N4325 Nursing Research

Module 4: Evidence Based Practice Project: Finding the Evidence

Submit by the due date and time listed in your syllabus.
Name:

Date:

Overview
This assignment will allow you to create an evidence-based practice project that includes the
development of a PICO question and follows the initial steps of the Iowa Model. You will share
your findings using an APA formatted paper.

Submitting your assignment

Save this document to your desktop as a Word document.

Open the document from your desktop and review the assignment instructions and
grading rubric.

Create a separate Word document for your paper.

Return to Blackboard and upload your paper and your nursing research article that was
approved by your instructor to the dropbox in Module Four. Please note: if you forget to
upload your nursing quantitative research article, a 5 point penalty will be applied to your
paper.

Grading Rubric
Use this rubric to guide your work the assignment. Points are awarded for each section based
on content and clarity of expression.

Initial PICO
question
completed /
nursing research
article selected.

Accomplished

Proficient

Needs Improvement

(Maximum points
awarded)

(Points awarded based on

content)

(Minimum points
awarded)

Research article is a
quantitative article, nursing
focused, and is 5 years or
less from current
publication date.

Research article is a
quantitative article that is
nursing focused but is
greater than 5 years old.

Please note: if you forget

to upload your nursing
quantitative research
article, a 5 point penalty
will be applied to your
paper
5 4 points

2015 UTA School of Nursing

Research article is not

nursing focused or is a
qualitative article,
systematic review, metasynthesis, meta-analysis,
meta-summary,
integrative review, clinical
information article or
how-to article.
No article uploaded.

3 - 2 points

0 points

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Opening
Paragraph

Introduction statement(s)
present.

No introduction
statement(s).

No introduction
statement(s).

(Paragraph #1)

PICO question with all

elements present.

PICO statement is
incomplete.

PICO statement grossly

incomplete or missing.

Statement of importance
with two facts such as
costs, morbidity, mortality,
safety, or other related
statistics with citation.

Statement of importance
incomplete or missing.

Statement of importance
missing.

Citation is incomplete or
missing.

No citation

8 3 points
Summary
paragraph for
your nursing
quantitative
research article.
(Paragraph #2)

Reliability
paragraph for
your nursing
quantitative
research article.
(Paragraph #3)

Validity
paragraph for
your nursing
quantitative
research article.
(Paragraph #4)

10 9 points
Three facts clearly
identified from quantitative
nursing research article.
Facts clearly tied to PICO
question.
Facts connected to your
nursing practice.

Less than three facts

clearly identified from
quantitative nursing
research article.
Facts not clearly tied to
PICO question.
Facts not clearly connected
to your nursing practice.

10 - 9 points
Definition of reliability
offered with citation.

8 - 3 points
Vague or no definition of
reliability.

Discussion of reliability
clearly connected to data
collection or measurement
methods with examples
from the students
research article. Hint:
This information is
covered in Chapter 10.

Minimal reference to data

collection or measurement
methods in discussion of
reliability with no reference
to specific information from
the students article.

10 - 9 points
Definition of validity
offered with citation.

8 - 3 points
Vague or no definition of
validity.

Discussion of validity
clearly connected to
research design, data
collection, or
measurement methods
with examples from the
students research article.
Hint: This information is
covered in Chapter 8 and
10.

Minimal reference to
research design, data
collection, or measurement
methods in discussion of
validity with no reference to
specific information from
the students article.

10 - 9 points

2015 UTA School of Nursing

8 - 3 points

2 - 0 points
No facts clearly identified
from the article.
No attempt to connect
facts from the article back
to the PICO question.
No attempt to connect
facts from the article back
to your nursing practice.
2 - 0 points
Vague statements about
reliability made with no
discussion of data
collection or
measurement methods
offered.

2 - 0 points
Vague statements about
validity made with no
discussion of data
collection or
measurement methods
offered.

