Evidence-Based Research
& Literature Review Guide
Part 2 of the Social Media Campaign project asks you to find three credible sources, complete a structured article review for each one, and write a synthesis paragraph that ties everything back to your campaign. It looks simple on paper. In practice, students get stuck on what counts as peer-reviewed, what each field in the template actually wants, and how to write a synthesis that goes beyond summarizing. This guide walks through each piece.
📚 Need help finding sources, completing your article reviews, or formatting your literature review in APA? Our nursing writing specialists can help.
Get Assignment Help →What the Assignment Actually Wants — Before You Start Searching
Part 2 is not a traditional literature review where you write a flowing narrative about what the field knows. It is a structured evidence audit — three sources, each broken down into the same six fields, followed by a short synthesis paragraph that explains what those sources collectively mean for your campaign. The goal is to prove you can locate credible evidence, extract the parts that matter, and connect them to a real public health communication task.
The assignment requires at least two peer-reviewed journal articles and allows one policy document or other scholarly source. That third source is not a free pass to use a random website. Policy documents means things like CDC reports, WHO position papers, state health department data, or government-published clinical guidelines. The word “scholarly” is doing real work there.
Every source has to be recent — from the past five years, which means 2021 or later for work submitted in 2026. This matters when you search. Don’t let a database default to showing you the most-cited articles; filter by date.
Article 1 — Peer-Reviewed Journal
Must be from a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal. Published within the last five years. Directly relevant to your campaign topic and population.
Article 2 — Peer-Reviewed Journal
Second peer-reviewed article. Can reinforce the first or cover a different angle — intervention, population, outcome — that strengthens your campaign’s evidence base.
Article 3 — Policy or Scholarly Source
One policy document, clinical guideline, government report, or organizational position paper. CDC, WHO, HRSA, state DOH, and professional nursing organizations are good starting points.
The Example Citation Given in Your Assignment
Your assignment references: Poindexter, K. (2021). The future of nursing education: Reimagined. Nursing Education Perspectives, 42(6), 335–336. This is an example of APA 7th edition journal citation formatting — note the journal name in italics, the volume number in italics, and the issue number in parentheses (not italicized). It also demonstrates what “past five years” means: 2021 is the oldest acceptable publication date for work submitted now.
How to Find Your Three Sources — Where to Search and What to Look For
The biggest mistake students make is Googling the topic and hoping something citable turns up. That approach produces a lot of health website content — Mayo Clinic, Healthline, WebMD — that does not qualify as peer-reviewed. Use academic databases from the start.
Where to Search for Peer-Reviewed Articles
Database access through your institution is the fastest path to qualifying sources
If your program gives you library database access, start with CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) — it is the most relevant database for nursing and public health topics. PubMed/MEDLINE covers biomedical and clinical research broadly. ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health and Cochrane Library are also strong options. For population and community health topics, JSTOR and EBSCO Health Source can fill gaps.
When you search, use the database’s filters: limit to “peer-reviewed” or “scholarly journals,” set the publication date to 2021–2026, and search by your specific topic keywords rather than just the general condition. If your campaign is about childhood obesity, search “childhood obesity intervention community” not just “obesity.” Specificity gets you to usable articles faster.
If you don’t have institutional access, PubMed is free and indexes millions of peer-reviewed articles, many with free full-text through PubMed Central. Google Scholar can surface peer-reviewed articles too, but verify the source before using it — not everything Google Scholar indexes is peer-reviewed.
Finding a Strong Policy or Scholarly Third Source
Government and professional organization sources are your best options here
For U.S. public health topics, the CDC publishes Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR), community health guidelines, and population data reports that are all citable policy or scientific documents. The HRSA, WHO, Healthy People 2030 framework, and your state’s Department of Health are all appropriate policy-level sources. For Florida-specific data — which your reflection paper will need anyway — the Florida Department of Health and Florida CHARTS (Community Health Assessment Resource Tool Set) both publish county-level health data.
Professional nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Public Health Association (APHA), and specialty organizations publish position statements and clinical practice guidelines that also count as scholarly sources for this assignment.
Match Your Sources to Your Campaign Topic First
Do not pick articles that are only tangentially related and then stretch the “Relevance” field to make them fit. If you can only write one sentence explaining how a source connects to your campaign, it is probably not the right source. Each article should address your specific population, the health issue your campaign targets, or the type of intervention your campaign promotes. If your campaign is on type 2 diabetes prevention in Black adults over 50, all three sources should touch that population or that condition — not just “chronic disease” in general.
Completing Each Article Review Field — What Each One Is Actually Asking
The six-field template looks straightforward. But students consistently misread a few of them — particularly “Intervention/Issue” and “Outcomes” — because those terms mean specific things in research literature that don’t always match everyday usage. Here is what each field wants.
Title of Article
The full title of the article as it appears in the publication. Do not abbreviate or paraphrase it. Your full APA citation goes in the Reference page, not here — but the title field should match the actual article title exactly. Italicize it in your document to distinguish it from surrounding text.
