Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
IDST6400 - Evidence-Based Literature Review

Description | Mode | Credits | Academic Integrity | Prerequisites | Instructor | Goals & Objectives | Grading | Course Requirements | Learning Resources | Unit Outline/Activities

Course Description

Provides foundation skills in research-oriented bibliographic inquiry, with an emphasis on evidence-based review and synthesis of applicable literature. Principles of effective scientific communication are also addressed, including how to plan, organize and write structured review articles. (Web-based 135 - 180 hours directed study).

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Credits/Modes of Instruction

This is a 3-credit graduate course delivered via the Internet. The mode of instruction is directed study. Directed study is an active learning method that emphasizes what the learner does, not the teacher. In this method, you engage the content via structured assignments and activities, i.e., you learn by doing. The instructor's role is to (1) design the assignments and activities to ensure active learning, (2) prepare you for and direct you in assignment completion, (3) provide you with feedback on your achievement and progress and (4) promote collaboration among all students via structured discussion.

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Weekly Time Commitment

Because student time on task is hugely variable, we can only estimate average time expenditure. Based on a careful review of the assignments and prior reports by students, you can expect to spend 9-12 hours per week on this course - some weeks more, some weeks less. This is consistent with the accepted traditional standard that for each hour of classroom instruction, students should spend 2-3 hours outside of class in related learning activities (also totalling 9-12 hours per week for a typical 3-credit traditional course).

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Academic Integrity

(Refer to your SHRP Student Handbook at http://shrp.umdnj.edu/current_students/pdf/Handbook.pdf). The faculty of UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions believe that students must observe and support high standards of honesty and integrity in all aspects of education, practice, and research. For this reason, all matriculated and non-matriculated students in this course are expected to abide by the School's Faculty/Student Honor Code and accept responsibility to help ensure that these standards are maintained by reporting violations of the Honor Code observed in others. All violations will be considered with gravest concern and may be punishable with sanctions as severe as suspension or dismissal. For these reasons, all first-time nonmatriculants and all new matriculants in the MSHS and PhD programs are required to complete the SHRP Academic Integrity Training Program. For information on how to register for this Program and document its completion, link to the SHRP Academic Integrity Web site at shrp.umdnj.edu/integrity.

In support of the School of Health Related Professions academic integrity standards, IDST6400 also requires that students analyze their review papers for originality before final submission for grading. This analysis is performed using the Turnitin online service. Turnitin allows you to check your work for improper citations or potential plagiarism by comparing it against continuously updated databases. Based on the results of the Turnitin analysis, students are expected to make all needed revisions to their papers prior to submission to ensure originality. More detail on how and when to submit papers for Turitin assessment is provided in the activites description for Unit 9.

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Prerequisites

Prerequistes vary by program (please contact your program director, track coordinator or advisor). In general, it is assumed that you have completed graduate-level coursework in research methods and basic statisitics. It is also helpful to have at least some experience in systematic searching of research databases.

For students in the MSHS and MHS programs, this course normally is prerequisite to your capstone project course (IDST6980 or IDST6989). Ideally, the research and writing you do here should provide the foundation for your subsequent project activity. To make sure that your efforts in this course can be applied to your planned project activity, please contact your program director, track coordinator or advisor before finalizing your question.

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Instructors

[E-mail] Craig L. Scanlan, EdD, RRT, FAARC, Adjunct Professor, Departments of Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Health Related Professions, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Click here for Dr. Scanlan's CV/Resume.

Contacting the Instructor. To contact either instructor 1-on-1, you should normally use the built-in course e-mail, available via the Angel course home page. If you need to use external (Internet) e-mail, click on the e-mail link next to the instructor's name above.

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Course Requirements

Course requirements, including their weight in evaluation, are listed below.

