Assignment 1 Select and complete one of the four assignment options listed below. Format Each assignment should be seven to ten pages long (about 1800-2500 words), 12-point font, double-spaced. Use APA style to list and cite all sources used. Include a title page and reference list (not counted in the seven to ten pages required). K Note that you are not asked to format the entire paper in APA style; you are only using APA style to list your references and cite them in the paper. There are many online tools to help you with this. Grading The important thing is to cover your topic as thoroughly as needed to give a reader a complete picture of the issue. It's a good idea to ask a friend or family member to review your work and alert you to any information gaps-their questions show you what essential content you've left out. Your Academic Expert will, if necessary, correct and comment on grammar and spelling, but recommendations of this type are intended to help you improve your writing skills. Grades (marks) will be based mainly on the content of your work. Listed below are the primary criteria that will be used to evaluate your essay: Relevance: Does the essay pertain to the chosen topic? Definition and precision of terms: Have you clearly stated the meaning of the terms used and used them consistently throughout the assignment? Use of evidence: Do you support arguments with evidence from reliable sources? Accuracy of information: Have you made a clear distinction between supportable facts and your own opinions? Logical consistency: Are your conclusions supported by the evidence in your paper? ● ● ● ● Finding and Using Information Unit 3 talks about how to interpret information in the area of CAM. Here is additional information on how to search for sources and critically evaluate what you read. This is essential if you are to produce quality assignments. An excellent source of information for doing fast literature searches is the PubMed website, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/, published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. However, the great majority of papers generated via this website only allow you to read the abstract, not the whole paper. Start your search by clicking on the Journal Titles tab and entering the name of the journal in which the article appears in the Search box. Here are useful websites for the assignments: Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com page 1 ● ● MedlinePlus: http://medlineplus.gov/ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: https://nccih.nih.gov/ Evaluating What You Read When you write your assignments, you will have to gather information from various sources such as journals or the Internet. Some of the information that you come across will be reliable, while much may be lacking in credibility. It is essential that you carefully evaluate what you read and determine its reliability. Here are some of the factors you need to consider: 1. Is the author an expert? Is the author qualified to write on the subject? Is the author a credible and unbiased source of information? Consider the following people who have written an article that tells you about herb X and whether it has any value as a remedy for arthritis: Dr A is a professor of medicine at a university. Mr B is described as an "expert on natural treatments." Which has more credibility? 2. What method was used to obtain data or conduct research? If this is a report of a research study, was it carried out on rats, samples in a test tube, or people with a disease? If the results are based on actual subjects with a disease, then was the study based on anecdotal observations or was it a clinical trial using a double-blind procedure with several dozen subjects? Does it appear that the conclusion is reasonable based on the data provided? 3. Where was the information published? The article you read about herb X and its possible value as a remedy for arthritis was published in a scholarly journal? published in a magazine you obtained at a health food shop? attached to a website for a company that sells supplements? ● 4. What type of audience is the author writing to? Is this article written for the general public, for health professionals, or perhaps for some other group? 5. Is the article written in a scientific way? The author states that this latest study confirms several previous studies that were published in credible medical journals. References to those articles are given. versus The author states that "herb X speeds detoxification and stimulates the immune system." No references are given. page 2 Many times it is obvious whether the article is based on legitimate science or junk science. But often figuring it out can be quite challenging: you will have to look for subtle clues. Carefully evaluate the articles you read based on the above factors. Look at the whole story before drawing a conclusion. There are three excellent guidelines to follow: 1. If the claims seem too good to be true, they probably are. 2. If the person making the claims makes a profit by persuading you to buy a product, then be doubly dubious. 3. If the article includes statements that are contrary to accepted scientific principles, then the claims that are made are unlikely to be factual. Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Review of Literature 1. Have I formulated a specific thesis or research question that my literature review helps to provide information on? 2. What is the scope of my literature review? What types of publications am I using (e.g., journals, books, government documents, popular media)? What discipline am I working in (e.g., nursing, psychology, medicine)? 