Discuss the benefits or challenges of the policy/practice. In other words, how is it a success or a failure?

The purpose of the Article Critique is to critically assess an article about a topic related to health inequity; outline a successful and an unsuccessful policy or practice which addresses the health inequity; and propose improvements to the unsuccessful practice/policy based on your knowledge of the health inequity. Before starting work on the assignment, you must obtain instructor approval of the research topic.  You are able to write your paper surrounding a topic of your choosing, provided that it has a public health focus and is narrowly defined and measurable.  To write this paper, students must also be familiar with their health topic and policies & practices surrounding their health topic.  After reading your chosen article and researching the topic via additional resources, students will complete the paper as described below:

Article Critique Technical Requirements:

• 1000-1300 words (not including reference page)
• Double spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font, 1” margins, essay format
• Less than 20% of the word count should be direct quotes
• Submit to the correct link in Assignments.  This uploads your paper to TurnItIn, a plagiarism detection device.  See plagiarism information under Institutional Policies.
• Correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
• All outside information must be from reputable and reliable academic sources
• The main reference which you will critique must be a peer-reviewed journal article published within the past 5 years (example: American Journal of Public Health.  This will be your main article that you are reviewing.
• 4 additional references must come from credible, academically appropriate sources (example: Centers for Disease Control or World Health Organization).  These will be your support sources to assist you with considering the implications of the health topic and population.
• Note: Governmental publications, such as the MMWR, are credible but do not qualify as peer-reviewed journal articles. Peer-reviewed journal articles are externally reviewed for accuracy and content.
• Note: Students who submit a paper written on a topic other than the one assigned/approved by the instructor will automatically receive a 50% point deduction.
• Each section of your paper should use the FIVE bold section titles included in the format below.

Article Critique Content Requirements:

Each section of your paper should use the FIVE bold section titles included in the format below.

• Introduction: Include an introduction paragraph that introduces the topic and describes the main ideas of the paper. This paragraph should be at least 4 sentences in length.
  • The last sentence of this paragraph should be your thesis statement. A thesis statement clearly states what your paper will cover and gives an overview of the points you will make. Hint: Write your thesis sentence last.  That way you can focus on the flow of information within the body of your paper and then make your thesis sentence match you topics at the end of your writing process.
• Background: Provide information about the article and health inequity in 1 paragraph. This is the main peer-reviewed article that you are critiquing.
  • Summarize the article. Be sure you do not copy what is written in the article abstract.  You must complete this in your own words.
    • Include a summary – what is the purpose of the article? What are the results?  What were the limitations?
    • Include the strengths and weaknesses of the article
  • Implications of Health Inequities: Describe the implications of the health inequity in 1 – 2 paragraphs.
    • Include risk factors and consequences. This is where you can use your support sources.
    • Include at least 2 pieces of epidemiologic data published within the past 5 years, which may include incidence rates, prevalence rates, and/or death rates
    • Some examples may include access to health services, population distribution by age, human rights and/or political issues, economic issues such as poverty, urban or rural distribution of population, social, religious, or cultural disparities as it pertains to your article and health inequity. The connection should be made obvious.
• Implications for Policy and Practice: This is where you can use your support sources. What are TWO existing policies or practices that directly impact the health inequity? One MUST be a successful policy/practice, the other MUST be an unsuccessful policy/practice.  You can choose policies/practices at any level, including institutional, organizational, local, state, or national.  Both should be further described in separate paragraphs as such:
  • Summarize the policy/practice in detail (at least 3 sentences)
  • Discuss the benefits or challenges of the policy/practice. In other words, how is it a success or a failure?
  • For your unsuccessful policy/practice, discuss how you would improve it to increase its success? (at least 3 sentences)
    • Some examples might be: repeal the existing policy and replace it with something else, amend various components of the policy.
  • Conclusion and Future Research Recommendations: Provide a conclusion paragraph and include future recommendations for your health inequity in a minimum of 4 sentences. Include areas that are lacking research.
    • Summarize your paper
    • Where you do you see a need for additional research?

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