Final Research

Health Psychology 310 Final Research

you will analyze a modern health problem (e.g., obesity, cancer, HIV, alcohol abuse etc.) by describing the factors (e.g. biological, interpersonal, psychological) that contribute to the problem, what treatments are available to address the problem (interventions, medicine, therapy), and how adequate you believe these different treatments are (and why). You should narrow your topic to some specific population or aspect of the disease (e.g. colon cancer in adults or the dangers of nicotine use in developing nations). In essence this is an interactive literature review. Your project should include a clear introduction, explanation of the relevance of each example or research study you cite, and overall conclusion.

· You will first hand in a topic idea This should include the general idea; e.g. “We would like to present a project on breathing disorders in children” and a few facts on why you think this will be interesting “because x number of children die from asthma each year” or “research has shown that breathing problems in infancy severely affect brain development and IQ later in life.” Late ideas will not be accepted for credit.

· Along with your presentation you should include full APA style references for each article you cited . You must cite at least 8 peer-reviewed journal articles in the reference list you turn in with your project.

· You will hand in a one-page outline. This should include at least 5 of your ten references (see info below). Late outlines will be penalized 4 points per day.

· You will be given rating sheets during presentation days to rate other student’s presentations. This presentation sheet is worth 5 points, so be sure to attend class even when you are not presenting yourself!

· Your outline should include references in APA format! For suggestions see:

The APA style manual

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty.ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796

· In addition to the basic requirements of the assignment, style, clarity, and presentation quality will be taken into consideration when grading.

· Remember if you quote someone, put it in quotes, and make sure to cite the author of the quote, and on what page it appears in the source from which it was obtained [e.g. “If you were a hot dog…” (Caray, 1996, p.1)] Copying or reading text word for word, or nearly word for word, from a source without properly citing it in such a manner is plagiarism. Failing to cite the source of an original idea not your own is also plagiarism. Gross negligence in omitting such citations will result in a 0 for the project, and possibly additional disciplinary action through the provost’s office.