in writing a scholarly paper a good habit for nurses to develop is to

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1.4: Relevance of Scholarly Writing to the Nursing Profession

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• Page ID 16483

• Lapum et al.
• Ryerson University (Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing) via Ryerson University Library

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Scholarly writing is a form of communication and a necessary skill that is important to the nurse’s role as a clinician, professional, a leader, a scholar, an educator, and an advocate. As a student, developing skills in scholarly writing will help prepare you for your nursing role.

Types of scholarly writing that you may be involved in as a nurse are:

• Social awareness and advocacy campaigns in which you share knowledge and bring awareness to an issue or a new policy.
• Educating and influencing people and communities. The power of writing provides a means for nurses to state their position and influence others. Nurses are involved in crafting policy ideas to influence stakeholders and government bodies on public health issues.
• Best practice guidelines, standards of practice, and policies and procedures to inform nursing practice.
• Research grants and manuscripts for publication.
• Reflective practice, which is a professional expectation for nurses to demonstrate their commitment to life-long learning and continuing competence by reflecting on their practice (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2018).

Nurses may engage in scholarly writing in ways that differ from other disciplines . For example:

• As noted above, nurses engage in many forms of scholarly writing, so you should be prepared to tailor the style of writing to your audience and your objectives.
• In nursing and other health-related fields, you must incorporate evidence to support your statements.
• It is important that you draw from scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed journals, as opposed to magazines or books.
• You need to be clear and concise, with a logical flow in your writing from point A to B.
• Scholarly writing allows you develop your capacity as a communicator, a skill that transcends domains of professional and personal life.

College of Nurses of Ontario (2018, October). QA Program. Retrieved from https://www.cno.org/en/myqa/

Chapter 1: Introduction

Relevance of Scholarly Writing to the Nursing Profession

Scholarly writing is a form of communication and a necessary skill that is important to the nurse’s role as a clinician, professional, a leader, a scholar, an educator, and an advocate. As a student, developing skills in scholarly writing will help prepare you for your nursing role.

Types of scholarly writing that you may be involved in as a nurse are:

• Social awareness and advocacy campaigns in which you share knowledge and bring awareness to an issue or a new policy.
• Educating and influencing people and communities. The power of writing provides a means for nurses to state their position and influence others. Nurses are involved in crafting policy ideas to influence stakeholders and government bodies on public health issues.
• Best practice guidelines, standards of practice, and policies and procedures to inform nursing practice.
• Research grants and manuscripts for publication.
• Reflective practice, which is a professional expectation for nurses to demonstrate their commitment to life-long learning and continuing competence by reflecting on their practice (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2018).

Nurses may engage in scholarly writing in ways that differ from other disciplines . For example:

• As noted above, nurses engage in many forms of scholarly writing, so you should be prepared to tailor the style of writing to your audience and your objectives.
• In nursing and other health-related fields, you must incorporate evidence to support your statements.
• It is important that you draw from scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed journals, as opposed to magazines or books.
• You need to be clear and concise, with a logical flow in your writing from point A to B.
• Scholarly writing allows you develop your capacity as a communicator, a skill that transcends domains of professional and personal life.

College of Nurses of Ontario (2018, October). QA Program. Retrieved from https://www.cno.org/en/myqa/

The Scholarship of Writing in Nursing Education: 1st Canadian Edition Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Lapum; Oona St-Amant; Michelle Hughes; Andy Tan; Arina Bogdan; Frances Dimaranan; Rachel Frantzke; and Nada Savicevic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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“Writing Right”: A Workshop Approach to Improving Nursing Students’ Writing

Jennifer c. hutchinson.

1 Department of Nursing, Longwood University, Farmville, VA, USA

JoEllen Pederson

2 Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice Studies, Longwood University, Farmville, VA, USA

Introduction

Effective communication is an essential skill for the professional nurse. Previous research demonstrates that nursing students lack skills in written communication, and there is limited time in the nursing curriculum to provide needed instruction. To address this issue, a writing workshop was provided for students at a regional state university.

Nursing faculty developed and led four identical in-person sessions of the workshop over the course of one semester. Before and after each workshop, students completed the same quantitative survey.

Data indicate that students’ knowledge and confidence of American Psychological Association (APA) format increased significantly as a result of the workshop.

A workshop approach is a useful strategy to address the writing needs of nursing students.

Introduction/Background

In The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education , the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) ( 2021 ) describe 10 domains for nursing, which “constitute a descriptive framework for the practice of nursing” (para. 4). Embedded in these domains is the need for nurses to have strong written communication skills. Specifically, Domain 1: Knowledge of Nursing Practice and Domain 4: Scholarship of Nursing Practice reference the importance of research in the nursing profession.

What Was the Problem?

With these domains in mind, one objective of nursing faculty is to improve undergraduates’ communication skills as they increase their nursing knowledge in preparation for entry-to-practice. This is complicated, however, by the extensive curriculum requirements of pre-licensure nursing programs. The challenge becomes how to teach students written communication skills while also staying focused on other essential learning outcomes.

Why Was It a Priority?

Research indicates that nursing faculty commonly find that writing is a significant challenge for students ( Diehl, 2007 ; Troxler et al., 2011 ). Despite this fact, writing skills are not often a focus of instruction in undergraduate nursing education ( Miller et al., 2015 ). This is likely related to the significant volume of discipline-specific content that must be covered to prepare students to be successful on the licensure examination (NCLEX-RN).

