Current Issues Paper Instructions Paper Requirements: 4-5 pages using the APA format and style. The page length does not include the cover page, references, article, abstract, or appendices. If you are not submitting a word document file, please submit your assignment as a PDF. All papers will be submitted online by 03.02.16 at 1159pm. The paper will include a cover page, abstract, body (including an introduction, cause and severity, intervention, recommendation, and conclusion sections), references, and the article. Selection of Topic: The student is free to select any current public health event or ongoing problem that includes sustainability and public health. The article needs to be published within the last six months from a reputable source; do not choose the same topic as your News Box articles, your group presentation or public health issue seen in class. Sources of these topics have to be from a reputable source (these may include online or print newspapers, the Internet, scholarly journals). See the resources section on Moodle for more information on sources. For example APHA’s Public Health NewsWire is an acceptable source, but factsheets are not acceptable sources for the current issues paper References: you will include a minimum of 6 references that are at most 5 years old, except for the main article which needs to be less than 6 months old. The 6 required sources cannot come from class material (e.g. additional readings, classmates’ News Box articles), except for the textbook reference requirement. The 6 required references need to include: 1- article source – 1 2- data sources – 2 3- academic/scholarly sources – 2 4- textbook – include page numbers – 1 Grading rubric (85 points) Category (points) Abstract (10 points) Provide a 100-250 word abstract as a single paragraph without paragraph indention. This is a brief summary of the current issue or analysis of a particular subject of discipline. It allows readers to quickly glance at the main purpose of the research prior to them retrieving the item. Introduction (10 points) Provide a summary of the article and an objective overview of the public health issue. (What issue is the article highlighting? Discuss why this is a public health issue. Describe the issue at hand. Give data about it. Cause and severity of the issue (20 points) Discuss the causes and severity of the health issue (Who is affected, what are the current statistics, what are the risk factors?) Intervention (20 points) Identify public health agencies involved (or should be involved). What interventions are discussed? (What steps are being taken to remedy the health problem?) Recommendations (10 points) Your detailed suggestions for additional prevention efforts to address this problem based on analysis (not personal belief or opinion). Your recommendations should directly reflect and be specifically supported by course readings and discussions. Make specific references to these readings. Conclusion (5 points) Conclusions wrap up what you have been discussing in your paper. After moving from general to specific information in the introduction and body paragraphs, your conclusion should begin pulling back into more general information that restates the main points of your argument. Conclusions may also call for action or overview future possible research. Mechanics (10 points) Sentence structure, grammar, spelling, appropriate APA style, formatting of the assignment. Reference section. Including the article. Overall effort and quality of the work.
