This capstone project is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to apply their knowledge of concepts and skills through an individually designed project. Students will execute the project through the development and implementation of a patient treatment plan that culminates in a final paper and presentation on the specific "Periodontal Type II" or greater case identified.
Some Basics of Searching for Research:
1.) In any search bar start with the whole of your research topic. For example: If the topic of the paper is "Periodontal Attachment Loss in Diabetic Patients" and you only search "Attachment Loss," you will get articles and information that do not apply to the topic. Start with the whole topic and see what comes up.
2.) Refining the results:
2a.) TOO MUCH- If you are getting too many articles, try putting quotes around key search terms "Attachment Loss" "Diabetic Patients." This will limit the search to articles where those terms appear beside each other in context.
2b.) NOT ENOUGH- Break down the topic into variations. "Diabetes and Dental Care," "Attachment Loss in Dental Care," "Periodontal Care and Diabetes"
3.) Don't stop at the required number of sources! Although the requirement says you need three additional resources, always find a few more than required. Just because you have them, doesn't mean you have to use them. It is better to have choices when writing a paper than trying to force a paper from limited options.
4.) READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE (Or at the very least 1st Paragraph, a Middle Paragraph, and the Last paragraph)!!! Your search engine may pull up an article that has your search terms in the article, but that does not always mean the article actually speaks to your topic. Be sure that the entirety of the source supports your topic, not just a single sentence.
Even if you are researching from home there are resources that can be accessed from the Online Library Catalog. There are several eBooks and eVideos on the topic options for your research paper. Click the link below, use the login information listed, search for your topic area. Pay attention to "format" information if you want only online material.
-For general knowledge of conditions or disorders the "Gale Health Reference Collection" is recommended for starting your research.
-For research studies, journal articles, and similar academic based materials on your topics go to "Health Source Academic & Nursing;" "ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health;" or "Medline"
-For some topics these databases will be of value: "Alternative HealthWatch;" "Consumer Health Complete;" "Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection"
-Remember to only use FULL-TEXT articles. Never use "Abstracts" as primary research.
The following databases also provide various articles that may be helpful in your research process. Remember to consider only FULL-TEXT articles available, the date the article was published, and whether it is research- opinion- or promotion based information before using. Not all articles will be available for free through these databases. In many cases, just like with Google Searches, you will be able to access the abstract but not a full-text article. However, if you get the name of an article you are interested in- you might search it in the databases listed above- it might be available.
Coulter, P. (2016). Richard G. Trefry library: American public University System. Libanswers. http://apus.libanswers.com/faq/44354
"Scholarly" and "peer reviewed" are often used synonymously, but they are not necessarily the same thing. Peer reviewed articles are always scholarly, but not all scholarly sources are peer reviewed. It may seem confusing, but it makes more sense if you think of "scholarly" as an umbrella term for several different kinds of authoritative, credible sources. These include:
How can you tell if an article is scholarly? You will have to do some detective-work, but there are some telltale signs: