Literature Matrix Discussion

Question Description
Open up the rubric and refer to it for guidance. Use the Literature Matrix template to complete the assignment. As your reading continues, you will add to and revise this matrix. That is why this initial one is called “preliminary.” Keep adding to it as you go along to organize and critique your sources. You will need the matrix to write your paper. You must use at least eight (8) primary research articles and should not use more than two (2) secondary sources. Articles should not be more than 6 years old. You may use medical research, but warning: they are comprised mostly of data and numbers because they are clinical trials. At least half of your sources need to be nursing research.

You are to use only primary research articles for the scholarly synthesis. A primary research article reports on an empirical research study conducted by the authors. It is almost always published in a peer-reviewed journal.

This type of article:

Asks a research question or states a hypothesis or hypotheses

Identifies a research population Describes a specific research method Tests or measures something

Includes a section called “method” or “methodology.” This may only appear in the article, not the abstract.Includes a section called “results.”

Words to look for as clues include: analysis, study, investigation, examination, experiment,

numbers of people or objects analyzed, content analysis, or surveys.

To contrast, the following are not

primary research articles:

Literature reviews

Meta-Analyses (These are studies that arrive at conclusions based on research from

many other studies.) Literature Matrix Discussion

Editorials

Letters

Chapters in books

Encyclopedia articles

Speeches and interviews

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You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.