, or health science �elds

Interpret key biostatistical metrics, methods, and data for addressing population-based health problems

Evaluate the quality and limitations of published public health, nursing, and health science research by comparing and contrasting biostatistical methods and analysis used to support a

variety of health initiatives

Communicate biostatistical results, procedures, and analysis to other health professionals and the general public for informing their decisions related to population-based health

problems

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Prompt

Imagine you are a biostatistician working at a local health organization. Part of your job is to analyze trends and draw conclusions about health issues that affect your organization. Your

supervisor has asked you to do a quick literature search for published research on an upcoming topic as preparation for a new project. The goal is to understand the current biostatistical

methods and guidelines being used on similar studies so that you could eventually use that to inform the design of the new study.

Your job is to �nd a minimum of two research articles on your topic from the Final Project Article Review Articles List document, examine the broad health question(s) addressed in each, and

critically assess the statistical methods used to analyze the data and arrive at the articles’ conclusions. You will present the results of this analysis to your supervisor and peers in an article

review.

Speci�cally, your article review must address the following critical elements:

I. Background: Use this section to provide a brief context for the health problem, issue, or trend you are researching. Speci�cally, you should answer:

A. What topic or health question did you research and why is it relevant to public health, nursing, or the health science professions? Give real-world examples to support your answer.

B. How can biostatistics help inform decision making around your topic? Support your answer with speci�c examples.

II. Article Selection: In this section, discuss how and why you selected your main article and the related article. Be sure to:

A. Explain why you selected these speci�c articles to examine over others in your �eld that use biostatistical methods and data. Justify your answer.

B. Assess each article’s importance to health decision making in your �eld. Give real-world examples to illustrate your answer.

III. Findings: This section should highlight the major �ndings of each of the articles you selected for your supervisor and peers. Speci�cally:

A. What are the �ndings of each article and what implications do they have individually and collectively for solving the health problem in question? Support your answer with speci�c

examples from your �eld.

B. Explain how key biostatistical calculations and methods support the conclusions in each article. Cite relevant information from the articles that support your answer.

IV. Methods: Use this section to compare and contrast the methods used in the articles you selected with an eye to assessing the quality and limitations of the �ndings and informing future

research. Speci�cally, you should:

A. Explain why the authors of each article selected the methods they did. How appropriate were the methods to the overall purpose of the paper? Justify your response.

B. Analyze a difference and similarity in the methods chosen with respect to the health question being addressed in the selected articles. Explain your answer using evidence from the

articles selected and information you have learned in the course.

C. Assess a strength and limitation of the different approaches used in the articles you selected. Explain your answer using evidence from the articles you selected and information you

have learned in the course.

V. Conclusions: What does your evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the articles you selected suggest for future research in this �eld? Be sure to provide speci�c suggestions for

potential next steps, based on evidence from your analysis, and explain how these suggestions would help improve decision making.

Journals

The journal activities in this course act as milestones that will help you prepare for your Final Project Article Review submission.

Module Two Journal: Article Selection

In Module Two, you will submit a paragraph to select and explain your articles and health question. This assignment will be graded using the Journal Rubric.

Module Five Journal: Article Findings

In Module Five, you will explain the �ndings in the two articles relating to the health question you identi�ed. This will be submitted as a table and at least two paragraphs. This assignment will

be graded using the Journal Rubric.

Module Six Journal: Article Methods

In Module Six, you will complete a table in which you compare the methods used in the two articles. You will also submit explain this comparison. This assignment will be graded using the

Journal Rubric.

Final Project Article Review Submission:

In Module Eight, you will submit your Final Project Article Review. To create this document, revise the journals throughout the course incorporating the feedback from your peers and

instructor into one �nal document that includes all the sections of this article review project. The �nal submission will be graded using the Final Project Article Review Rubric.

What to Submit

Your article review should be approximately 2–4 pages long (not including bibliography), double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins and citations in APA format.

Be sure to use language and a style appropriate to an audience of knowledgeable health professionals.