Population / Problem
Who is the focus of the study, and what health problem are they studying? Be specific — not “adults” but “adults over 65 with type 2 diabetes in rural communities.” This field is asking you to identify the study sample and the health issue simultaneously. If the article focuses on a problem rather than a population (as policy documents often do), describe the problem in concrete terms: what condition, what setting, what scope.
Intervention / Issue
What did the study do, test, implement, or examine? For research articles, this is the intervention — the program, treatment, behavior change strategy, or approach that was evaluated. For policy documents, this is the issue being addressed — the policy framework, the gap in care, or the systemic problem being described. Describe it in enough detail that someone can understand what was actually done or proposed, not just that something was done.
Outcomes
What did the study find? Be specific and factual here — use numbers where the article provides them. “The intervention group showed a 12% reduction in HbA1c at 6 months” is a strong outcome. “The study found positive results” is not. For policy documents, describe the recommendations or conclusions the policy makes, not your opinion of them. This field is evidence — it should sound like evidence.
Study Type
What kind of evidence is this? Common study types you’ll encounter: randomized controlled trial (RCT), systematic review, meta-analysis, cohort study, cross-sectional study, qualitative study, case study, mixed methods, literature review, or policy document/report. If the article doesn’t explicitly name its study type, look at the Methods section — how was data collected? From existing records (retrospective cohort)? From surveying a sample (cross-sectional)? From an experiment with random assignment (RCT)? The study type tells the reader how strong the evidence is.
Relevance
This is the field that connects the article back to your campaign. It should answer: how does what this study found support the message, intervention, or population focus of my social media campaign? Two to four sentences is usually right. Do not summarize the article again here — you already did that in the other fields. Explain the connection: what this evidence justifies, supports, or adds credibility to in your campaign design.
What Each Field Looks Like in Practice — Sample Review Structure
The examples below are illustrative — they use a hypothetical campaign topic (mental health awareness in college students) to show what strong versus weak field responses look like. Your topic will differ, but the structure and level of specificity applies regardless.
Sample Article Review — Strong Version
Peer-Reviewed JournalDigital mental health interventions for college students: A systematic review of effectiveness and engagement
Undergraduate and graduate college students aged 18–30 experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and depression symptoms, who face significant barriers to traditional campus counseling services including long wait times, cost, and stigma.
Systematic review of 22 randomized controlled trials evaluating digital mental health interventions — including smartphone apps, online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) modules, and social media-based peer support programs — delivered to college student populations between 2018 and 2023.
Seventeen of the 22 studies reported statistically significant reductions in anxiety or depression symptom scores. Digital CBT programs showed the strongest effect sizes (d = 0.52–0.74). Social media-based peer support interventions had the highest engagement rates (average 68% completion vs. 41% for app-based programs) but produced smaller symptom reductions. Self-stigma around mental health help-seeking decreased by 23% in four studies that measured it.
Systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
This review directly supports the use of social media as a platform for mental health awareness campaigns targeting college students. The finding that social media-based peer support achieved the highest engagement rates justifies the platform choice for this campaign. The data on reduced self-stigma through digital interventions also supports the campaign’s messaging strategy, which prioritizes normalizing help-seeking over symptom education alone.
Common Weak Responses — What to Avoid
What Not to WriteWhy it fails: No specificity about who, what condition, what setting, or what scale of problem.
Strong version: “College students aged 18–24 with self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms, a population with documented barriers to formal care access.”
Why it fails: No data, no measurement, no way to evaluate the claim.
Strong version: “Students in the intervention group showed a 31% reduction in PHQ-9 depression scores at 8-week follow-up compared to a 6% reduction in the control group (p < 0.01).”
Why it fails: Circular reasoning, no actual connection to campaign design or messaging.
Strong version: “The study’s finding that peer-delivered messaging reduced stigma by 23% directly supports this campaign’s decision to feature student voices rather than clinical authority figures in the campaign visuals.”
Writing the Synthesis Paragraph — This Is Not a Summary
The synthesis section asks for 1–2 paragraphs (approximately 300 words) covering “overall insights and implications for your campaign.” Students frequently write a third summary here — restating what each article found. That is not synthesis. Synthesis means pulling the sources together to make a point about what they collectively mean.
Synthesis answers: what do these three sources, taken together, tell me about the problem and how to address it in my campaign? Not: what did each source say?
— The core distinction between summary and synthesisA strong synthesis paragraph does three things. It identifies a pattern or theme across the sources — something they all address or reinforce. It notes any tension or gap — where sources disagree, or where evidence is strong in one area but weak in another. And it connects both of those observations to specific decisions in your campaign: what you will prioritize, who you will target, what message you will lead with, and why the evidence supports those choices.
Synthesis Paragraph — Structure to Follow
~300 Words · 1–2 ParagraphsUse In-Text Citations in Your Synthesis Paragraph
Every claim in your synthesis that comes from one of your sources needs an in-text citation. APA 7th format: (Author Last Name, Year). If you’re referencing a finding from a specific page, add the page number: (Author Last Name, Year, p. XX). A synthesis paragraph with no citations is a paragraph of unsupported claims — and your rubric rewards “scholarly resources effectively” used throughout the document, not just listed in the references.
