This assignment is the culminating assignment for the Writing Project. For this assignment, you will write a scientific, evidence-based paper that is a brief summary of research findings that address your research question/statement. The paper should be free of personal opinion, observation, or speculation. The content of your paper should reflect the current understanding of the topic. The intent of this assignment is to provide a response to a commonly asked question using scientific evidence as opposed to hearsay or opinion. Due to the page restrictions of this assignment (2–3 pages), this paper is not meant to be an exhaustive review of the literature. Your paper should include adequate information and references that allow you to make conclusions and answer your research question based on currently available scientific evidence. Your paper should include relevant information in the context of your research question. Keep in mind that the results of a single research study do not provide sufficient evidence to make conclusions. Your conclusions should be based on the results of several studies that provide consistent results. As this is an evidence-based paper, the body of your paper should include actual data from the research papers that you are citing. For example, consider the following statement: “The results from the Vehrs et al (2016) study indicate that strength training improves cycling performance.” This statement lacks important information and can be strengthened by including data on the actual improvements in strength and cycling performance. For example, “The results from the Vehrs et al. (2016) study indicate that, compared to cyclists who did no strength training, squat resistance training two days/week for 16 weeks in addition to scheduled cycling training improved squat strength by 20% and 50-mile time trial performance by an average of 6:06 min (6.3%). Cyclists who performed only cycling training (no strength training) showed less improvement in time trial performance (1:50 min; 2%).”
Write a 2–3 page paper (3–4 pages with references) that addresses your research question. The paper must adhere to the following format.
- The paper should be typed using a font such as Times New Roman 12 pt, Calibri 12 pt, Ariel 11 pt, or Palatino Linotype 12 pt. The paper should be double spaced with 1 inch margins and no headers or footers.
- On the first line of your paper, type your name. On the second line, type “Assignment 6.” On the third line, type “Reviewers:” followed by the names of the individuals who reviewed your paper. On the fourth line, type “Research Question:” followed by your research question.
- In the first paragraph, give a brief introduction to the topic that includes a justification for researching this topic.
- In the second (and subsequent) paragraph(s), provide details about what is already known about the topic, citing your references using APA format. Use a new paragraph to address different ideas, thoughts, concepts, research findings, or facts about your topic. Each paragraph should address a single idea. The first sentence of each paragraph should introduce the reader to the idea presented in the paragraph.
- In the final paragraph, make conclusions about your topic and answer your research question using the evidence you present in the body of your paper.
- On the last page of your paper, write your references using the instructions found in the APA Reference Style Guide as you did in Writing Project Assignment 3 in Lesson 5. Your reference list should include at least 5 different peer-reviewed articles from scientific journals which are also cited in the text following the instructions in the Reference Style Guide. Your reference list should not include text books, web sites, blogs, news articles, thesis or dissertations, magazine articles, or other non-peer reviewed sources. Although a minimum of five (5) references are required in your paper, more may be needed to establish sufficient evidence to make conclusions. In addition, if your topic is well researched, it is expected that your reference list would include more than 5 references to appropriately reflect the current body of knowledge about your chosen topic.