Final Project Article Review Rubric

Criteria Exemplary (100%) Pro�cient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Background: Topic Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

examples provided establish

clear connections and

relevancy of the topic or health

question

Identi�es topic or health

question researched and why it

is relevant, giving real-world

examples to support answer

Identi�es topic or health

question and relevance, but

does not give real-world

examples or examples are not

relevant

Does not identify topic or

health question researched and

why it is relevant

10

Background: Biostatistics Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

demonstrates keen insight into

the diverse ways biostatistics

can be used to answer health

questions

Analyzes how biostatistics can

help inform decision making

around selected topic,

supporting answer with speci�c

examples

Analyzes how biostatistics can

inform decision making around

topic, but does not support with

relevant examples or response

contains inaccuracies

Does not analyze how

biostatistics can help inform

decision making around

selected topic

10

Criteria Exemplary (100%) Pro�cient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Article Selection: Speci�c

Articles

Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

response considers various

article sources and multiple

aspects of article quality

Explains why speci�c articles

were selected over others in

�eld and justi�es response

Explains why speci�c articles

were selected over others in

�eld and justi�es response, but

response contains inaccuracies

or justi�cation is illogical or

irrelevant

Does not explain why speci�c

articles were selected over

others in �eld and does not

justify response

10

Article Selection: Decision

Making

Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

examples provided

demonstrate a sophisticated

awareness of each article’s

applicability to a particular �eld

Assesses each article’s

importance to health decision

making in �eld, giving real-

world examples to illustrate

answer

Assesses each article’s

importance to health decision

making in �eld, but does not

give relevant real-world

examples to illustrate answer,

or response contains

inaccuracies

Does not assess each article’s

importance to health decision

making in �eld

10

Findings: Implications Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

examples provided masterfully

demonstrate cogent

connections between �eld and

article �ndings

Communicates �ndings and

implications of articles—

individually and collectively—

for solving health problem in

question, supporting answer

with speci�c examples from

�eld

Communicates �ndings and

implications of articles—

individually and collectively—

for solving health problem in

question, but does not support

with speci�c examples from

�eld, or response contains

inaccuracies

Does not communicate �ndings

and implications of articles—

individually and collectively—

for solving health problem in

question

8

Findings: Biostatistical

Calculations

Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

explanations are particularly

clear and relevant to health

decision makers

Accurately explains how key

biostatistics and methods

support conclusions and cites

relevant information from

articles

Explains how key biostatistics

and methods support

conclusions, but does not cite

relevant information from

articles, or response contains

inaccuracies or omits key

details

Does not explain how key

biostatistics and methods

support conclusions of each

article

9

Criteria Exemplary (100%) Pro�cient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Methods: Why Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

justi�cation demonstrates a

complex grasp of the authors’

methods and their

appropriateness

Explains why authors of each

article selected methods they

did, including how appropriate

methods were to the purpose

of paper and justi�es response

Explains why authors of each

article selected methods they

did, including how appropriate

methods were to the purpose

of paper, and justi�es response,

but response contains

inaccuracies or justi�cation is

illogical or irrelevant

Does not explain why authors

of each article selected the

methods they did, including

how appropriate methods were

to purpose of paper and does

not justify response

10

Methods: Differences and

Similarities

Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

evidence utilized demonstrates

an astute ability to recognize

and illustrate differences and

similarities in methods

Analyzes differences and

similarities in methods used

with respect to health question

addressed, explaining answer

using evidence from articles

selected and information from

class

Analyzes differences and

similarities in methods used

with respect to health question,

explaining answer using

evidence from articles selected

and information from class, but

response contains inaccuracies,

or explanation is illogical or

irrelevant

Does not analyze differences

and similarities in methods

used with respect to health

question, explaining answer

using evidence from articles

selected and information from

class

10

Methods: Strengths and

Limitations

Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

evidence utilized demonstrates

an astute ability to recognize

and illustrate strengths and

limitations in approaches

Assesses the strengths and

limitations of different

approaches used, explaining

answer using evidence from

articles selected and

information from class

Assesses the strengths and

limitations of different

approaches used, but does not

explain answer using evidence

from articles selected and

information from class,

response contains inaccuracies,

or explanation is illogical or

irrelevant

Does not assess the strengths

and limitations of different

approaches used

10

Criteria Exemplary (100%) Pro�cient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Conclusions Meets “Pro�cient” criteria and

uses information and the

suggestions for next steps are

appropriate for healthcare

decision making on a larger

scale than just the populations

represented in the articles

Analyzes what strengths and

weaknesses of articles suggest

for future research, providing

speci�c suggestions for

potential next steps and

explaining how suggestions

would help improve decision

making, based on evidence

from analysis

Analyzes what strengths and

weaknesses of articles suggest

for future research, providing

speci�c suggestions for

potential next steps, but does

not explain how suggestions

would help improve decision

making, or suggestions are not

based on evidence from

analysis or response contains

inaccuracies

Does not analyze what

strengths and weaknesses

suggest for future research,

providing speci�c suggestions

for potential next steps

10

Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, and

organization and is presented

in a professional and easy to

read format

Submission has no major errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, or organization

that negatively impact

readability and articulation of

main ideas

Submission has critical errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, or organization

that prevent understanding of

ideas

3

Total: 100%