Presented by:
SVSU Writing Center
&
Lead-RN Program
Adapted from GVSU Writing Center PowerPoint
Qualities of Good Writing in Nursing
•Clarity and depth in understanding and
expressing ideas
•Evidence of descriptive and analytical skills
•Construction of solid arguments
•Evidence of critical thinking
Appropriate Types of Evidence & Support
•Current nursing journal articles
•Authoritative Web references
•Personal interviews
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Typical Nursing Writing Assignments
Response to case studies
Reflective writing
Exploration & analysis of phenomenon
Literature review
Critique of articles
Position papers
Responses to questions in class
Data gathering and analysis
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Give credit where credit is due: avoid
plagiarism!
Establish your credibility as a scholar and
writer within the nursing field
Ensure consistency within the discipline
Give your readers access to the sources
you’ve used
Title page
Abstract (if applicable)
Headings (if applicable)
In-text citations
References
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Header: Your title page should have
“Running head: SHORTENED TITLE IN
CAPS” then the page number on the right
side
When you fold your title page in half, the
title of your paper, your name and your
school should be above the line
Author’s notes are included at professors’
request; many do not require this
Running head: MY NURSING PAPER
My Nursing Paper: A Comprehensive Study
Your Name goes Here
Saginaw Valley State University
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…a “brief, comprehensive summary of the
contents of an article” (p. 25).
The abstract must be brief (usually 250
words or fewer), but include all main
points of the paper. Its organization
mirrors the organization of the paper.
APA Publication Manual, 6th edition
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An abstract should be one paragraph,
double-spaced in block format (no indent).
Do not cite references in the abstract unless
your study continues or replicates previous
research.
Use active voice verbs (but avoid personal
pronouns such as “I” or “we”).
Use present tense verbs when describing
conclusions and results that are currently
applicable. Use past tense to describe
research you conducted.
The abstract is on its own page and is double spaced.
TITLE OF THE PAPER
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Abstract
The nursing profession recognizes the phenomenon of anxiety as a
nursing diagnosis and has researched and studied it in depth.
Anxiety is defined as a vague subjective feeling of apprehension
stemming from an unknown threat to an individual. Anxiety is
divided into four stages: mild, moderate, severe, and panic. Sister
Callista Roy’s theory of adaptation approaches anxiety holistically,
stressing the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit.
Martha Rogers’ theory of energy fields explains anxiety as a
phenomenon that is capable of being transmitted between
persons.
Most papers use 1-2 headings, although there
are 5 levels. Each heading separates a new
section of the paper.
Level One:
Center, Bold, Uppercase and Lowercase
Level Two:
Flush Left, Bold, Uppercase and Lowercase
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Use the same heading level for sections
of the same importance
Do not label the introduction
Do not label the headings with numbers
or letters
Maintain the same font size used in the
paper
Maintain double spacing before and after
level 1 and 2 headings
TITLE
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New Topic
Here is a topic sentence that works well with the thesis of the
paper. Here are supporting sentences that go with the topic sentence
and also support the topic. This is a short paragraph.
A subtopic of the New Topic
Here again is another topic sentence that will work with the
thesis and support it nicely. Then I will continue the paper supporting
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The author’s last name(s)
-One to five authors- Include all last names in
the FIRST citation For three to five authors, use
et al. for subsequent citations
-Six or more authors- Include ONLY the first
author’s last name followed by et al. in all
citations
The year the piece was published
The page number only if quoted directly
Direct Quotation- Using an author’s exact
words (MUST use quotation marks).
Citation includes author’s last name, year,
AND page number. (Jones, 1999, p. 137).
Paraphrase- Rephrasing an author’s idea.
Citation only includes author’s last name
and year. (Jones, 1999).
Citations refer readers to the References page
and should be used properly to avoid
repetition
Attributive Tag- Uses the author’s last
name in the text within the sentence.
Cappell’s (2009) study found that nurses
must have more patience and spend
more time to establish trust before
performing invasive procedures with
deaf and mute patients.
Parenthetical- Citation is found in
parenthesis at the end of the sentence.
One study found that nurses must have
more patience and spend more time to
establish trust before performing
invasive procedures with deaf and mute
patients (Cappell, 2009).
Two or more works in the same citation:
(Johnson, 2000; Jones, 2004; Williams, 1999)
More than one author with the same last name:
(Smith, A., 2009); later (Smith, E., 2004)
One author cites another author within his work:
Smith’s study (as cited in Jones, 2009).
Only Jones will be cited on the reference page.
If no author, use identifiers:
Organization- Use organization’s name as
author. (Centers for Disease Control,
2009)..
Title- Use first key word. If title is
“Universal Lessons Learned by a
Gastroenterologist,” cite
(“Universal,” 2009).
Authors’ last name, first initial. (Year of
publication). Title of the book. Publishing
City, State: Publishing Company.
Porth, C. (2005). Pathophysiology: Concepts of
altered health states. Philadelphia, PA:
Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.
With Digital Object Identifier (DOI):
Author’s last name, first initial. (Year of
publication). Title of the article. Journal,
Volume(Issue), pages. doi: number
Gulicovski, J., Cerovic, L., Milonjic, S., &
Popovic, I. (2008). Adsorption of itaconic
acid from aqueous solutions onto alumina.
Journal of the Serbian Chemistry Society, 73(89), 835-843. doi: 10.2298/JSC0809835P
Without DOI and from database:
Author’s last name, first initial. (Year of
publication). Title of article. Journal,
Volume(Issue), pages. Retrieved from
journal website.
Thurlow, C., & McKay, S. (2003). Profiling
"new" communication technologies in
adolescence. Journal of Language and Social
Psychology, 22(1), 94-103. Retrieved from
http://jls.sagepub.com/
Author’s last name, first initial. (Year of
publication or copyright date). Title of
webpage used. Retrieved from website url.
Mims, F. (2009). Scientific research, books,
articles, columns, lectures and photographs.
Retrieved from www.forrestmims.org/
The word. (Year). Editor's name, The name
of the dictionary (with the edition and
page number). Publishing city, state:
Publishing company.
Bolus. (1993). C.L. Thomas (ed.), Taber’s
cyclopedic medical dictionary (18th ed., p.
276). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis
Company.
Provides information so readers can
find the sources.
YOUR TITLE
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References
Gulicovski, J., Cerovic, L., Milonjic, S., & Popovic, I. (2008). Adsorption of
itaconic acid from aqueous solutions onto alumina. Journal of the
Serbian Chemistry Society, 73(8-9), 835-843. doi: 10.2298/JSC0809835P
Mims, F. (2009). Scientific research, books, articles, columns, lectures and
photographs. Retrieved from http://www.forrestmims.org/
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In APA and collegiate writing, avoid “I,
me, we, you”. Using third person point
of view is acceptable: “he, she, they”.
Check the Writing Center or APA
website every fall for updated APA
information; it updates regularly.
Questions?
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Current APA manual
Writing Center online resources:
http://www.svsu.edu/writingcenter/w
riting-resources.html
Purdue OWL:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/res
ource/560/01/
Visit us at the Writing Center (Zahnow
308)