This document contains instructions specific to completing the health essay assessment (assessment exercise 4). Before reading this document, you will need to read the “READ ME FIRST! Assessments 4 and 5 – overview and context” document (also available on FLO under “Assessment hub”.

Assessment Instructions This is an individual assessment piece. It is expected that you will work on and complete this assessment on your own.
Information to include in your essay
The aim of this essay is for you to research and discuss the following about your topic (condition and identified population):

A concise overview of the health complaint/concern (~250 words):

What is the condition
Who gets this condition (focus on the identified population)
What increases (or decreases) the risk of developing this condition
Why is this condition of particular importance in the population identified

Review the Australian research that has been carried out on this health concern in the identified population, since the commencement of the National Priority Health Areas initiative (i.e., since 1995). Focus on (~1000 words):

Prevention of the condition in this population
Management/treatment of the condition in this population

Identify 2-3 areas of research around your chosen topic that are still unclear / outstanding (i.e., identify some “gaps” in the research or areas for improvement), AND

link these to the research you have reviewed in part 2 (~150 words)
formulate a hypothesis for each identified knowledge gap that could be used to research the identified gap (~100 words)

Basic structure

The essay style should be that of a formal academic essay. Refer to your week 2 workshop materials (pre-work and workshop activities) for a refresh on academic essays and formal academic style. In particular, you may find the SLSS style guide on “Writing an essay” helpful.
While we have described this piece as an essay, you may find it helpful to think of the essay as similar to the introduction section of an academic (journal) article (i.e., start general, move to more specifics around the previous research, and end with the “gaps” identified from your review of the literature, and suggest hypotheses to research the identified “gap”)
Your essay MUST have the following headings within the text:

Introduction: Introduce the content of the essay by giving some relevant background and explicitly tell the marker what will and will not be discussed (your essay will not have the scope to cover everything on the topic you have chosen)
Between the introduction and the summary sections, use descriptive (e.g. logical and clear)subheadings to divide your essay
Summary/conclusion: A brief summary of the major points that you have made in the essay. DO NOT introduce new material in the summary/conclusion.
References: reference list at the end (not a bibliography!), listed alphabetically in the APA style (see week 2 workshop pre-work and notes for a refresh on APA 7th).

A word limit of 1500 words (including in-text citations but not counting words in tables or the reference list) applies to this assessment. No words over this limit will be read or commented on by the marker
Be guided by the marking rubric (available on FLO under “Assessment exercise 3a: Assignment”) when completing your essay

Formatting your essay

Use Microsoft Word
Times New Roman or Calibri fonts, in a minimum font size of 11
1.5 line spacing

Quoting and paraphrasing
As discussed in the week 2 workshop (and associated pre-work), quotations are almost never used in health publications. Quotations should only be used where there is something very special about the expression used in the quoted passage which would be lost if it was expressed differently. Your essay will also need to explain the significance of the expression used. If you use a quote, don’t forget to cite it correctly using APA 7th style.
It is far better to use paraphrasing, as to paraphrase accurately you must understand what you are reading (and writing). This is the level of academic understanding we need you to demonstrate at university. Therefore, paraphrasingWILLbe necessary throughout your assignment. This involves you expressing the ideas from your reference in your own words, not just changing some words or their order. Don’t forget to use the drafts link for TurnItIn on FLO to check your paraphrasing.
References

A minimum of TEN references should be used
The essay should be fully referenced using APA 7th style throughout. This means that all references must be properly cited and included in your reference list, following APA 7th style (see week 2 workshop pre-work and notes for a refresh on APA 7th)
Show evidence of careful library research from published sources (do not cite Wikipedia, healthline.com, or other similar sites; do not use blogs, other personal web pages or commercial web pages) – refer to week 3 workshop (pre-work and workshop activities)
Use a variety of published, reputable sources only (e.g., textbooks, journal articles, government documents) – refer to week 2 and 3 workshops (pre-work and workshop activities)

Images/diagrams

Are not required. If you feel they are necessary to support your argument, ensure you reference them as per APA 7th style (see week 2 workshop notes)

Please note that a 5% penalty per day (or part thereof) is applied for late submission without prior approval from the Topic Coordinator. Extensions will be considered as per the SAM. If you require an extension, check the SAM for the appropriate process. You can apply for an extension using the “Extension requests” tool in FLO, located under “Assessment hub”