Write a research paper on a health topic that has directly influenced or impacted you, your family, a close friend, or your personal experience.

What Does My Paper Need to Include?

You may choose any health topic that has personally impacted you. See syllabus for examples. Fifty percent (2 full pages) of the paper will describe why this topic has made a personal impact on you and what you hope to learn by researching this topic. Tell a story about this topic.

·      What is the health issue/topic that you will be researching? Why does this topic interest you? Why is it important to you? (This can be your introductory paragraph.)

·      What do you hope to learn by researching this topic?

·      How has this health issue affected you, your family, your friends, and/or your community? Who has been affected? What do you think are possible causes or risk factors for this person? What has been the physical, emotional, or social impact?

The second half (2 full pages) of the content will be dedicated to investigative research of this topic and must include proper citations along with a reference page. You must cite at least two scientific, accurate resources in the paper. This section is a research paper and should include only facts, not your opinion. You may use quotes, but you should also paraphrase ideas into your own words. You should discuss:

·      What is the health issue/condition? (Name, definition)

·      What are the symptoms of the health issue, if any?

·      What are the long-term consequences of the health issue, if any?

·      Who is affected by this health issue in the US? How many people? Who is most affected? Are certain groups more likely to be affected? If so, why?

·      What are the causes of this health issue? What makes someone more likely to be affected by this health issue?

·      What is the treatment or cure, if any?

·      How can this health issue be prevented? What, if anything, is being done now to help prevent or treat this health issue?

You should end the paper with a conclusion paragraph summarizing your main points, including what you have learned and how you may use this information in your own life.

How Should I Organize My Paragraphs?

Your paper may not be one long paragraph. You must have multiple paragraphs, including an introduction and a conclusion.

·      Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that tells the reader what that paragraph will be about (main idea).

·      After the topic sentence, put details in the rest of the paragraph that develop or support the topic sentence.

·      If you have several different ideas in one paragraph, think about how you can break them up into separate paragraphs.

·      Sample topic sentences:

“There are several ways that HIV can be prevented.”

“Heart disease affects many people and is the leading cause of death in the US.”

What Resources Can I Use?

Resources should be medically accurate and scientific, not opinion pieces. In general, websites that end in .gov or .edu are trustworthy sources for health information that are evaluated for accuracy and objectivity. Do NOT cite Wikipedia as one of your resources. Do NOT use resources that are sponsored by a for-profit organization or an organization affiliated with a political or religious group. This information may be biased or trying to sell a product.

Good resources for scientific health information include:

·      Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

·      Google Scholar (will search only academic, peer-reviewed journals)

·      World Health Organization

·      Pubmed.gov

·      Medline Plus

·      Mayo Clinic

·      National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)