6 pages

400765– Evidence-Based Nursing 2 Learning Guide – Spring 2014

©School of Nursing and Midwifery Page 8 of 28

University of Western Sydney

Assessment 1: Research Proposal Part A

Weighting: 50%

Word count: 1500 words

Submission details: Refer to Submission Requirements (p. 18)

Marking Criteria and Standards: See pages 10–12.

Aim of assessment

Details This assessment item requires you to construct Part A of your research proposal that encompasses

Steps 1 to 5 as noted in Table 1 (page 7). Structure and develop Part A of your proposal using the

following headings and dot points as a guide.

Title of Research Proposal

 Give your proposal a title that briefly summarises the topic for your research.

Introduction (contextualise your research)

 Identify the nursing practice issue or problem that you have noted from your clinical nursing

experience.

 Identify concepts or variables relevant to the issue/problem and offer brief definitions of those

concepts.

 Justify the choice of your nursing practice issue or health problem (what you have observed

and why it requires attention?).

Literature Review

 Perform an extensive search of relevant databases, using recent literature. Attempt to use

literature related to the topic published in the last 5 years, unless it is seminal literature ( that

is work that is noted because it was ground-breaking, offered a new perspective or was from

a prominent researcher in the area)

 Compare and contrast the different authors’ views and conclusions on the issue/problem

Identify Gaps

 Identify current knowledge of the issue/problem and gaps that need to be filled (refer to the

table on page 7 to see what gaps are and how to identify these).

 Identify the gap(s) your research aims to fill.

Note: You should keep a written record of your thoughts on aspects of the methodology and research

outcomes that may inform the next steps of the research process.

Research Aim and Question

 The research question helps to clarify exactly what it is that you want to find out to

answer/address the research issue or problem. It should be constructed in such a way that

the aim of the research in improving nursing practice is clear.

400765– Evidence-Based Nursing 2 Learning Guide – Spring 2014

©School of Nursing and Midwifery Page 9 of 28

University of Western Sydney

Significance

 Based on the literature review of the topic of interest, outline in detail the significance of the

chosen nursing practice issue or health problem and applicability in everyday nursing practice

(refer to Table 1 on page 7 to see what significance of research means).

Reference List

 List the research papers you have used using the APA (6 th edition) referencing style.

Resources i. Examples may be available on the vUWS site. ii. There are a number of textbooks and resources available through the UWS Library that may

assist you. iii. Please refer to the unit’s vUWS site for additional assessment resources iv. There will be two PCALS workshops to help you with the development and writing of a

literature review