For this paper it needs to be written in APA format. For your topic headings please use the following rubric. Use the underscored words as your paragraph headings. This will ensure that you have addressed each area and not missed one for full credit.

Make sure you address each section.

The following are some key points to remember for this project.

• Your article must be a quantitative research article from a nursing journal.

Content/Elements Points
Title & Abstract: Does the title identify the general idea of the study? Identify the qualifications of the authors? Was there information provided to determine if the authors were qualified to study the topic? Is the abstract clear and concise? Does it give you a good summary of the study? What elements of the study did the abstract address?
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Problem: Is the problem statement clear? Is the problem sufficiently narrow in scope without being trivial? Is the problem significant? Is the purpose defined? Is the project significant, feasible, and researchable?
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Literature Review and Theoretical Framework: Are the references current, pertinent and representative of the issues? Are the sources for the literature review mostly primary, secondary or anecdotal? Was a theoretical framework utilized? Did the authors provide enough information to readers to see how the framework related to the study?
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Research Design Elements: What is the research design? Was the hypothesis clearly stated or implied? What was the hypothesis for the study? What are the dependant and independent variables of the study?
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Study setting and instruments: Where did data collection occur? Did they provide information on the validity and reliability of the instruments used? Is this the best way to get the information? Does the setting reflect the real world?
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Protection of Human Subjects: Did they obtain approval from the appropriate institutional review board(s). Did they conduct the research in an ethical manner?
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Sample & Descriptive: Identify sampling plan (probability or non-probability, how many subjects were in the study? Based on the study did the sampling method and number of subjects seem appropriate? What is the target population? Is the sample representative of this target population? Examine the description of the subjects. Are they used to describe the sample and/or the study? What do they indicate? Are they clear?
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Study Results & Understanding: Were the statistical results significant or not. Where was the p value of the study set prior to collecting data? What was the p value they found? What do the results of the p-value mean in this study? Are the statistics reported clearly and understandably? Discuss the statistical significance of the results as compare to the clinical significance of the results.
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Conclusions, Limitations & Existing Knowledge: Is the conclusion logically related to the hypotheses? Will the findings generalize to the target population? Are the results consistent with prior findings, new or contradictory? Are limitations identified? Are there others, which are not identified? What are they? Are there suggestions for further study? Did they compare the results found back to existing knowledge they identified in the review of the literature?
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Professionalism & Formatting: Clarity of writing style in the critique. Proper use of grammar Format of paper: margins, references, font type, and font size according to APA
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