Nursing Research Application

Paper 2 – EBP2: Quantitative Critical Appraisal

Purpose of this assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is for students to demonstrate an understanding of critical appraisal of a quantitative research study that correlates with their PICO(T) question addressed in EBP 1. This paper is a demonstration of continued development of writing skills, APA formatting, and understanding of research. This assignment is worth 40 points.

Guidelines for paper:

• Write a paper focusing on the quantitative study that addresses your PICO question that was addressed in your first paper. This paper should be no longer than 3 pages in length. This does not include the title page, references, or table.
• Do not use quotes unless absolutely necessary (points will be deducted for improper use of quotes)
• Use Times New Roman size 12 font for this paper
• You will be citing a lot throughout this paper—ALL citations should be scholarly sources. Remember scholarly sources include your textbook, peer-reviewed journals, government sources (eg. CDC, WHO), nationally and regionally recognized associations (eg. American Nurses Association).
o Not scholarly: blogs, informational websites (even university websites), websites with no author. If you are unsure whether your source is scholarly or not, post your question to the course discussion board.
o If you cite your textbook, be sure to cite and reference the author of the chapter, not the textbook in general. See APA manual for how to cite and reference a chapter in an edited book.
• The first page of your paper is the title page.
o An author’s note, running head, and abstract are not required for this paper.
o See page 32 in your APA manual for a sample student title page
• The next page starts the body of the paper. Use level 1 headings for each section of the paper after the introduction. Use appropriate APA formatting of the page including the headers and citations.
See page 48 in your APA manual for an explanation on of levels of heading.
• Paper structure:
o Introduction (1/2 page)
 Engaging sentence introducing your paper
 Clearly state the PICO question including all elements
 Briefly share which database was used to find the article and why the article was selected over others (can be one sentence)
 Introduce the article to be discussed in this paper, the problem being studied, and cite. (Do not need to include full title of the study- in-text citation is sufficient)
 Sentence introducing the rest of your paper and content that will be discussed
o Information About Evidence (~1/2 to 3/4 page)
 What was the general purpose of this study?
 Describe the study design in the body of the paper and table. Remember that this is more specific than “quantitative” – refer to course materials on designs. Be sure to define what that design is and cite this definition using an external scholarly source (this could be a chapter from your textbook). Provide more details of the study design in the table.
 Discuss one strength of this type of design (not this specific study, but the fact that they used a specific design- eg. strengths of an RCT). Provide rationale for why this is a strength and cite using an external scholarly source.
 Correctly identify the study variables (both independent and dependent). There might be multiple dependent variables, list the main one(s) that relate to your PICO(T) question. Include these and additional relevant details in the table.
 What was the sample size? Was the sample size appropriate based on the study’s design? (i.e., were there enough participants to make a valid conclusion) Provide clear rationale and cite using a scholarly external citation. Include a description of the sample in the table.
o Results of Evidence (~1/2 page)
 How were the data analyzed? (include statistical tests, software). If multiple tests were run, discuss those that were run to provide results relevant to your PICO(T) in your paper.
 Define one of the statistical tests used to analyze data that answered your PICO(T) question. Cite using an external scholarly source.
 Provide details of data analysis in the table (list all statistical tests that were run- no need to provide definitions in the table)
 What were the main findings of this study? Discuss findings relevant to your PICO(T) in the body of the paper. Provide at least one relevant statistical result in the body of the paper. Provide a more comprehensive list of findings in the table and any relevant statistical results that relate to your PICO(T).
 Discuss how or if the findings answer your PICO question (remember that findings may support or not support your PICO question- both are acceptable). Make sure you answer: do the findings support implementation of the intervention or not? Provide rationale.
o Validity of Evidence (~1/2 page)
 Identify one threat to internal validity and one threat to external validity. Why were these threats? Cite this rationale using an external scholarly source.
 Did the authors address these threats? If yes, how? If no, how could they have been addressed?
 List all threats internal validity and external validity in the table. These should include threats identified by the author and also those inferred by you reading the study.
 What instrument(s) were used to collect the data in the study? Describe the instrument(s) that relate directly to your PICO(T) in the body of the paper (name of instrument, variable it intended to measure). In the table, list all instruments used in the study.
 Were the instrument(s) discussed above valid? Provide details related to validity testing or other relevant information in the table. If no validity information was available, describe what could have been done to enhance validity. Provide rationale and scholarly external citation (eg. textbook).
 Were the instrument(s) discussed in the body of the paper reliable? If no reliability information was available, describe what could have been done to enhance reliability. Provide rationale and scholarly external citation (eg. textbook).
 Provide more details related to reliability and validity information in the table. This includes if there was reliability and validity data for each instrument used. No rationale or definitions required in the table- may just list relevant information provided in the article.
o Strengths and Limitations of Evidence (~1/2 page)
 What were the major strengths of the study (i.e., design, level of evidence, data analysis methods, sample size)? Describe one in the body of the paper and cite rationale for why this is a strength using a scholarly external resource.
 Provide comprehensive list of strengths in the table.
 What were major limitations of the study (i.e., sample size, study design, extraneous variables)? Describe one in the body of the paper and cite using an external scholarly source.
 Provide comprehensive list of limitations in the table.
o References
 Use appropriate APA for your references. See APA manual, 2020, p. 281
 All citations in the paper appear in the reference list
o Appendix
 Use appropriate APA for the table formatting. The table will show up after your reference list as an appendix.
 See APA manual, 2020, p. 200 for a sample table. No table notes required.
 The table will be a detailed and complete description of your critical appraisal. Use the template provided in the assignment link. Do not use direct quotes in your table unless these relate to information that cannot be paraphrased (eg. aims are sometimes ok to directly quote). Any directly quoted information should be cited appropriately with the page number. Paraphrased information in the table does not need to be cited because the authors are listed at the top of the table.
o As a separate file:
 Submit a pdf file of the quantitative study you referred to in your paper with your EBP 2 paper. The entire article must be submitted. Name this file with “QUANT” as well as the first author and year published: “QUANT_Author Year” (eg. QUANT_Jones 2019).
The “end” of this section may seem abrupt (as if a conclusion of sorts is needed) but it’s OK.
You do not need to summarize or write a conclusion here.
Prior to submission.
• Review prior papers for feedback and incorporate improvements into this paper.
• Check the rubric that your paper has meets all of the criteria. Remember that the rubric is how the faculty will grade your submission
• Use your peers or other individuals to review your paper.
Submit through Turnitin in the designated area of Canvas under assignments. Due date is per course calendar. Late papers will be assessed deductions based on policy in the course syllabus.