There are a variety of topics available to use as the focus of your academic research paper.

Description

Overview

For this project, you’ll be writing an academic paper on a topic that was covered during the Nutrition course.

Expectations for This Project

You should be able to

1. Identify a nutritional topic of interest that can be applied to a current nutritional issue
2. Identify information that addresses the nutritional issue
3. Analyze information for application to a defined population
4. Examine areas in which additional information may be needed to help a defined population address a nutritional issue
5. Recommend approaches to distribute the nutritional information to a defined population

Topics

There are a variety of topics available to use as the focus of your academic research paper. This paper should be about nutrition, which is a broad topic. You can choose any area of nutrition you would like. Here are a few examples, but please do not let these examples limit your topic choice. You can pick something that interests you about nutrition.

• The impact of nutrition on the development of a chronic pathology such as:
  • Hypertension
  • Osteoporosis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Heart disease
  • Atherosclerosis

**If you choose to write about a pathology, you need to make sure the paper is about how nutrition prevents and affects the pathology. This paper should not be about medical drugs or surgeries.

• Application of nutrigenomics
• Analysis of eating plans
• Use of MyPlate with a vegetarian eating plan
• Economic effects on nutrition
• Food safety
• Minerals
• Fluid balance through the lifespan

What Is an Academic Paper?

An academic paper is a document that critically analyzes a specific topic. It begins with general information about the topic and then moves into the specifics. The specifics are explained by answering the “who, what, when, where, and why” about the topic.

Academic papers should be written in third person. This paper is not about your opinion and should not include words like I, me, we, or us.

Sections of the Paper

The paper should include the following sections:

• Title page
• Table of contents
• Abstract
• Introduction
• The body of the paper
  • Application
  • Approaches or treatments
  • Expected outcomes/recommendations
• Conclusion
• Reference list

Title Page

The title page identifies the title of the paper, your name and credentials, the course name, and the date. The title of the paper should reflect the content.

Table of Contents

A table of contents identifies the sections within the research paper. This part of the paper is typically created last since it lists the topics and the associated page numbers within the paper.

The following is an example of a table of contents:

Abstract                                                                                      Page 1

Introduction                                                                                Page 2

Vitamin C: An Essential Nutrient                                               Page 4

Conclusion                                                                                 Page 8

Reference List                                                                            Page 9

Abstract

The abstract is a summary of the entire paper. This part of the paper is also written after the entire paper is complete. The length of the abstract should be about 100 to 200 words and should include information that appears elsewhere in the paper.

Example of an abstract:

Vitamin C has been identified as an essential nutrient for all age groups; however, it has been found to be lacking in those over age 65. Reasons for inadequate amounts of vitamin C include a high intake of processed foods, limited ability to obtain fresh foods, and restricted income. Problems associated with low vitamin C levels in older adults include poor wound healing, frequent infections, fatigue, and the increased onset of chronic illnesses. Strategies to increase the intake of vitamin C include selecting fresh or frozen foods over processed or canned; purchasing fresh produce when in season; and buying produce from local growers. Increasing the intake of vitamin C will reduce the frequency of acute illnesses and infections, allay the development of chronic illnesses, and improve energy levels. The importance of adequate vitamin C intake should be communicated through wellness programs, community health fairs, health and wellness clinics, and public service announcements targeting the older population.

Introduction

The introduction is where the topic of interest is introduced to the reader. This part of the paper should be four to six paragraphs in length, about 1 page. Information that appears here may include generalities about the purpose of the paper, who will benefit from reading the information in this paper, why the topic is important, and the overall goal of writing the paper.

The last sentence in the introduction needs to be your thesis statement.  If you have never written a thesis statement, the online writing center, The Writer’s Block, has information to help you write and develop a thesis statement: https://pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/writersblock/writingprocess/prewriting#s-lg-box-15134052

Body of the Paper

This section should be 3 to 5 pages long and is where you should include why this topic is important, who does this affect, when does this need to be addressed, how can it be prevented, any statistic information you have found about the topic, where can changes be made, and what is going well in relation to this topic.

If it is easier for you to organize the information in your essay, you can break the body of the essay into different parts. For example, you may section it off using these sub-areas: application, approaches, treatments, outcomes, recommendations, etc.

Conclusion

The final section of the paper is the conclusion or summary. Here all of the major points discussed in the paper are reviewed along with the conclusions formed by analyzing the topic. The conclusion should be only in one paragraph.

Reference List

All academic papers must contain a list of references used when researching and writing the paper. It should be formatted using APA format.  Penn Foster’s online writing center, The Writer’s Block, is a great resource for creating and formatting a proper reference list: https://pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/writersblock/citationanddocumentation/apastyle.

Keep the following in mind when identifying/using content from the Internet for a research paper:

• Be sure that the website is valid. Examples of valid websites include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), MedLine Plus, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and recognized agencies such as the American Diabetes Association (ADA), American Heart Association (AHA), the American Lung Association (ALA), and the American Cancer Society (ACS).
• Penn Foster also has a Nutrition section the library to help with your research: https://pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/nutrition

Writing the Paper

The following instructions should be implemented when preparing your paper.

1. Set all page margins to be 1

2. Begin each section on a new For example, the abstract should be on one page, the introduction will start on a new page, and the body of the paper should start on a new page.

3. Use the font Times New Roman at 12

4. Support your data by citing specific information from the textbook, websites, and any other references, using correct APA guidelines. Here is a link to Penn Fosters Writer’s Block, this link will help you with APA format. https://pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/writersblock/citationanddocumentation/apastyle

5. Write the table of contents after the entire paper has been

6. Write the abstract after the entire paper has been

7. Proofread your completed paper several times to check for typographical You can also use websites like Grammerly.com to help with these types of errors.
8. Save the completed paper as a Word document (.doc or .docx) file to ensure that your assignment can be evaluated.