Date: November 16, 2010

To: English 324 Class

From: Brittany Christopherson

Subject: Progress Report

Introduction

The purpose of my project is to bring the various research studies done in the area of alternative treatment options together in one condensed source so that readers may be able to find a solid foundation from which to branch off into treatments that interest them without having to wade through many studies that may very well not relate. This will be done through summarizing and synthesizing an extensive amount of research studies done to date and presenting the results in the form of an extended commentary.

Work Completed

A proposal of the intended study was submitted on the 27th of September. Once accepted, a wider array of sources were accessed in order to begin compiling a base for the compilation of sources. Of these sources, one study was analyzed in a literature review submitted the 11th of October. All sources were then collected in an annotated bibliography submitted October 29th. As this project focuses on bringing a wide array of sources and different options, finding this diversity has been sometimes difficult. The bulk of research has been in developing new pharmaceuticals rather than finding alternatives to standard drug therapy. Furthermore, studies of alternative therapies that have reached the clinical testing stage are few and far between.

Work Scheduled

Since the bulk of the actual collection of articles has been accomplished, as well as sorting therapies into categories, the main task that lies ahead is pulling it all together in a one-stop source. The first draft of this commentary is set to be submitted the 24th of November. From there, in light of peer comments on that first draft, revisions will be made. A final draft will be submitted by the 4th of December.

Conclusion

So far this project has gone fairly well. The process sometimes is tedious, other times extremely frustrating due to the narrow focus of the medical community in the studies that are pushed to the clinical testing stages over others as this severely reduces the number of sources of information about viable alternatives to antibiotic use. Regardless of this minor issue, this project will most definitely be completed in a timely manner, polished and complete. Information about alternatives needs to reach the public, so there is no doubt that the urgency of the topic will guarantee the quality and timely completion of this project.

Respectfully,

Brittany Christopherson