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HSCI 101: Introduction to Health Care Professions

Who, What, Where, When, How?

Important details

Who:  Who wrote the article?  Are their credentials listed?  Who is the intended audience?   
What: What are the author(s) trying to say?  Can you find the thesis statement?
Where: What kind of publication was the article published in (a scholarly journal, a magazine to educate patients, a popular source for scientific information)?  Where was the research completed and who does it impact?
When: Is your article recent? It should have been published within the last six months.
How: How did the author(s) acquire the information?  Can the experiments be run again?  Can the information be found again?

Best Bests for Locating a Journal Article

Need help finding a topic?

If you can't think of a good topic, here are a few places to look for ideas:

  • Has your instructor mentioned any current HSCI topics in class?
  • Check out topics in Opposing Viewpoints, a library database.
  • Look through the Idea Generator.
  • Browse through the library database POV (Point of View Reference) to come up with a topic.
  • Reach out to a librarian