The major objective of this assignment is to do a current literature review on a pathogen relevant to our class using peer reviewed literature. We are trying to understand how pathogens work and how social, economic and environmental factors influence disease processes. Note: A literature review is NOT a laundry list of papers and their summaries. Instead, it is an explanation of the different aspects of the topic using a variety of sources. NOTE: When writing this paper, assume I am otherwise am ignorant of the medical profession. Remember to explain any relevant medical terms to me. Grading Rubric I am looking to see whether you covered the topic in enough detail to show you had a good understanding of the subject. A minimum of seven peer reviewed articles are required for this paper. Additional reliable sources are welcome. Abstract (5 points): This is a brief summary of your paper (usually about 200-250 words). This is NOT a preview of a paper. You are literally telling me what you discussed throughout the entire paper. I usually write this last because then I know what I wrote in my paper! Introduction (5 points): What is the main idea of this paper? Preview what you will be discussing in this paper. If you are confused about the difference between an abstract and introduction, read through some of the papers you are using throughout the course to understand the difference. I have also put up example literature reviews. Body (65 points): Show me that you really learned about all of the aspects of infection and disease we discussed in our course. Break down your subject into major areas with subheadings. Make sure it is obvious to me why each subheading is relevant to the main idea of your paper. Required subsections (you can put them in an order that makes sense to you and flows the best): Pathogen/agent of infection (5 points) (ex: this is a protist called Plasmodium falciparum…) (Please italicize species names) Invasive strategies and Immunology (10 points): What is responsible for the symptoms, including any virulence mechanisms (defensive/offensive), relate this to what your immune system may be doing to fight this off/problems the immune system may run into Disease process (10 points): including incubation stage (if applicable), the symptoms of the prodromal stage, illness stage, convalescence, and decline. The cycle of this microbial disease (10 points): (pathogen, reservoir, transmission, portal of entry, portal of exit) Prevention/Diagnosis/Current treatments (10 points): include what the outlook is for someone with the disease and whether it can be cured Social, economic and environmental factors (20 points): Include at least two factors that influence this infectious disease that we’ve covered this semester with details. For example, is being poor something that contributes to this disease, is this more common during natural disasters, are there issues with this being resistant to medication, is this a nosocomial infection, is globalization a threat to making this a pandemic, etc.? Conclusion (5 points): What were your overall findings after doing this review? Why do you think this review was important? 4-Final References and citations (10 points): I reserve the right to fail you (so go beyond these points) if the citations are so bad it is considered academic plagiarism! Reference page (5 points): References must include at minimum seven peer reviewed journal articles. If you would like to use additional sources (such as textbooks or government websites), you can, provided you have at least seven journal articles. I do not want the majority of your information coming from other types of sources because then it is not a review of recent research. NOTE: In my opinion, the only good website sources end in .gov (such as OMIM, CDC, WHO, NCBI, etc.). This means if you use anything other than a website ending in .gov, I will not think it is a good source and deduct serious points from your paper. In-text Citations and Rewording ideas (5 points): Nothing should be cut or pasted from sources. Everything should be reworded. I should see in-text citations everywhere that is not information from your own head. Remember, if you don’t reword, I can’t tell whether you understand the topic. Look at what is highlighted on Turn it in. I don’t care about the percent, I care about whether sentences or large portion of sentences match the original source! Nothing except in-text citations and references should match.
