PICOT Question and Search Strategy Paper Assignment Description

Purpose

and Scoring Rubric

The purpose of assignment is to provide experience and feedback with the development of a clinical question of interest to you using the PICOT format along with designing and documenting the results of a search for scientific literature related to the clinical question. This assignment is intended to allow you to show evidence of achievement of:

CLO 1: Evaluate existing scientific evidence to be used in decision making related to practice, education or leadership.

CLO 2: Develop evidenced-based practice questions using PICOT format.

CLO 3: Conduct a literature search for research evidence related to a practice question.

Requirements

This scholarly paper is due on . An APA template is provided which describes the expectations for each section of this scholarly paper. Graduate level writing is expected. The following rubric will be used to score this assignment.

Scoring Rubric

Category (points possible)	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Nearly meets expectations	Does not meet expectation
Introduction	5	4	3	<3
(5)
	The introduction	The introduction	The introduction does	Incomplete or
	clearly and concisely	states the paper’s	state the paper’s	unfocused purpose
	states the paper’s	purpose in a single	purpose but it is	statement. There is
	purpose in a single	sentence but it fails to	convoluted and not	no clear introduction
	sentence that is	be engaging. The	engaging. The	of main topic and/or
	engaging and	introduction states	introduction does not	the structure of the
	thought-provoking.	the main topic but	clearly state the topic	paper is missing.
	The introduction	does not adequately	or preview the
	clearly states and	preview the structure	structure and content
	describes the main	of the paper.	of the paper.
	topic and previews
	the structure and
	content of the paper.
Significance of the	20	18	16	≤15
Practice Problem (20)	This section effectively describes the significance of the problem including human and societal impact as well as other areas of impact. The problem is significant to the student’s identified practice area and has significant impact onthe student’s discipline and patient outcomes. Current data on incidence and/or prevalence is	This section describes the significance of the problem including human and societal impact. The problem is significant to the student’s identified practice area. Current data on incidence and/or prevalence is included. Cultural, political, legal, ethical, quality, safety, and financial implications areincluded if	This section provides a brief description of the problem but fails to describes the significance of the problem including human and societal impact. The problem is significant to the student’s identified practice area. Current data on incidence and/or prevalence is limited and cultural, political, legal, ethical, quality, andsafety implications	This section identifies the problem but does not effectively describe the significance of the problem. The problem is not a current issue or the issue does have significance to the student’s identified practice area. Current data on incidence and/or prevalence and/or cultural, political, legal,ethical, quality,

Category (points possible)	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Nearly meets expectations	Does not meet expectation
	included. Exemplary	appropriate. There is	are either not	safety, and financial
	discussion of cultural,	substantiation with	included even when	implications are not
	political, legal,	adequate number	appropriate. There is	included. There is no
	ethical, quality,	and quality of	substantiation with	substantiation with an
	safety, and financial	professional	only a limited number	adequate number
	implications is	references with no	and quality of	and quality of
	included if	uncited statements of	professional	professional
	appropriate. There is	fact.	references with no	references and/or
	substantiation with		uncited statements of	there are uncited
	adequate number		fact.	statements of fact.
	and quality of
	professional
	references with no
	uncited statements of
	fact.
Population (10)	10	9	8	≤7
	There is a clear	There is a description	There is a description	The description of
	description of the	of the population of	of the population of	population of interest
	population of interest,	interest, which	interest which	does not include at
	which includes at	includes at least two	includes two	least two
	least two	characteristics, but	characteristics but	characteristics.
	characteristics (e.g.,	there is little	there is no
	age, setting,	explanation of why	explanation of why
	condition), and	these characteristics	these characteristics
	includes elaboration	are pertinent to the	are pertinent to the
	of why these	question.	question.
	characteristics are
	pertinent to the
	question.
Intervention (10)	10	9	8	≤7
	The intervention is	The intervention is	The intervention is	The intervention is
	operationally defined;	thoroughly described;	described but clarity	listed but not
	an exemplary	a brief summary of	is lacking; little	described; no
	summary of research	evidence supporting	evidence supporting	evidence supporting
	evidence supporting	the intervention is	the intervention is	the intervention is
	the intervention is	provided but little	provided.	provided.
	provided.	research evidence is
		provided.
Comparison (10)	10	9	8	≤7
	The comparison is	The comparison is	The comparison is	No comparison is
	operationally defined	thoroughly described	identified but not	identified.
	OR if the comparison	OR if the comparison	described OR if the
	is “standard practice”,	is “standard practice”,	comparison is
	that practice is	that practice is	“standard practice”,
	thoroughly described	described.	that practice is not
	with references.		described.
Outcome(s) (10)	10	9	8	≤7
	The outcome(s) is	The outcome(s) is	The outcome(s) is	No outcome is
	identified and	identified and	identified but no	identified.
	described including	described including a	proposed method of
	proposed methods of	proposed method of	measurement, such
	measurement, such	measurement, such	as existing tool, is
	as existing tool.	as existing tool.	included.
	Citations are used to
	show how this
	outcome has been
	measured in studies.

