Effect of cannabis on ORAL HEALTH
Purpose
This assignment affords students the opportunity to analyze a research article in preparation for writing their own article. Students will find and summarize a scientific journal article. In doing so, they will identify and evaluate each section of the article.
Writing Task
After reading the articles and viewing the video outlining how to analyze a research article, use those tools to read and analyze an article related to your research. Then write a 1-2 page paper (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1” margins). Your essay should address the following:
1. Summarize the information contained in the abstract.
2. Write down the major purpose of the study.
3. Summarize the introduction. Pay specific attention to the topics presented, the reference citations provided, and how reference citations were used.
4. Write a word essay – Evaluate why the authors chose to include the information found in the introduction.
5. List the hypotheses of the study.
6. Write a word essay – Evaluate whether the hypotheses follow logically from the arguments presented in the introduction.
7. Briefly summarize the information contained in each of the subsections included under the method section.
8. Write a word essay – Evaluate whether there is sufficient information in each section to allow the study to be replicated. If you think there is not, list what is missing.
9. List the variables that were measured.
10. Write a word essay – Evaluate the adequacy of the measures for testing the hypothesis.
11. Specify any control measures taken to rule out alternative explanations (for example, factors held constant, special subject samples, etc.).
12. List the major findings of the study as reported in the results.
13. Show how statistics were used to determine the significance of the findings (what statistics were reported and how they were used?).
14. Summarize and evaluate the information in the discussion. Did the author’s conclusions follow logically from the results reported? Why, or why not? Did the author stray too far from the data when speculating the meaning of the results? Were any alternative explanations offered for the results? If so, what were they? What future research can be suggested?
15. Indicate whether the study adequately evaluated the hypotheses stated in the introduction. Why, or why not?
Your assignment should be submitted through “Assignments” in Canvas (available through the home page, through Modules, or through Assignments). This assignment is worth 5% of your final grade.
Essays will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Addressing the writing task—a successful essay fully addresses each of the 15 required parts of the assignment
2. Cogency—a successful essay goes beyond summary to analyze and evaluate the article
3. Support—a successful essay provides specific examples from the article
4. Organization—a successful essay uses paragraphs to develop ideas; each paragraph focuses on one aspect of the analysis (such as, summarizing and evaluating the introduction—points 3 and 4—in a single paragraph)
5. Style—a successful essay uses Standard Written English to convey the ideas