3. Has my search been wide enough to ensure that I have properly covered the topic? Have I just taken the first two or three articles I happened to come across and assumed that these represent the literature on the subject? Has my search been narrow enough to exclude irrelevant material? Is the number of sources I've used appropriate for the length of my paper? 4. Have I discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the cited material? Have I critically analyzed the literature I cited? Or have I merely summarized articles? 5. Have I cited and discussed studies contrary to my perspective? 6. Will the reader find my literature review relevant and appropriate? 7. Have I succeeded in showing that I recognize relevant information? Have I explained its relevance to the particular topic, and carried out a critical appraisal? The goal is not necessarily to get to “the truth.” With many questions, the answer may be unambiguously "This claim (or theory of proposed treatment) is clearly wrong." But many other times a more reasonable conclusion may be along these lines: "The evidence does not allow a firm conclusion. On balance the claims being made may be correct, but more research is required." Often, different experts may read the same evidence and come to very different opinions. The crucial goal you must aim for is to review the literature and draw carefully balanced conclusions that stand up to scrutiny. It is quite okay not to reach a "true/false" or "yes/no" conclusion. Please complete only one of the following four assignment options: Option 1: Critical Book Appraisal If you choose to complete Option 1, write a critical appraisal of a book that you have recently read concerning one or more particular complementary and alternative medical therapies currently practised in Canada. The book you review should be at least 100 pages in length. You should include the following sections: page 3 1. Author(s). Provide information about the author(s), including credentials and academic, organizational, or institutional affiliation. Does the author have a bias or vested interest? 2. Introduction. What is the book about? 3. Claims. Does the book make any claims about treatment? 4. Supporting evidence. What scientific evidence does the author present to support his or her claims? Assess the literature in detail. Critically assess the research in relation to the book content. 5. Risks and benefits. Discuss and critically assess the risks and/or benefits associated with the particular therapy presented in the book. 6. Conclusion. Present your conclusion. 7. References. List and cite all sources of scientific literature that you used to write this assignment using APA style. Option 2: CAM and Conventional Therapies If you choose to complete Option 2, investigate the ways in which various complementary and alternative medical therapies can be blended with conventional medicine to treat one of the following conditions: arthritis, menopause, migraine, obesity, insomnia, depression, back pain, or irritable bowel syndrome. You should include the following sections: 1. Condition. Define and describe the condition. 2. Conventional treatment. Describe the current conventional medical treatment. 3. Complementary and alternative treatment. Discuss and critically assess the CAM therapies proposed to treat the condition. 4. Combined treatment. Suggest how conventional and CAM therapies could be blended. 5. Risks and benefits. Assess the risks and/or benefits of combining conventional and CAM therapies. 6. Conclusions. Present your conclusions. 7. References. List and cite all sources that you used to write this assignment using APA style. Option 3: A Dietary Supplement If you choose to complete Option 3, write a paper on an herbal or dietary supplement that is not included in units of the Study Guide commentary, and that is used as a form of complementary and alternative medical therapy. You should include the following sections. 1. Background. Describe the background and historical use of the herb or dietary supplement. 2. Dosage. Describe the dosage, methods of use, and form of the herb or dietary supplement. 3. Benefits. Discuss the proponent's claims of benefits of the herb or dietary supplement. page 4 4. Contraindications. Discuss the contraindications for particular individuals and for particular conditions. 5. Research. Describe and critically assess the research that evaluated the effectiveness of the herb or dietary supplement. 6. Recommendations. Present your recommendations for use of the herb or dietary supplement. 7. References. List and cite all sources that you used to write this assignment using APA style. Option 4: A Complementary and/or Alternative Therapy If you choose to complete Option 4, evaluate a complementary and alternative medical therapy that is not included in the units of the Study Guide commentary. You should include the following sections: 1. Background. Describe the background and historical use of the CAM therapy. 2. Methods and training. Describe the methods of the CAM therapy and the training of the practitioners of this therapy. 3. Benefits. Discuss the proponents' claims of benefits of this CAM therapy. 4. Contraindications. Discuss the contraindications for particular individuals and for particular conditions. 5. Research. Describe and critically assess the research that evaluated the effectiveness of this therapy. 6. Recommendations. Present your recommendations for use of this therapy. 7. References. List and cite all sources that you used to write this assignment using APA style. page 5