Running head: RESEARCH GUIDELINES
Research Paper Guidelines (title)
Student Name
Strategies for Success P100(class)
Mrs. Elizabeth Keele (instructor)
Porterville College (Institution)
November 17, 2015 (date)
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RESEARCH GUIDELINES
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Research Paper Guidelines
This is an only an example of how to write a research paper. This example is in A.P.A.
format. Begin the paper with the title on the top of the page and centered; do not bold, underline
or italicize your title. It should be the same type size as the text. Every page should have a
running head or page header. This is located at the top left of the paper. The title of the paper
(or a shortened version) and the page number should be included in the running head (Angeli,
Wagner, Lawrick, Moore, Anderson, Suderlund & Brizee, 2010). Do not include your name
anywhere in the body of the paper; it should only appear on the cover page (Keele, 2009)
The first paragraph of the paper is the introduction. In the introduction the paper informs
the reader what the topic is. The introduction of this paper should briefly describe the area or
specialty of nursing that you are researching (Mann, 2008). Tell the reader what you are going
to write about in the paper and what they can expect to learn by reading your paper. Remember
that the paper is to be typed using a standard professional 12-point font such as Times New
Roman. The paper should be double spaced. The margins on the paper should be one inch on
the top, bottom and sides. The beginning of each paragraph should be indented five to seven
spaces or about one-half inch (Henderson, 2007). Do not use the word “I” or “you” in your
paper, it is very unprofessional. This is not an essay or a journal entry; it is a research paper.
You should not include why you want to have this career when you grow up (Keele, 2009)!
Job Description
The paper needs to include a job description for the area / specialty that you have chosen.
This is an explanation of what the job entails answering such questions as “What are the roles a
nurse in this field performs?” or “What are their daily tasks?” This section of the paper should
be one of the longest sections. Notice the heading of this section, “Job Description”. It is
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centered in the middle of the page. The font for the section headings should be the same as the
text (Mann, 2008)
Make sure that you cite you work. This means you need to cite/ tell the reader, where
you got the information you are writing about. At the end of a sentence, place in parentheses the
name of the author and the date of where you found the information (Keele, 2009). In text
citations are a must. In most cases there should be an in-text citation for every paragraph. You
need to give credit to the sources that gave you the information for the paper. You must give a
citation for everything included in your paper that you did not already know. If the paper is only
filled with information that you already knew, it was not a research paper. This is a research
paper not an essay. A lack of in-text citations will result in a score of zero and is considered a
form of plagiarism. Remember you are turning this into “turnitin.com” – don’t plagiarize
(Honesty, 2006)!
One of the requirements of this research paper is that you interview a person who has or
is currently working in the area / specialty that you are researching. You need to cite them as
well in your paper. You can either use in text citations at the end of the paragraph i.e. (Nancy
Nurse, 2011) or introduce the person being interviewed in the paragraph like so; Nancy Nurse a
floor nurse at Hospital on the Hill explained her job description as “very physical”. Although it
is not required in APA format, I will require that you provide me contact information for your
personal interview; a phone number, e-mail address etc. This can be included at the end of the
reference.
Included in the job description should be such things as the practice settings (i.e. acute
hospital, stand alone clinics, or helicopter) and the patient population served. Examples of
patient populations could include but are not limited to adults, children and elderly (Keele, 2009)
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Educational Requirements
Another section of the paper should contain information about the educational
requirement of working in the area / specialty. Identify what level or nurses can perform work in
the area (i.e. RN, LVN, Nurse Practitioner etc.). Does the job require a bachelors degree or is an
associate degree acceptable; or does it require that the person have at least a master’s degree, and
in what field should that degree be in (Paine, 2006)? Please do not include pictures!
Salary
Another section is about the salary and financial benefits associated with the area /
specialty. Identify what the average salary is for the person working in the area; not just national
averages, but local and state averages as well. Do not just list the salaries, but make analysis of
the salary. Compare and contrast the salaries to other areas of nursing and cost of living for the
area (Henderson, 2008).
If you quote a source (meaning you write exacting what is written somewhere else) you
must put it in “quotation marks” and then cite the work at the end of the sentence (Keele, 2009).
You should not quote anything more than 20 words within the entire paper. Ideally there should
be very few quotes used in this paper. The goal is for you to read about the area / specialty and
then write what you have learned in your own words. Chapter nine of your text book, Keys to
Nursing Success by Janet R. Katz (2009), does a very good job of explaining how to paraphrase
quotations in your own words (Katz, 2009 p. 275-306).
Challenges & Rewards
Another section of the paper should include the challenges of working in the area /
specialty. What makes this job hard? What is unappealing about this area? Why do nurses not
stay in this area? Then address the rewards of working in this area. Why did nurses go into this
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area and what makes them stay? Do not just address the financial rewards! This section can be
some of the hardest information to find. Before you conduct your interview, prepare some
questions to cover this topic fully so that you have something to write about in this section.
Make sure you are specific (Keele, 2009).
Conclusion
The last paragraph of your paper should be your conclusion. The conclusion is a
summary of the paper. The total paper not including the title page and the reference page, should
be between three and five pages and be at least 1200 words. It must be a minimum of three full
pages long. Please do not put any fancy covers on your research paper – I will just rip them off,
throw them away and then mark you down for not following instructions! Please put your name
only on the cover page – do not include it in the footnotes or header. Even though you are
writing about a career that you are interested in, you must not include your name in the paper.
