Broadening students' perspectives on literature review

Student dietitians, in our experience, have demonstrated a very narrow perspective in using professional literature. The limited scope of reference journals used and the lack of ability to critically review the literature and abstract the essentials of a study were identified as problem areas. An assignment designed to address those inadequacies was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Following scientific guidelines, 11 students from the coordinated program in dietetics each reviewed three to five non-nutrition-specific journals and abstracted all nutrition-related articles published for the current 16-month period. The resulting 339 abstracts were compiled and distributed to faculty and facility preceptors. Improvement was evident in students' ability to critically evaluate and abstract an article. Faculty members, facility preceptors, and students evaluated the project as being worthwhile.