a) Research Paper

(1) Pick a treatment modality (ex. Mediation, yoga, acupuncture, St. Johns wort, multivitamin, EMDR, biofeedback, HRV, dance, exercise, prayer, psilocybin, Ayurvedic herbs, chiropractic etc.) and a mental health issue or category (ex. Depression, anxiety, insomnia, anger, stress, overeating, ADHD, trauma in children, etc.) While it is easier to find articles on common topics such as mindfulness or acupuncture, we encourage you to write on whatever interests you and we encourage papers on less common topics.

(2) Find at least 3 research articles published in scientific journals relevant to your topic of choice. You may go to NYU Medical Library website and access databases such as Pubmed with Full Text. http://hsl.med.nyu.edu/journals-databases-and-books.

(3) Write an introduction, thesis, body of paper and a conclusion.

(4) A thesis is a sentence that identifies the main idea, central purpose of your essay. What are you trying to say in your paper? It serves as the organizing principle for the essay and appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. (ex. “EMDR is a well established treatment for trauma in adults, but additional research is needed to prove that it is safe and effective for children”; or “Omega 3 fatty acids may be helpful for ADHD in children.”)

(5) In your paper describe the research studies you found and how they support your thesis statement. Think about how good the studies are and how strongly do these studies support your thesis?