Requirement

Weight

Unit Assignments
40%

Group Discussion

10%

Literature Review
50%

Total

100%

Unit Assignments. The course provides 10 learning units, 5 of which require completion of an assignment. All assignments contribute towards completing your major course project, i.e., your literature review (see below). Assignments can be downloaded either directly from this syllabus or via the ANGEL Assignment page. You should complete your assignments according to the course schedule provided here (also accessible as the Course Calendar in ANGEL). You use the ANGEL Assignment Dropbox to upload and submit assignments for review and grading by the instructor. Assignment help is provided via (1) a set of Assignment FAQs in each Unit folder, and (2) an Assignment Help discussion topic (responses normally provided in 1-2 working days). The highest grade possible for late submission of assignments is a "2.0/C." Assignments over a week late normally receive a "0/F" grade. Normally, instructors will post your assignment grade within 5-7 days after submission.

Literature Review . A literature review represents an in-depth written review of the pertinent literature in a problem area you choose, ideally suitable for publication. For examples of past students' literature reviews visit: www.umdnj.edu/idsweb/idst6400/papers/. Your literature review is assessed using explicit criteria that are posted on the web site (click here for literature review criteria). For general guidance on writing your literature review see www.umdnj.edu/idsweb/idst6400/lit_review_guidance.htm. Whenever possible, additional expert guidance is provided via an assigned graduate faculty member with content expertise in the topical area you select (click here for information on the role of review advisors). To receive a passing grade for the course, you must receive a passing grade for your literature review. Note that a passing grade cannot be assigned if your review does not meet the specified Mechanical and Stylistic Criteria, i.e., does not meet basic professional standards of writing (regardless of content quality). Students whose reviews do not meet these criteria will be given an Incomplete grade ('I') for the course and one opportunity to rectify the identified writing problems.

Group Discussion. Although offered over the Internet, this course still places high value on class interaction. To achieve this end, the course provides selected graded discussion topics linked to from both the home page and within the course Units folders (graded discussions are indicated as such by the word Graded in red). You normally participate in graded discussion by either (1) addressing the discussion question/topic posed by the instructor or (2) posting and critiquing each other's assignments. Your participation is assessed using explicit criteria that are posted on the web site (click here for student discussion criteria). With the exception of "Help" or Q&A discussion topics (those designed to provide assistance in completing a task), you must participate at least once in all posted discussion topics to receive a passing grade for the course.

Overall Participation. In general, a failure to logon to a course for two or more consecutive weeks, or a failure to communicate either electronically, in-person or by mail or fax with the instructor over the same time period will result in a nonparticipation warning. At the discretion of the instructor, a student who does not respond to this warning with a week may be dropped from the course roster (W or WF) or receive an F grade for the course.

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Grading

As indicated in the following table, all requred activity is graded on a '4-point' scale, with the following letter grade equivalents:

Assignments and Discusion
Letter Grade
Equivalent
 Meaning
3.8-4.0
A

Excellent

3.4-3.7
B+

Very Good

3.0-3.3
B

Good

2.6-2.9
C+

Above Average
2.0-2.5
C

Satisfactory

< 2.0
F

Unsatisfactory /Failing

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Course Goals and Objectives:

The general goal for this course is to provide graduate students with the skills needed to find, analyze, synthesize and communicate information and share knowledge using evidence-based methods. To that end students will learn:

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Learning Resources

Required Textbooks

Primary learning resources for this course include a required textbook and (for Department of Interdisciplinary Studies student only) a style manual. Links to required and recommended online resources and a course glossary can be found on the Course Resources section of the ANGEL course home page.

Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, D. (2006). Evidence-Based Medicine Toolkit. 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. . This handy little book will guide you through the process used in this course, and contains a great deal of useful information in a little (and inexpensive) package. Order a hardcopy online via Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0727918419 or Wiley at: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0727918419.html. Wiley also has an Adobe E-book version (which is never sold out!) at: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405172363.html.

APA Style Manual (IDS Students Only). The SHRP Department of Interdisciplinary Studies requires American Psychological Association style for all written assignments. For this reason, students in Department of Interdisciplinary Studies programs (PhD Health Sciences; MS Health Sciences; MS Health Systems) are required to purchase the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. This style manual is used in all courses for which there are written assignments and is the format required for the PhD dissertation.

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Course Units/Schedule

note

Note: this Unit schedule is a plan only and not a contract. As such, it is subject to change by the instructor as deemed necessary to achieve the course goals. In addition, because the Internet is a dynamic resource, Web links may be activated, inactivated, added or deleted as the semester progresses. Whenever possible, you will be notified in advance of any changes, especially those affecting course requirements or grading. The online version of the syllabus will always be the working version.

Unit
Begin Date
 (also end date for prior units)

Topical Outline

Activities
= Required
Getting
Started
Sep 6

Preliminaries (Before Proceeding with Unit 1)

  1. Using ANGEL
  2. Academic Integrity Training
  3. Class Introductions

Before proceeding with Unit 1:

Using ANGEL

1. Download and review E-Learning@UMDNJ: The ANGEL Learning Web Course System

2. Download and review ANGEL Student QuickstartGuide (keep handy for reference)

3. Complete Introduction to ANGEL for Learners Tutorial (should appear on your ANGEL Home page)

Academic Integrity Training

Complete the required Academic Integrity Training as per the instructions provided by your Program Director (you may have done so previously)

Introductions (Discussion Forum)

1. View Angel Navigating and Using Discussion Tutorial

2. Discuss: Respond to the instructor’s welcome and introduce yourself in the Introductions topic.

 
Unit 1
Sep 6

Evidence-Based Practice: Definition and Process

  1. What EBM Is and Isn't
  2. Process
    1. Asking a Good Question
    2. Finding the Best Evidence
    3. Critically Appraising the Evidence
    4. Integrating the Appraisal into Practice

1. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Introduction

2. Read: Sackett, DL, Rosenberg, WM, Gray, JA, Haynes, RB & Richardson, WS. (1996). Evidence-Based Medicine: What it is and what it isn't. BMJ, 312, 71-72.

3. Complete (Tutorial): Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine (2003). Duke University Medical Center Library and Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

4. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 1 Debate Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 1 Folder

Optional Resources/Activities
Unit 2
Sep 13

Asking a Good Question

  1. Background vs. Foreground Questions
  2. Types of Question (Therapy, Diagnosis, Prognosis, Etiology/Harm)*
  3. Essential Components (PICO)
    1. Patient, Population or Problem
    2. Intervention, Prognostic Factor, or Exposure
    3. Comparison (if appropriate)
    4. Outcome, i.e., What is Measured, Improved, Affected or Accomplished
  4. Relating Questions to Study Designs

*With the approval of the instructor, nonclinicians or PhD students can consider 'Other' questions, i.e., those focusing on units of analysis broader than the individual patient or client. For assistance in formulating and submitting these alternative questions, please download and review the 'Other' Types of Questions help document. Clinicians (MSHS or professional doctorate students, e.g. DPT) must follow the standard PICO foreground question approach.

1. Read: Scanlan, CL (2004). Seeking Answers: Questions Heath Professionals Ask and the Evidence Needed to Answer Them (includes short self-directed PubMed activity)

2. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Asking answerable questions

3. Read: The Question (Chpt 1) in How to review the evidence: Systematic identification and review of the scientific literature. National Health and Medical Research Council (2000).

4. Complete: Unit 2 Assignment: Preliminary Question that Will Guide Your Review

5. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 2 Preliminary Question Posting, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 2 Folder

Optional Resources/Activities

Sep 20

Please post your 1st and 2nd priorities for topics in the Preliminary Topic Ideas area of the Discussion forum. This does not have to be in PICO question format. Save that for your formal Unit 2 posting (due at the close of Unit 2/beginning of Unit 3)
Unit 3
Sep 23

Sources of Knowledge

  1. Types of Problems/Questions
    1. Therapy
    2. Diagnosis
    3. Prognosis
    4. Etiology/Harm
  2. Types & Levels of Knowledge
    1. Clinical Study Types
      1. Primary or Original Research
      2. Secondary or Integrative Studies
    2. Levels and Grades of Evidence

1. Read: Scanlan, CL (2004). Seeking Answers: Questions Heath Professionals Ask and the Evidence Needed to Answer Them (includes short self-directed PubMed activity)

2. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Levels of evidence

3. Review: Criteria for a Literature Review

4. Complete: Unit 3 Assignment: Grading a Review Article in My Field

5. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 3 Levels of Evidence Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 3 Folder Link

Share your preliminary question with your review advisor as soon as possible after notification of advisor assignment

Unit 4
Sep 30

Finding the Best Evidence

  1. Sources
    1. Textbooks and Journals
    2. Practice Guidelines
    3. Pre-filtered (Evidence) Databases
      1. Systematic Reviews, CATS and POEMS
      2. RCTs
    4. Unfiltered Databases (e.g., Medline, CINAHL)
      1. Content vs. Method Searching
      2. Using Filters
    5. The Internet/Web
  2. Systematic Bibliographic Inquiry
    1. Selecting Where to Search
    2. Devising Search Strategies
    3. Modifying the Search Strategy
    4. Obtaining/Organizing Source Documents
    5. Reviewing/Selecting Source Documents

1. Read: Scanlan, C.L. (2004). Reviewing the Literature

2. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Finding the evidence: how to get the most from your searching

3. Read: Finding Relevant Sources (Chpt 2) in How to review the evidence: Systematic identification and review of the scientific literature. National Health and Medical Research Council (2000).

4. Complete: Online OvidSP Tutorials

5. Complete: Unit 4 Assignment: Preliminary Search (includes online OvidSP tutorials)

6. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 4 Cochrane (EB) Library Searching and Unit 4 OVID/Medline Search Practice/Feedback Discussion Forums, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 4 Folder Link

Optional Resources/Activities

Share your preliminary search with your assigned review advisor by the end date for Unit 4/Begin date for Unit 5
Unit 5
Oct 14

Selecting, Organizing and Evaluating Your Literature

  1. Reviewing/selecting source documents
  2. Applying inclusion/exclusion criteria
  3. Using a tabular framework (matrix) to organize and analyze selected studies related to a specific clinical (PICO-based) question
  4. Key questions to ask in evaluating research studies in a particular category (therapy, diagnosis, prognosis, harm)

1. Read: Phase 4 - Selection of Studies and Phase 5 - Study Quality Assessment in Undertaking systematic reviews of research on effectiveness. CRD Report Number 4. 2nd ed. Research Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York (2001).

2. Read: Scanlan (2004). Organizing Your Data for Literature Review

3. Read: Critical Appraisal of Research Studies

4. Complete: Unit 5 Assignment: Building a Literature Matrix

5. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 5 Matrix Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 5 Folder Link

Share your preliminary literature review matrix with your review advisor by the end date for Unit 5/start date for Unit 6.

Unit 6-8 (Assessing the Evidence) Overview
Units 6-8 appear sequentially in the syllabus, but all have the same start and end dates and will be covered concurrently over two weeks. Regardless of area (i.e., Therapy, Diagnostic Tests, Prognosis or Harm), all students can/should begin their critical appraisal of their chosen article (Unit 6-8 assignment) on the specified unit start date. Students must post a 300-400 word preliminary/draft summary of their appraisal (the last section on the worksheet) for discussion by the middle of this two week period. Discussion on each unit will begin as soon as these preliminary summaries are posted and continue until the end date for Unit 8/begin date for Unit 9.
Unit 6
Nov 4

Assessing the Evidence: Therapy

  1. Types and Levels of Studies
  2. Common Statistics
  3. Finding Therapy Studies (Hedges/Filters)
  4. Evaluating Therapy Studies
    1. Are the Results Valid?
    2. What are the Results?
    3. How Can the Results Apply to Patient Care?

