1. Getting Started

First Things First - Assignment Requirements

Before you begin your pathophysiology paper, examine the assignment closely for any requirements.

Q. How long is the paper?

This could be a page length, a page range, a word count, etc. (check your assignment)

Q. How many sources?

How many total sources does your instructor ask for?

Q. What kind of sources?

For this assignment, sources will include:

Peer-reviewed journal articles from the library's health databases (articles must be published within the last 5 years)
Your textbook

Q. How do you cite sources?

For this assignment, you will use APA format.

Q. What is due?

Is this just a paper? Are there other pieces like a rough draft, outline, article summary, etc. Make note of all the parts of the assignment and create a checklist to make sure you don't leave anything out.

Q. When is it due?

How long do you have to work on this paper or project? Is there one due date for everything or are there multiple due dates for different parts of the assignment? Plan out your time, so you don't get stuck doing all the work at the last minute. Plan extra time in case you have problems or get stuck.

Selecting a Pathophysiology

The first thing you need to do before you begin your paper is to select a pathophysiology that you're going to write about. Consider the following:

Q. Do you have a choice?

Review your assignment - are you allowed to choose a topic or does your instructor assign you one?

Q. Are there sources?

Before you totally commit to a topic, you'll want to make sure that there are enough outside sources on the topic for your assignment. Not every topic is going to have information written about it. Newer topics or topics that aren't as well known may be harder to find sources for. Do some searching in the library's databases to make sure there are sources, and Ask-A-Librarian to double-check if you're not sure there are enough sources for a topic you're really interested in.