Your paper should be single sided, not double sided like this paper is (Keele, 2009).
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References
The final page should be your works cited. This page is to be separate from the main
body of the paper but still have one inch margins and be double spaced. The reference page
contains a list of all of the sources you used to write your paper. Every entry on your reference
page should be cited (used) somewhere in your paper. You should have at least three references
cited in your reference list. The reference list should be in alphabetical order using the authors
last name as a reference. Any internet sites used should include the URL. All references should
be written using a hanging tab. This means that he first line of the reference is flush with the left
margin and all subsequent lines of the reference are indented five spaces. The following are
some examples of how you can write a reference page using APA format.
Electronic Sources / Basic Format (Internet sites):
Henderson, B.L. (2007, March 18). Writing an awesome paper for P100. Retrieved November
20,2000, from http://henderson.writinganawesomepaper.html
Electronic Sources multiple authors (Internet sites):
Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A.
(2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Electronic source/ Electronic version of newspaper article
Honesty, U.R. (2010, February 16). Plagiarism and flunking out. Porterville Times. Retrieved
November 21,2011; from http://www.portervilletimes.com
Basic book:
Keele, Elizabeth (2009). How to write a research paper. CA: Basic Books Press.
Journal references, magazines, etc.
Mann, E. (2008). The Art of Research. Magazine for great Students, 14, 253-263.
Interview
Nurse, Nancy. (2011, Feb 14). Telephone interview. (Please include contact information for the
person you interviewed; for example a phone number, e-mail etc.)
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Research Paper Rubric - 100 points possible
0 points
Cover Page:
 student name
 title of paper
 course title/number
 faculty name & institution
 date submitted
 stapled (upper left)
 no fancy covers
 running head (whole paper)
 page numbers (whole paper)
Introduction:
 section heading / title
 introduces the topic
 purpose of paper is clear
 points to be covered are included
and clear
 Does not use the word “I” “my”
or “you”
Body:
 Section headings
 All points covered & correct
o Job description
o Practice setting
o Patient population
o Educational requirement
o Salary
o Challenges and Rewards
 Topic is fully covered
 Each paragraph has a main point
 Smooth transitions between
paragraphs
 Not in “essay” language
Conclusion:
 Section heading
 Summarizes each main point of
paper
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1 point
2 points
3 points
4 points
5 points
> four
missing
criteria
Missing
four criteria.
Missing
three
criteria.
Missing two
criteria.
Missing one
criterion.
All criteria
complete and
correct.
0 points
No criteria
met.
2 point
Missing
four criteria.
4 points
Missing
three
criteria.
6 points
Missing two
criteria.
8 points
Missing one
criterion.
10 points
All criteria
complete and
correct.
0 points
Missing >
four criteria
5 point
Missing
four criteria.
15 points
Missing
three
criteria.
25 points
Missing two
criteria.
30 points
Missing one
criterion.
35 points
All criteria
complete and
correct.
0 points
Missing
heading
and/or poorly
summarized
main points.
2 point
Missing
heading &
summarizes
only some
of the main
points.
4 points
Summarizes
only some
of the main
points.
6 points
Missing
heading
and/or
summarizes
most of the
main points.
8 points
Includes
heading &
summarizes
most of the
main points.
10 points
All criteria
complete and
correct.
RESEARCH GUIDELINES
Reference page/ Citations
 3 or more references cited
 References listed alphabetically
 Internet sources include URLs
 Reference page is titled
 At least one interview (with
contact information)
 Separate page for the reference
page
 No quotes longer than 20 words
 In-text citations match the
reference page
 All citations are included on the
reference page
 Hanging tabs
 References follow APA format
Mechanics
 3-5 pages in length (not including
cover sheet & reference page)
 Minimum of 1200 words
 Proper grammar, punctuation, &
spelling
 Narrative style (complete
sentences)
 Double-spaced & font of 12
 No extra spaces, wide margins
 student name not found in body of
paper
 Abbreviations spelled out – 1st
time used
Timeliness
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0 points
No reference
page
Or
Missing 5 or
more
citations.
4 point
Missing
four criteria.
Or
Missing 4
citations
8 points
Missing
three
criteria.
Or
Missing 3
citations
12 points
Missing two
criteria.
Or
Missing 2
citations
16 points
Missing one
criterion.
Or
Missing 1
citations
20 points
All criteria
complete &
correct.
0 points
Missing more
than two
criteria
and/or has
more than 40
errors of
grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation.
4 point
Missing two
criteria
and/or has
more than
30 to 40
errors of
grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation.
8 points
Missing one
criterion
and/or has
20 to 30
errors of
grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation.
12 points
Missing one
criterion or
has 10-20
errors of
grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation.
16 points
All criteria met
with between
5-10 errors of
grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation.
20 points
All criteria met
completely
with less than
5 errors of
grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation.
-100 points
No hardcopy submitted by
the next class session or
Hard copy submitted but not
submitted to turnitin.com
within one week of due date
-20 points
Hard copy submitted to
instructor on time, but not
submitted to turnitin.com on
time
Or
Hard copy not submitted to
instructor on time, but
submitted to turnitin.com on
time.
On Time
Hard copy to instructor by due
date and submitted to
turnitin.com by the due date.