Biological Study Paper

Step 2: Research Summaries Assignment (30 points)
The purpose of this assignment is to prepare to write a paper that will:

Identify the biological basis of a disease or disorder of the nervous system (This could be at the level of neurotransmitters, hormones, cells, brain structures or another aspect of the nervous system.)
Summarize current research to better understand the role of the nervous system in the disease/disorder


The above is not to be completed just an idea. What should be completed is listed below!

Please complete the following this week: (the topic to be discussed should be neuroimaging on generalized anxiety disorder, please let GAD be the main focus of the summaries you can also include stress disorder if it is applicable)

Summarize three peer-reviewed research articles on your topic. Each summary should examine some aspect of the biological basis (brain region, neurons, neurotransmitters) of the disease/disorder. In each summary, include the sample studied, a description of the methods used in the study, a summary of the results. For each summary, include a mini-conclusion stating the significance of the research (how it enhances understanding, it’s  importance, any unanswered questions, or other ideas).

Your paper should provide recent evidence from scholarly sources. 

Write for a professional audience that is educated, but may not be expert on your topic. Feel free to address complex topics, but don't forget to explain any new terms or specialized vocabulary you might need to use.

Please use an in-text citation for all facts from the research articles. For direct quotes, don't forget to include the page numbers in the parentheses after the author and year. An in-text citation should look similar to this: summary of information "direct quote here" (Smith, 2019, p. 18). If you write are paraphrasing from a source, you can add one in-text citation at the end of each paragraph. The important point to keep in mind is that you want to make it clear where the information came from and provide credit to the original author(s).

Use APA format for your writing. This assignment should be approximately 3-5 pages long (not including a cover page and references page) in APA format (double-spaced, 1" margins). Please include a cover page and references page in your assignment this week. Additional information about APA format is available HERE. A MSWord document that is pre-formatted to APA format is available for you to use (see the attachment below).  Please use this template and add enter your research summaries into it. This will help ensure that most elements of APA format will be already included in your assignment, making it a lot easier to produce a high-quality, professionally formatted assignment. :)

Rubric should be as followed:

Research Summary 1
Summary includes sample, methods, results. (6 points)

Research Summary 2
Summary includes sample, methods, results.  (6 points)

Research Summary 3
Summary includes sample, methods, results.  (6 points)

APA Format
Assignment includes correctly formatted:
Cover page
In-text citations
Reference page
In APA template (or equivalent formatting) (6 points)

Paper Guidelines
Paper meets length guidelines (3-5 pages), is edited for clarity, and is well-organized. (6 points)