1. Read: Interventions (Chpt 6) in How to review the evidence: Systematic identification and review of the scientific literature. National Health and Medical Research Council (2000).

2. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Appraising therapy articles

3. Read: Critical Appraisal of Research Studies.

4. Read: Scanlan, CL. (2004). Playing by the numbers: introduction to evidence-based statistics

5. Complete: Unit 6-8 Assignment: Article Critique/Critical Appraisal (chosen area)

6. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 6 Therapy Article Critiques Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 6 Folder Link

Optional Resources/Activities

  • Read: Guyatt, G., Cook, D., Devereaux, P.J., et al. (2000). Therapy. In Sackett D.L., Straus S., Richardson S., Rosenberg W., & Haynes R.B. Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone.
Unit 7
Nov 4

Assessing the Evidence: Diagnostic Tests

  1. Types and Levels of Studies
  2. Common Statistics
  3. Finding Diagnostic Studies (Hedges/Filters)
  4. Evaluating Diagnostic Studies
    1. Are the Results Valid?
    2. What are the Results?
    3. How Can the Results Apply to Patient Care?

1. Read: Diagnostic Tests (Chpt 8) in How to review the evidence: Systematic identification and review of the scientific literature. National Health and Medical Research Council (2000).

2. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Appraising diagnosis articles

3. Read: Critical Appraisal of Research Studies.

4. Read: Greenhalgh, T. (1997). Papers that report diagnostic or screening tests: BMJ, 315, 540-543. (free registration reguired)

5. Read: Scanlan, CL. (2004). Playing by the numbers: introduction to evidence-based statistics

6. Complete: Unit 6-8 Assignment: Article Critique/Critical Appraisal (chosen area)

7. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 7 Diagnostic Test Article Critiques Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 7 Folder Link

Optional Resources/Activities

  • Read: Jaeschke R., Guyatt, G., & Lijmer J. (2000). Diagnostic Tests. In Sackett D.L., Straus S., Richardson S., Rosenberg W., & Haynes R.B. Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone.
Unit 8
Nov 4

Assessing the Evidence: Harm, Prognosis or 'Other'

  1. Types and Levels of Studies
  2. Common Statistics
  3. Finding Prognostic Studies (Hedges/Filters)
  4. Evaluating Prognostic/Harm or Other Studies
    1. Are the Results Valid?
    2. What are the Results?
    3. How Can the Results Apply?

If focusing on harm

1, Read: Aetiology and Risk Factors (Chpt 9) in How to review the evidence: Systematic identification and review of the scientific literature. National Health and Medical Research Council (2000).

2. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Appraising articles on harm/aetiology

3. Read: Critical Appraisal of Research Studies.

If focusing on prognosis

1. Read: Prediction and Prognosis (Chpt 10) in How to review the evidence: Systematic identification and review of the scientific literature. National Health and Medical Research Council (2000).

2. Read: Heneghan, C. & Badenoch, Appraising prognosis studies

3. Read: Critical Appraisal of Research Studies.

If focusing on an 'other' question/study:

1. Read: Greenhalgh, T. (1997). How to read a paper: Assessing the methodological quality of published papers. BMJ, 315, 305-308. (free registration reguired)

2. Read: Simon, S. (2003). How to read a medical journal article. Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics.

For all types of studies:

Review/Apply: Assessment Guidelines for Methods Section of a Primary Research Article or Monograph

Read: Scanlan, CL. (2004). Playing by the numbers: introduction to evidence-based statistics

Complete: Unit 6-8 Assignment: Article Critique/Critical Appraisal (chosen area)

Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 8 Prognosis/ Etiology/ Harm Critiques Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 8 Folder Link

Optional Resources/Activities

  • If focusing on harm Read: Levine, M., Haslam, D., Walter, S., et al. (2000). Harm. In Sackett D.L., Straus S., Richardson S., Rosenberg W., & Haynes RB. Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone.
  • If focusing on prognosis Read: Randolph, A., Bucher, H., Richardson, W.S., et al. (2000). Prognosis. In Sackett D.L., Straus S., Richardson S., Rosenberg W., & Haynes R.B. Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (2nd ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone.

