Research papers

A research assignment calls on you to find sources of information about and report on a topic relevant to the nursing field—perhaps a particular disease, such as Alzheimer’s, or an issue that challenges medical professionals, such as maintaining quality care when the downsizing of nursing staffs leads to longer, more fatiguing shifts. Typically, you are required to use as sources as many as twenty-five scholarly articles published in peer-reviewed Definition for peer-reviewed, opens in dialog journals in medical fields.

In some cases, you will be asked to develop a research question (such as “Is the use of animal-assisted therapy effective in managing behavioral problems of Alzheimer’s patients?”) and come to a conclusion based on a review of recently published research. In other cases, you may be expected to synthesize Definition for synthesize, opens in dialog information from a number of published articles to answer various questions about a nursing practice, such as medication administration, or about a disorder, such as muscular dystrophy.