PTA 230 Clinical Applications Across the Lifespan

Scientific Journal Review

Homework Assignment #1

Due Thursday, October 16, 2014

Submit Assignment via Turn It In

Introduction

As a PTA it is important to keep abreast of new information and treatments in the field of physical therapy. Scientific journals are one arena where new knowledge can be gleaned. It is therefore paramount that the PTA, in order to develop as a professional, is able to adeptly negotiate current scientific literature. Presenting a journal article to the class is an effective means of developing that skill.

Content & Format

Students are to adhere to the following guidelines for the Scientific Journal Review:

  • Students will choose one article from a physical therapy related peer reviewed journal that has been published within the last five years
  • Students will write a written critique of the article, which will include the following points:
  • Statement of the research question
  • Statement of the research hypothesis
  • Identification of the study design
  • Brief description of the research methodology
  • Recap of the experiment results
  • Description of the clinical importance of the research
  • Brief summary of the quality of the research
  • Students will give a 5 minute presentation describing the research, and summarizing the elements of the written critique
  • Students will submit a single copy of the research article along with the critique to the instructor
  • Copies of the article will be made available by the instructor at students’ requests
  • The critique will be type written, double spaced, and a minimum of 11 point type

Grading

The assignment is worth 200 points toward the course grade.

Format

Points / Description
25 / All format criteria are followed according to established guidelines
20 / Most format criteria are followed according to established guidelines
15 / Some format criteria are followed according to established guidelines
10 / Few format criteria are followed according to established guidelines
5 / Little to no format criteria are followed according to established guidelines

Written Critique

Points / Description
75 / Research question and hypothesis are clearly identified; Study design is accurately described; Research methodology and all results are clearly described; Clinical importance of research is thoroughly related; Summary of the quality of the research is cogent and well thought out
60 / Research question and hypothesis are mostly identified; Study design is described fairly accurately; Research methodology and most results are clearly described; Clinical importance of research is related, though some detail is missing; Summary of the quality of the research is thorough, but could be more complete
45 / Research question and hypothesis are somewhat identified; Study design is adequately described; Research methodology and some results are described; Clinical importance of research is adequately related; Summary of the quality of the research is missing several key points
30 / Research question and hypothesis are not easily identified; Study design is vaguely described; Research methodology and most results are described with minimal detail; Clinical importance of research is not well described; Summary of the quality of the research is lacking in quality and quantity
15 / Research question and hypothesis are not easily or not at all identified; Study design is vaguely described; Research methodology and all results are not well described; Clinical importance of research is not at all described; Summary of the quality of the research is lacking or missing

Oral Presentation

Points / Description
50 / Well developed and clear narrative; Thoroughly engages audience; Speaks with appropriate tone and volume; Easily understood
40 / Mostly well developed and clear narrative; Engages audience for most of the presentation; Mostly speaks with appropriate tone and volume; Fairly easy to understand
30 / Somewhat developed and clear narrative; Somewhat engages audience; Generally speaks with appropriate tone and volume; Somewhat easy to understood
20 / Undeveloped and somewhat unclear narrative; Doesn’t engage audience very well; Tone and volume are not very appropriate; Hard to understand
10 / Undeveloped and very unclear narrative; Doesn’t engage audience at all; Tone and volume are very inappropriate; Very difficult to understand

Focus and Purpose of Narrative

Points / Description
25 / Well developed and clear, relevant statements that engage the reader
20 / Well developed ideas in narrative
15 / Mostly good ideas, but expression is weak
10 / Mostly simplistic, unfocused ideas. Little or no sense of overall purpose
5 / Ideas are extremely simplistic, showing signs of confusion and lack of purpose

Writing Mechanics

Points / Description
25 / Virtually free of punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors. Formatting is appropriate.
20 / Occasional punctuation, grammatical, spelling, and/or formatting errors
15 / Contains a moderate amount of punctuation, grammatical, spelling, and/or formatting errors
10 / Contains several punctuation, grammatical, spelling, and/or formatting errors
5 / Contains serious errors in punctuation, grammar, spelling, and/or formatting

Total Points:______/200

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