2 - 0 points

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N4325 Nursing Research

Two additional
strengths or
weaknesses from
your nursing
quantitative
research article.

Two strengths or two

weaknesses or one
strength and one
weakness are specifically
identified from your
nursing quantitative
research article.

(Paragraph #5)

The student choices for

strengths / weaknesses
must focus on the
methods used by the
authors for sampling,
measurement, or data
collection with examples
from the students
research article.

Clinical practice
guideline
summary.
(Paragraph #6)

Fourth
resource
summary.
(Paragraph #7)

Closing
Paragraph(s)

Only one strength / or

weakness explained well
with second strength /
weakness only identified.

Strength / weaknesses
identified are not based
on these three critique
skills.

Strengths / weaknesses not

based on sample,
measurement methods, or
data collection.

No strengths /
weaknesses identified.

10 - 9 points
Name and specific website
of the clinical practice
guideline identified.

8 - 3 points
Name or website of the
clinical practice guideline
not clearly identified.

2 - 0 points
Name or website of the
clinical practice guideline
not stated.

Three facts clearly

identified that were found
within the guideline.

Fewer than three facts

clearly identified that were
found within the guideline.

No clearly identified facts

from the guideline.

Facts clearly tied to PICO

question.

Facts vaguely tied to PICO

question.

Facts connected to your

nursing practice.

Facts vaguely connected to

your nursing practice.

10 - 9 points
Three facts clearly
identified from the fourth
resource.

8 - 3 points
Less than three facts
clearly identified from the
fourth resource.

Facts clearly tied to PICO

question.

Facts not clearly tied to

PICO question.

Facts connected to your

nursing practice.

Facts not clearly connected

your nursing practice.

10 - 9 points
PICO question is restated.

8 - 3 points
Missing one or more of the
following elements:

A summary of what was

learned is present.

PICO question.

Recommendations for

A summary of what was

2015 UTA School of Nursing

Facts not tied to PICO

question or nursing
practice.

2 - 0 points
No facts clearly identified
from the fourth resource.
No attempt to connect
facts from the fourth
resource back to the
PICO question.
No attempt to connect
facts from the fourth
resource back to your
nursing practice.
2 - 0 points
No PICO question.
Poor or no attempt to
summarize information
from the resources.

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N4325 Nursing Research

(Paragraph #8
and #9, if
needed)

APA Style and

Formatting

practice are offered.

learned.
Recommendations for
practice.

No / vague
recommendations for
practice are offered.

10 - 9 points
8 - 3 points
2 - 0 points
APA formatting for this paper will follow the guidelines for general formatting, in textcitations, margins, headings (if desired) alignment and line spacing, font type and
size, paragraph indentation, page headers, and the reference page as explained in
the 2nd edition of APA the Easy Way or the 6th edition of the APA Manual.
Helpful Hints:
Do not use 1st person in a formal paper.
Do not use direct quotes, instead summarize and paraphrase what you are
reading.
Please do not forget to use the approved CONHI cover page.
The first time an APA error is discovered, it will be pointed out to you and a point will
be deducted from your paper. Maximum number of points deducted for APA errors:
15 points

Instructions for Completing Your Assignment

Your coach will provide you with a clinical practice topic during Module Two (in
advance of Module Four).
o Step one: Using this topic, identify a nursing clinical practice question
that you would like to explore.
o Step two: Complete the readings from Module four. Use the readings
from Module Four to put your nursing clinical practice question into a
PICO format.
o Step three: Search for a nursing quantitative research article (or two)
that relates to your PICO question using Academic Search Complete,
CINHAL, Pubmed, Google Scholar, or any other database that contains
nursing research articles. Please note: you may be able to use the
article that you submitted in Module Two to meet this requirement.
It must be a nursing quantitative research article.
It must be no more than 5 years old from the current publication
year.
It may not be a qualitative article, systematic review, metasynthesis, meta-analysis, meta-summary, or integrative review.
It may not be a clinical information article or how-to article.
o Step four: If you have questions about your PICO question formatting
or the nursing quantitative research article that you found, post them
to your group discussion board in Module Four for feedback from your
peers / coach.
o

Self-check: if you choose the wrong type of nursing quantitative

research article for your paper (the one that you will be using to write
paragraph 2, 3, 4, & 5) the best grade you could make is a 55. Yikes!!!
Please make sure that you have selected a nursing quantitative

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N4325 Nursing Research

research article that meets the criteria for this assignment and ask for
help if you are not sure. Please note: you may be able to use the article
that you submitted in Module Two to meet this requirement.
o

Step Five: Collecting More Evidence (Do the research)

Find a resource that provides you with at least two facts (ex.
costs, morbidity, mortality, safety, or other related statistics) for
why your clinical problem is important. (The internet is a great
place to get this informationjust dont forget to cite this
information and add it to your reference page).
Find a clinical practice guideline at
http://www.guideline.gov/browse/by-topic.aspx that relates to
your question. It must have information that relates to the role
of the nurse.
Find a clinical how-to article, a nursing professional practice
website, a systematic literature review, a meta-analysis, or a
manufacturers website that relates to your practice question.
Hint: Did you notice that you will be finding a total of four
different sources of information for your PICO question?
o Step Six: Write up your findings in APA format and submit them to
Blackboard by the due date and time listed in your syllabus. Heres
how to write up your findings:
Start with a UTA CONHI approved cover page.
Paragraph #1: This is your opening paragraph. Start with an
introduction statement. What is your PICO question? Describe
why was it important (share the dollars, morbidity / mortality,
statistics, safety stats you found with citation)?
Paragraph #2: What did your nursing quantitative research
article add to your knowledge on this topic? Share at least
three facts that you found within the article in this paragraph
that is relevant to your PICO question and your practice as a
nurse.
Paragraph #3: Critique the reliability of the nursing
quantitative research article you used. Go back to what you
learned in your article critique about measurement methods
and data collection in Module 3 to make sure you are being
thorough in your assessment. Be specific, so that your
instructor, if reading the article, can find them too.
Paragraph #4: Critique the validity of the nursing
quantitative research article you used. Go back to what you
learned in your article critique about research design,
measurement methods, and data collection to make sure you
are being thorough in your assessment. Be specific, so that
your instructor, if reading the article, can find them too.

2015 UTA School of Nursing

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Paragraph #5: Using the skills you have learned in your

critique of a research article, describe two strengths or two
weaknesses (or one strength and one weakness) that you
found as you read this article. Go back to what you learned
in your article critique about sampling methods,
measurement methods, and data collection to make sure you
are being thorough in your assessment. Be specific, so that
your instructor, if reading the article, can find them too.
Paragraph #6: What is the name and website of the clinical
practice guideline that you found? Share at least three facts
that you found within the guideline that is relevant to the
PICO question and your practice as a nurse and cite the
guideline appropriately.
Paragraph #7: Identify the fourth resource you found (clinical
how-to article, a nursing professional practice website, a
systematic literature review, a meta-analysis, or a
manufacturers website) that relates to your practice
question. Share at least three facts that you found within
this source that is relevant to the PICO question and your
practice as a nurse, and cite appropriately.
Paragraph #8 (and #9 if needed): re-state your PICO
question and briefly summarize what you have learned
through your search. What would you recommend, if
anything, as a change in practice for nurses? Why?
Remember, this is your closing paragraph(s).
Note to students about writing up your findings:
This is a formal APA paper. Look at the Rubric for more
APA information for this paper.
Dont forget to use your APA resources that were
reviewed in Module Two!
Dont forget to use the Module Four discussion board
for additional questions about your paper.
Turn it in to the drop box under the Assignments Tab in
Module Four at the due date and time listed in your
syllabus.
Possible points for this assignment: 100 points

2015 UTA School of Nursing

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