Category (points possible)	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Nearly meets expectations	Does not meet expectation
Timing (5)	5	4	3	<3
	The time frame is identified and rationale is provided OR the time frame is identified as not significant and excellent rationale is provided.	The time frame is identified and rationale is provided but limited OR the time frame is identified as not significant and appropriate rationaleis provided.	The time frame is identified but no rationale is provided OR the time frame is identified as not significant but rationale is limited.	No time frame is identified though a time frame is important to the question or the time frame is identified but no rationale is given.
Search Strategy and	25	21	18	≤17
Results (25)	There is an	The discussion of the	The discussion of the	The search strategy
	exemplary discussion	search strategy	search strategy	and results are
	of the search strategy	includes keywords,	includes keywords,	superficial and/or
	which includes	inclusion and	inclusion and	difficult to
	keywords (with	exclusion criteria,	exclusion criteria,	understand. The
	alternate spellings,	data bases used and	data bases used and	PRISMA figure is
	abbreviations, etc.),	results of the search.	results of the search.	missing and/or is
	MeSH headings,	Any studies which	There is no	inaccurate or illogical.
	inclusion and	meet inclusion criteria	explanation of
	exclusion criteria,	and do not meet	exclusion of studies
	data bases used and	exclusion criteria but	which meet inclusion
	results of the search.	are excluded are	criteria and do not
	Any studies which	explained. A PRISMA	meet exclusion
	meet inclusion criteria	figure is included to	criteria. A PRISMA
	and do not meet	illustrate the search	figure is included to
	exclusion criteria but	results.	illustrate the search
	are excluded are		results but it is does
	explained. A PRISMA		not accurately reflect
	figure is included		the search process;
	which accurately		numbers are illogical.
	illustrates the search
	results.
Conclusion (5)	5	4	3	<3
	The conclusion	The conclusion	There is either a	There is neither a
	reviews the main	reviews the main	summary OR a	conclusion or
	topics presented and	topics presented and	conclusion.	summary.
	clearly and effectively	summarizes
	summarizes	significant
	significant	conclusions.
	conclusions.
Communication in	20	18	16	≤15
Writing (20)	There is logical	There is logical	There is logical	Any of the following:
	sequencing of ideas	sequencing of ideas	organization but	there is no evidence
	through well-	through well-	some ideas are not	of structure or
	developed	developed	fully or consistently	organization; ideas
	paragraphs;	paragraphs;	developed OR	are not fully
	transitions are used	transitions are usually	transitions are	developed; minimal
	to enhance	effective in enhancing	awkward at times	use of transitions
	organization. There	organization. There	although the flow is	throughout the paper;
	are no more than 2	are few (2-4) errors in	adequately	there are >8 errors in
	errors in punctuation,	punctuation,	maintained. There	punctuation,
	capitalization, or	capitalization,	are several (5-8)	capitalization,
	spelling. There are no	spelling, sentence	errors in punctuation,	spelling, sentence
	errors in sentence	structure or word	capitalization,	structure, or word
	structure or word	usage. There are no	spelling, sentence	usage with significant
			structure or word	impact on the content

Category (points possible)	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Nearly meets expectations	Does not meet expectation
	usage. Paraphrasing is used effectively.	more than 2 quotations.	usage. There are more than 2 quotations.	and detracts from the paper; there are more than 4 quotations.
APA (10)Title pageHeadingsCitationsReference pageFont, layout, margins	10	9	8	≤7
	There is consistent adherence to APA criteria in title page, headings, citations, and/or reference page with no more than 2 APA errors. Font, layout, and/or margins adhere to APA format. There are no omitted citations. Any quotataions include page number.Secondary citations are avoided but, if necessary, are appropriately cited as such.	There are few (<4) APA errors in title page, headings, citations, reference page, font, layout, and/or margins.	There are several (<8) errors in title page, headings, citations, reference page, font, layout, and/or margins.	There are major problems with implementation of APA in title page, headings, citations, and/or reference page. Font, layout, and/or margins do not adhere to APA format.
References (20)	20	18	16	≤15
	More than 10 references with at least 8 research references AND only websites used were.org, .edu, or .gov. All research studies are from the United States or there are appropriate reasons given for inclusion of non-US references.	Between 8-10 references with at least 5 research references AND only websites used were.org, .edu, or .gov. All research studies are from the United States or there are appropriate reasons given for inclusion of non-US references.	Between 5-7 references with fewer than 5 research references OR use of.com websites OR 1-2 non-US research studies are used and no appropriate reason are given for their inclusion.	Fewer than 5 nonresearch references and use of.com websites OR more than 2 non-US research studies are used and no appropriate reasons are given for their inclusion.
Total Points Possible: 150	Comments:

NOTE: Evidence of plagiarism results in a score of 0 for this assignment and possible referral to the professional misconduct committee.