Reference no: EM132261141
GUIDELINES FOR NUTRITION ARTICLE REVIEWS
The purpose of this assignment is to help you develop critical thinking skills and to use library research skills. You need to look at the source of your article and the ways the information is presented to do this assignment adequately
1. Find an article in newspapers, magazines, books or on the Internet that describes some aspect of a nutrient's function in the body, weight control, heart disease, women's, men's or child health, cancer, fitness or nutrition for a particular segment of the population. This is not a complete list of subjects that you might use but merely some suggestions. These articles should not come from professional sources.
Find them in common magazines, newspapers etc. that you might find on the newsstand or while sitting is a waiting area for an appointment. Peer reviewed journals are not acceptable for this part of the assignment. Be sure your article has a NUTRITION message. If you find an article which discusses a health issue like cancer, be sure that there is some substantial discussion about the role of nutrition.
• Do not use articles which deal with businesses that serve, manufacture or prepare food unless there is a strong message about nutrition in the article (not that the business believes in good nutrition).
• Food ads unless they provide a substantial amount of nutrition information, are not normally acceptable. Students sometimes find articles that do provide this type of information. They are often found in health food stores. These articles should be discussed in advance with the instructor. Articles which promote vitamin or mineral supplements are acceptable as long as they have sufficient information.
• Do not use articles which primarily serve to give a recipe, unless it describes the function of the nutrient extensively.
To see how inaccurate information is presented as true, sometimes it is helpful to find an article providing inaccurate information. As the Chapter 1 Highlight discusses, false information might start out with one accurate fact and twist it in such a way that gives it a sensational flavor.
It might present information in a way that makes it seem like a real breakthrough or a "miracle". These articles are easily found at the checkouts in grocery stores and often on the Internet. One example of such information is that vinegar can help you to lose weight quickly or cures arthritis or heart disease.
2. The article critique should be no longer than 5 pages. Attach the copies of the article or the article with the Internet site identified to your assignment. Be sure that the source-name of the magazine, book or newspaper-and the author and date are noted. Material should not be older than one year. Do not select articles from professional publications (Nutrition Today, Dental Hygiene or Nursing Magazines).
3. The discussion should include.
• Section 1-summarize the information in the article. This does not need to be extensive since you are attaching the article. I can read the article if necessary.
• Section 2-Evaluate the source-this includes the publication itself, the author, persons quoted for information, their degrees or certifications, and their affiliation.
• Evaluate whether there is some economic gain to come to the publisher from the information presented in the article.
• Evaluate the type of nutrition study that is presented, if any, (for example: controlled, double blind, epidemiological). Not every article presents a study so you will not discuss this with all articles. Describe whether the study appears to have a sufficient number of participants (less that 30 is usually too limited to provide data that might apply to everyone).
• Sometimes articles are written by staff journalists who are not nutrition experts or medical professionals. If this is the case, did they do appropriate research to get the facts?
• Did the interview include credible sources and are they identified/cited? o If no one is cited, does it appear that this writer did sufficient research to present the information accurately?
• Section 3-The intent of this assignment is to have you do some research using on-line or library resources. Find one source which supports or refutes what is presented in the article. Cite the title of the article, author and his/her credentials and affiliation and the location where the article was published.
In this part of the assignment you should attempt to find some source which is more technical/professional. You should NOT however merely find the technical article on which your article was based. Find another source of information which says the same or similar things. Discuss what you found.
• For the inaccurate articles, the Quackwatch web site is often helpful. Your text book is not an acceptable source for this support. References at the end of each chapter might provide some source that you could examine to support or refute the information presented in your article.
• Section 4-Discuss how you feel about the information in the article and the research you did. If you are evaluating information which is incorrect or misleading why would the information seem to be believable to someone who does not understand nutrition principles? When you evaluate the article, do the tables or photos or even the headline affect how you respond to the information? What attracts you to the information, regardless of whether the information is good or bad?
Evaluate whether your article has these characteristics as identified by the Foundation for Critical Thinking.
Does your article possess?
• Clarity--is it understandable
• Accuracy--is it free from errors or distortions?
• Precision--is it exact to the necessary level of detail?
• Relevance--does it keep to the matter at hand?
• Depth--does it contain and explain complexities and multiple interrelationships?
• Breadth--does it encompass multiple viewpoints?
• Logic--do the parts make sense together with no contradictions?
Significance--does it focus on the important, not trivial?
• Fairness--it is justifiable, not self-serving or one-sided?