Running Head: Research Paper Guidelines
Research Paper Guidelines (title)
Student Name
Nursing Fundamental Concepts PTVN P009 (class)
Mrs. Elizabeth Keele (instructor)
Porterville College
April 25 or 27, 2016 (date)
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Research Paper 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 in the top
right hand corner (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 disease or
disorder (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 Roman or Courier. 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). Remember that this is a research paper not an essay. A research paper
should not include “why you are writing this paper”. Do not use the word “I” in your paper, it is
very unprofessional. Also avoid using the word “you” “my” and “me”.
Pathophysiology
After the introduction, begin by giving the pathophysiology of the disease or disorder.
This is an explanation of what the disease is and how it affects the body. Discuss what causes
the disease, how does a person “get it”. When they do get this disease, what happens inside their
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body? What part of the body is affected by this disease and how? Use medical terms as much as
possible, but make sure you know what you are writing. This section of the paper should be one
of the longest sections. Notice the heading of this section, “pathophysiology”. It is centered in
the middle of the page. The font for the section headings should be the same as the text. There
are no extra spaces around the heading.
Make sure that you site you work. This means you need to site/ 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, even if you are not
directly quoting the source. 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)! Even though you are using citations you
must write the paper using you own words, not just cutting and pasting someone else’s words.
The citation is only telling the reader where you got the information.
Clinical Manifestation
The next section of your paper should contain the clinical manifestation of the disease or
disorder you are researching. Describe the patient who has this disease. How do they act? What
do they complain of when they have this disease (Paine, 2006)? What changes do they manifest
when they are sick with this disease? What are the first signs and symptoms of the disease?
What are the diagnostic tests used to diagnose the disease? The reader should be able to
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visualize the patient and the condition that they have (Keele, 2009). Please do not include
pictures!
Medical Management
The next section is about how to treat the disease. You should address the different ways
medical professionals approach the disease. The paper can include any medical specialist who
treats this type of disorder. You might include things like medication, surgeries, exercises or
diets. This section also might include information on prevention of the disease (Henderson,
2008). Don’t just list the medications prescribed to a person with this disease. Tell the reader
what the medications do, how they work, when they are to be taken and what the side effects are.
If you quote a source (meaning you write exacting what is written somewhere else) you
must put it in “quotation marks” and then site the work at the end of the sentence (Keele, 2009).
You should not quote more than 20 words total in the whole paper. Ideally there should be no
quotes used in this paper. The goal is for you to read about the disease and then write what you
have learned in your own words.
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 bibliography should
be between 1250 and 2000 words (about four - five pages). 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 headers. Even if you are writing about a personal disease or your experience
with the disease, 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 the 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. See Mrs. Keele’s web
site for helpful links to APA formatting sources.
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, E. (2009). How to write a research paper. San Francisco, CA: Basic Books Press.
Journal references, magazines, etc.
Mann, E. (2008). The Art of Research. Magazine for great Students, 14, 253-263.
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How to do in-text citations
APA style, in-text citations are placed within sentences and paragraphs so that it is clear to the reader
where the information in the paper came from. You have to give credit to the persons whose knowledge
and idea you are sharing. In-text citations are used when information is being quoted or paraphrased.
Examples:
Works by a single author

The last name of the author and the year of publication are inserted in the text at the appropriate point.
o from theory on bounded rationality (Simon, 1945).
 If the name of the author or the date appear as part of the narrative, cite only missing information in
parentheses.
o Simon (1945) posited that
Works by multiple authors
 When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs in the text. In
parenthetical material join the names with an ampersand (&).
o as has been shown (Leiter & Maslach, 1998)
 In the narrative text, join the names with the word "and."
o as Leiter and Maslach (1998) demonstrated
 When a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference occurs.
o Kahneman, Knetsch, and Thaler (1991) found
 In all subsequent citations per paragraph, include only the surname of the first author followed by "et
al." (Latin for "and others") and the year of publication.
o Kahneman et al. (1991) found
Works by associations, corporations, government agencies, etc.
 The names of groups that serve as authors (corporate authors) are usually written out each time they
appear in a text reference.
o (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2007)
 When appropriate, the names of some corporate authors are spelled out in the first reference and
abbreviated in all subsequent citations.
o (NIMH, 2007)
The following are web sites that will give you formatting information
http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
http://psychology.about.com/od/apastyle/ig/APA-Format-Examples/Journal-Articles-in-APA-Format.htm
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Research Paper Rubric - 100 points possible
Cover Page:
 student name
 title of paper
 course title/number
 faculty name & institution
 date submitted
 stapled (upper left)
 no fancy covers
 Running head:
 page numbers (whole paper)
 Introduction:
 Section heading / title
 Introduces the topic
 Points to be covered are clear
 Does not use “I” “my” or “you”
 Running header (whole paper)
 Running header is title of paper
 Page numbers (whole paper)
 Body:
 Section headings
 All points covered and correct
- Pathophysiology
- Clinical manifestations
- Medical Management
- Prevention
 Each paragraph has a main point
 Smooth transition between
paragraphs
 Written in their own words, not
cut and paste
 Demonstrated understanding of
the topic
 Topic is fully covered
 Not in essay language
 Information presented is correct
Conclusion:
 Section heading
 Not in essay language (no I, my,
or you’s)
 Summarizes
o Pathophysiology
o Clinical manifestations
o Medical management
o Prevention
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0 points
No cover
page.
1 point
Missing
four criteria.
2 points
Missing
three
criteria.
3 points
Missing two
criteria.
4 points
Missing one
criterion.
5 points
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
5 or more
criteria
missing.
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 five
or more
criteria
2 point
Missing
four criteria
4 points
Missing
three criteria
6 points
Missing two
criteria
8 points
Missing one
criteria
10 points
All criteria
complete and
correct.
Research Paper Guidelines
Bibliography / Citations
 3 or more references cited
 References listed alphabetically
 Internet sources include URLs
 Reference page is titled
 In-text citations match
bibliography
 Separate page for the
bibliography
 Bibliography for each citation
 In-text citation for each reference
 In-text citations follow APA
format
 Hanging tab
 Each paragraph / all information
cited
 No quotes longer than 20 words
(total)
 Reference follow APA format
 Sources are reliable/scientific
Mechanics
 1250 – 2000 words in length
 At least 3 full pages long
 Proper grammar, punctuation, &
spelling
 Narrative style (complete
sentences)
 Double-spaced - font of 12
 Looks professional
 No extra spaces, wide margins
 Student name not found in body
of paper
 Abbreviations spelled out – first
time
 Running header
Timeliness
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0 points
No
bibliography.
Or missing
more than
eight criteria
4 point
Missing
eight
criteria.
8 points
Missing six
criteria.
12 points
Missing four
criteria.
16 points
Missing two
criterion.
20 points
All criteria
complete and
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 paper, or If 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
No penalty
Hard copy to instructor by due
date and submitted to
turnitin.com by the due date.