1. Presented by: SVSU Writing Center & Lead-RN Program Adapted from GVSU Writing Center PowerPoint

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Title page Abstract (if applicable) Headings (if applicable) In-text citations References

6. 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

7. Running head: MY NURSING PAPER1 My Nursing Paper: A Comprehensive Study Your Name goes Here Saginaw Valley State University

8. …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, 6 th edition

9. 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 Do not cite references in the abstract unless your study continues or replicates previous research.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.

10. TITLE OF THE PAPER 2 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. The abstract is on its own page and is double spaced.

11. 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

12. 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

13. TITLE 5 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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).

18. 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.

19. 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).

20. 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.

21. 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 (8- 9), 835-843. doi: 10.2298/JSC0809835P

22. 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/

23. 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/

24. 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 (18 th ed., p. 276). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.

25. Provides information so readers can find the sources. YOUR TITLE 11 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/

26. 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.

27. Questions?

28. Current APA manual Writing Center online resources: http://www.svsu.edu/writingcenter/w riting-resources.html http://www.svsu.edu/writingcenter/w riting-resources.html Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/res ource/560/01/ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/res ource/560/01/ Visit us at the Writing Center (Zahnow 308)