APA 7th Edition Formatting — The Parts That Trip Students Up
Your assignment requires APA format including a title page, in-text citations, and a reference page with hanging indents. Here is what each of those elements requires, and where students typically lose points.
| Element | APA 7th Edition Requirement | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Title Page | Title centered on upper half of page, author name, institution name, course number and name, instructor name, due date — all double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman or similar serif font | Using APA 6th format (running head is no longer required on student papers in APA 7th) |
| Journal Article Citation | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case and Italics, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx | Putting article title in italics (wrong — only journal name is italicized); omitting DOI when available |
| Government/Policy Document | Organization Name. (Year). Title of report in italics. Publisher (if different from author). URL | Listing government agency as individual author rather than as organization author |
| In-Text Citations | (Author Last Name, Year) for paraphrased material; (Author Last Name, Year, p. XX) for direct quotes | Using first names; including full title in in-text citation; forgetting year |
| Hanging Indent | First line of each reference flush with left margin; all subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches (one tab stop) | Reversing it — indenting the first line and leaving the rest flush (that is a block indent, not a hanging indent) |
| DOI Formatting | Format as a hyperlink: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx — no “DOI:” label before it in APA 7th | Writing “doi: 10.xxxx” (APA 6th format); omitting DOI when the article has one |
The Example Citation Your Assignment Provided — Annotated
Poindexter, K. (2021). The future of nursing education: Reimagined. Nursing Education Perspectives, 42(6), 335–336. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000907
- Author: Last name, first initial only — “Poindexter, K.” Not full first name.
- Year: In parentheses immediately after author — “(2021).”
- Article title: Sentence case, no italics — “The future of nursing education: Reimagined.” Only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
- Journal name: Title case, italicized — Nursing Education Perspectives
- Volume and issue: Volume italicized, issue in parentheses not italicized — 42(6)
- Pages: After comma — 335–336 (en-dash, not hyphen)
- DOI: Full URL format — https://doi.org/10.xxxx
Document Setup and Submission — How to Organize the Word Document
Your assignment specifies submission as a Word document. The structure needs to be clear and labeled. Here is the order of sections and what belongs in each one.
Title Page
APA 7th student title page: paper title (bold, centered), your name, institution, course number and name, instructor name, assignment due date — each on its own line, double-spaced. No running head needed for student papers in APA 7th.
Article 1 — Clearly Labeled
Bold heading “Article 1” followed by each of the six fields clearly labeled: Title of Article, Population/Problem, Intervention/Issue, Outcomes, Study Type, Relevance. Some instructors want these as bold labels followed by the response on the same line or the next line. Either works — be consistent across all three articles.
Article 2 — Same Format
Same six fields, same formatting, clearly labeled “Article 2.” Do not start a new page for each article unless your instructor specifies this — continue in the same document without forced page breaks.
Article 3 — Same Format
Same six fields, labeled “Article 3.” If this is your policy document, the Intervention/Issue and Outcomes fields will read differently from journal articles — that is fine and expected. Policy documents describe issues and recommendations rather than study interventions and statistical results.
Summary: Overall Insights and Implications
Your 1–2 paragraph synthesis section. Use “Summary” as the heading (or “Overall Insights and Implications” as the assignment template labels it). Approximately 300 words. Includes in-text citations. This is where synthesis — not summary — happens.
References — New Page
The word “References” as a bold centered heading on a new page. All three sources listed in alphabetical order by first author’s last name. Hanging indent format. Full APA 7th citations including DOIs where available. Double-spaced throughout.
The References Page Starts on a New Page — Always
APA requires the reference list to begin on a new page — not just a few lines below the last paragraph of your synthesis. In Word, insert a page break (Ctrl+Enter or Insert → Page Break) after your synthesis section before typing your References heading. This is a formatting error that instructors notice immediately and that costs points.
FAQs — What Students Ask Most About This Assignment
The Whole Assignment in One View
Part 2 is evidence-gathering work. It is not asking you to have a fully formed argument yet — that comes in the campaign design and the reflection. What it is asking you to do is show that your campaign idea is grounded in real research and that you can extract, organize, and use that research intelligently.
That means picking sources that actually match your topic — not the closest available but the most relevant available. It means writing Outcomes that contain data, not just impressions. It means a Relevance field that explains a real connection, not a circular one. And it means a synthesis paragraph that moves beyond summarizing into the actual argument: here is what the evidence collectively tells me, and here is what it means for how I designed this campaign.
Get the sources right first. Everything else in the assignment — the article reviews, the synthesis, even the citation formatting — follows from having three strong, relevant, recent sources that genuinely support your campaign. If you need help with any part of that process, the nursing and public health specialists at Smart Academic Writing work with students on exactly these assignments — through nursing assignment help, literature review support, and APA formatting assistance.