Nov 11

Deadline for posting your preliminary/draft summary of Unit 6-8 assignment critique for discussion (the last section of the worksheet)
Unit 9
Nov 18

Organizing and Writing Your Literature Review

  1. Structure of a Literature Review
  2. Do's and Don'ts
  3. Using a Style Format
  4. Scientific Writing
    1. The Basics Rules of Usage
    2. Principles of Composition

1. Read: Literature Review Guidance

2. Read: Phase 8 - The report and recommendations in Undertaking systematic reviews of research on effectiveness. CRD Report Number 4. 2nd ed. Research Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York (2001).

3. Review: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (IDS Students); Online APA Style Guidelines, especially the APA Crib Sheet (Abel Scribe, PhD).

3. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 9 My Review Outline Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 9 Folder Link

4. Check the Originality of Your Review Paper via Turnitin. You must analyze your review paper for originality before final submission for grading. Click here for instructions on how to do so.

Get Help on Your Writing

Post Your Questions to the Unit 9 Review Paper - Writing/Formatting Help Discussion Forum. For specific assistance with writing and formatting your review paper, i.e., the " mechanical and/or stylistic criteria" requirement, post your questions to the Review Paper - Writing/Formatting Help topic in the Discussion forum.

Have ErrNET Proofread Your Paper. ErrNET is a Web-based computerized proofreading tool that checks grammar, punctuation, style, spelling, and will help make your writing more accurate, clear, concise, and fluent. ErrNET works with all popular Web-browsers but currently requires that files uploaded for proofing be PDF documents. Cost is $1.00 per page for the first 10 pages and $0.50 for each additional page. Available online at: http://www.errnet.net/

Consult the Following General Writing Sources (with examples and some exercises):
Nov 25

Continue Unit 9 - Work on Review

No Readings or Assignments; see Unit 9 Get Help on Your Writing for assistance

Nov 28

Deadline for Getting Feedback on Draft . If you want to receive feedback on your review paper prior to final submission and grading, submit a draft in MS Word format to your advisor by today. Advisors are not obligated to provide formative feedback to students who do not submit their drafts by this deadline.

No Readings or Assignments; see Unit 9 Get Help on Your Writing for assistance
Dec 2

Continue Unit 9 - Work on Review

Deadline for Final Submission of Papers to Turitin

No Readings or Assignments; see Unit 9 Get Help on Your Writing for assistance

Submit papers to Turnitin for originality assessment and revise/correct as needed

Unit 10
Dec 5

Begin Unit 10 - Virtual Paper Presentations and Discussion

1. Begin posting review papers to the Unit 10 Virtual Paper Presentations Discussion Forum

2. Discuss: Open and follow the instructions for the Unit 10 Virtual Paper Presentations Discussion Forum, accessible from the course home page or Course Contents - Unit 10 Folder Link


Dec 12		 Deadline for submitting your final literature review as an APA-formatted MS-Word file (1) via the Unit 10 Assignment dropbox; (2) by Internet e-mail to your advisor, and (3) as an attachment to your Unit 10 Virtual Paper Presentations Discussion Forum posting
Unit 10
Dec 12

Continue Unit 10 - Virtual Paper Presentations and Discussion

1. Discuss: Continue Unit 10 Virtual Paper Presentations Discussion - read/comment on at least one review paper in your category (e.g., Therapy, Diagnosis, etc.) and one in a different category

2. Evaluate Course
Dec 16 Course Ends

Evaluate Course

Note: grades will be available online by 12/22

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Version 20 – Aug 2011
© Craig Scanlan and UMDNJ-SHRP