This assignment requires you to critique a scientific paper which investigates a sports nutrition intervention.
Paper instructions:
Evans, M., Tierney, P., Gray, N., Hawe, G., Macken, M., & Egan, B. (2018). Acute ingestion of caffeinated chewing gum improves repeated Sprint performance of team sport athletes with low habitual caffeine consumption.International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 28(3), 221-227.
In addition to a critique, provide i) a brief discussion of how the paper may influence the use of the particular intervention in an applied setting, ii) what future research should address to improve upon the study and our understanding/application of the topic. A take-home message for athletes/practitioners should be included.
It is important to note that a critique is NOT the same as a summary. A critique is concerned more with an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the paper and how these might impact our decision.
While some summary is required to provide context, most marks will be attributed to the assessment and discussion of key points. You should also try to use references to support any assertions you may have.
Your critique should include the following (i.e. use this as a framework for your paper):
• A brief introduction to the topic, and why this study is of interest
• Critical assessment and review of the rationale, methodology, results and conclusion
• How the paper may inform the decision of a nutritionist/dietitian in utilising the intervention
• What future research should address to fill any shortcomings or improve upon the findings
• Brief summary of your critique & take home message
The word limit of this assessment is 2000 words (±10%). This does not include your references. Use the weighting of each section (detailed below) as an indication of how much you should write in each part.
