Assignment 3—Literature Review, Part 1: Introduction and Selection Criteria (will be graded upon submission of part 2)

Your literature review will be submitted in two parts. The purpose of a literature review is to present relevant literature findings from nursing and related fields, show awareness of what is known about this scientific area and apply the findings to nursing practice.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide a basis for the remaining class project that build on this literature review. Only quantitative research studies should be used.

Using the skills you developed in critiquing a research article, perform a literature review in a clinical area of interest. In your classroom, you will find a list of suggested topics, but that list is by no means comprehensive—choose something of particular professional interest to you. Consult your instructor if you have any questions or need help deciding on an appropriate topic.

In your final paper, you should

• provide a clear rationale for an important scientific investigation related to nursing science
• include at least four relevant peer-reviewed journal articles published within the past five years

Your final paper should be 10 to 15 pages, including the cover page and references.

The following article offers helpful guidelines for constructing a critique of a nursing research article:

Cronin, P., Ryan, F., & Coughlan, M. (2008). Undertaking a literature review: a step-by-step approach . British Journal of Nursing, 17(1): 38-43.

Note that you will be submitting this assignment in two parts. You will not receive a separate grade for part 1. You will receive your final grade for this assignment when you submit part 2.

Part 1 should be 3 to 5 pages and follow this outline:

Introduction

• State the topic you selected and why.
• List a minimum of four keywords that you used for your search and the databases you used to perform your search.

Review

• List the articles you selected, briefly describing each article and why you chose those articles—for example, relevance to the research topic, methodology used, peer-reviewed content.
• Summarize the major findings and recommendations of each article.

Part 2 should be 7 to 10 pages and follow this outline:

Discussion

• Summarize the overall findings of the articles.

Conclusion and Application

• Describe how these can be applied to nursing research and practice.