1. Write a current issues paper with sections including background, review of literature, and summary and conclusion. The topic must be a current issue and must be approved prior to starting the paper. Each section needs to have the following:
2. Background of topic: This section is where the topic is introduced (the main purpose). It must have the metabolic pathway or mechanism described in detail (a drawing can be included to help describe the pathway). It must be stated clearly, concisely, correctly, and demonstrate a clear understanding of the mechanism. If a mechanism is not known, the metabolic pathway that is known should be included. Citations must be included in your paper for the background. There should be a link between the metabolic pathway and the main purpose of the paper. Include a thesis statement.
For example, if the paper was about chromium and glucose control, the Background would include a brief introduction about chromium, a brief description of glucose metabolism at the cellular level, and then the proposed mechanism of action for chromium in relation to glucose control. If the paper is about omega-3 PUFAs and Alzheimer’s disease then the Background would include a brief introduction about omega-3 PUFAs, a brief description of Alzheimer’s disease, and then the proposed mechanism of action for omega-3 PUFAs in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Here the mechanism of action is not known but it is suspected that the inflammatory action of omega-3 PUFAs play a role and so you would need to provide the metabolic pathway for the eicosanoids.
3. Review of literature: This section is where research is reviewed and critiqued. At least three articles are reviewed. The articles must be from peer-reviewed journals and must be original research. If you are unsure of what this means, see me. The review should include information about the subjects (can use human and animal studies), outcome measures, study design, and the results if they were significant (put the statistics like the p-value). Critique the article in one to two sentences. What were the weakness and strengths?
4. Summary and Conclusion: This section is where the research is put together. The information must be synthesized. Find the commonalities and differences in the research and discuss how these studies either confirm or refute the hypothesis.
5. You will be graded on your research technique. The articles must be no older than five years and must be original research for the review (review articles can be used for the background). You must use APA guidelines.
The final paper must be at least 4 pages, but no longer than 6 pages typed, double-spaced, using 12-point font and with 1” margins. Attach a copy of the full text articles.
Paper Ideas:
Vitamin K and Alzheimer’s disease; Vitamin K and cancer – liver and prostate; Vitamin K and diabetes; Vitamin E & heart disease; Vitamin E and Cancer; Vitamin E and Eye Health; Vitamin C with COVID-19; Zinc with COVID19, etc.