Summary of What is Known About the Problem

Recent research in this area relates to various strategies that nurse educators have employed to address this problem. Some of the approaches identified are guided instruction ( Miller et al., 2015 ), use of workshops ( Derouin et al., 2015 ), discipline-specific writing education ( Mitchell et al., 2017 ), and strategies to incorporate writing across the curriculum ( Hawks et al., 2016 ).

Workshops, like the ones discussed in this paper, have successfully been used to improve writing skills of both nurses and nursing students ( Derouin et al., 2015 ). For example, Johnson et al. (2007) utilized a workshop approach aimed at developing the technical writing skills of underrepresented and disadvantaged baccalaureate nursing students; use of APA reference style was one of the workshop topics. Nursing students learn APA format for several reasons. APA format teaches students to write using professional standards, to read complex research documents systematically, and to give proper credit to authors for academic advancements ( Schwartz et al., 2020 ). In essence, teaching students APA format helps them become proficient communicators of complex information.

Purpose of the Project

In an effort to enhance the writing skills of nursing students, a writing workshop was developed that addressed a specific weakness noted among students across the program: knowledge and use of American Psychological Association (APA) format. Findings indicate APA workshops improve students’ confidence and ability to use APA format. Based on faculty experiences, a national nursing organization's recommendation, and previous literature, the question being addressed by this research is: Can a workshop approach improve nursing students’ experience, confidence, and knowledge of APA format?

A quantitative pre-test, post-test questionnaire was developed to measure students’ experience, confidence, and ability in using and understanding APA format. Questions were identical on the pre-test and post-test. While names were not recorded on surveys, each student was given an identification number to put on their survey. Survey participation was voluntary. Pre-test surveys were given immediately prior to the workshop, and post-test surveys were given immediately following the APA workshop.

Interventions

Four identical workshops were offered over the course of one semester. For consistency, the information was presented by the same two nursing faculty members at each workshop. PowerPoint was used to present the content to participants, which consisted of four parts: rationale for using APA format, essential APA paper elements and format, properly crediting works in the text, and constructing the reference list. Workshop days and times varied in an effort to accommodate students’ schedules. Faculty presenters partnered with the university Writing Center staff and enlisted the support of student writing consultants to assist with the workshops. The Writing Center is used by students who seek out help with writing assignments and works based on a peer tutoring model. One or two writing consultants were present and contributed to each session. The sessions were voluntary for students, and interested students signed up to attend one session. Students in this nursing program are required to attend one out-of-class enrichment activity per academic year. The APA workshop counted as that enrichment activity for participants. Therefore, this study is based on a convenience sample of interested nursing majors. There were 175 nursing majors on campus during the spring of 2021. In total, 49 nursing majors participated in the workshops. Of the 49 total participants, there were 34 first-year students, 10 sophomores, and five juniors. No senior participants were included because all senior nursing majors were off campus completing internships. Attendees were predominately female and white and between the ages of 18 and 22 years old, which is reflective of the population of nursing majors at this institution. To be a nursing major, students have to maintain a GPA of 2.75; therefore, all participants in the workshops were in good academic standing.

The 1-hour workshop took place on campus after classes ended for the day, giving students a better opportunity to attend, if they desired. PowerPoint was used to present the information at each workshop. The content consisted of four main parts: rationale for using APA format, essential APA paper elements and format, properly crediting works in the text, and constructing the reference list. Rationale for using APA format included information about scholarly writing, ethical and legal standards, plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and a discussion of the university honor code. Topics covered under the “Essential APA Paper Elements and Format” portion of the presentation included an overview of student papers versus professional papers, required elements of a student paper, heading levels, font, line spacing, margins, and paragraph indentation. Students also learned when to include in-text citations, how to format citations in the body of the paper, how to use direct quotations, and how to cite them. Following the instruction in this portion of the workshop, students were given an opportunity to practice formatting a parenthetical citation and a narrative citation. Lastly, students were given instruction and examples of how to construct a reference list.

A quantitative survey was utilized to assess students’ experience and confidence using APA format prior to and following the workshop. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 17 items; in addition to the aforementioned self-report items (experience and confidence), 12 questions from the Penn State University Libraries APA Style Quiz were included to objectively assess participants’ knowledge of the content presented. These 12 questions asked students to choose correct APA format from a list of four or five possible options (multiple choice). Permission for use of these items was granted by Penn State University Libraries via e-mail communication. A Likert scale (0–10) was used for the experience and confidence questions. Demographic information (year in the nursing program) was also obtained.

Institutional Review Board Approval

IRB approval (February 23, 2021) was granted prior to any research/workshops being conducted.

Statistical Analysis

Responses from participants were entered into Excel and exported into SPSS 25 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were run to evaluate students’ year in the nursing program and their confidence and knowledge of APA format. Four paired samples t -tests were performed to compare students’ pre- and post-responses to the following: confidence in ability to use APA format in a paper, confidence in ability to cite sources/references in a paper, overall knowledge of APA style, and total APA Style Quiz questions answered correctly.

Using a priori sample size calculation for a minimum total sample size required for a two-tailed hypothesis with a desired statistical power level of 0.8 and a probability level of 0.05, it was determined that the minimum sample size needed per group was 26 respondents ( Soper, 2023 ). In total, 49 participants took pre- and post-surveys on APA style knowledge and confidence during the spring 2021 semester. All 49 participants fully answered survey questions before and after the workshops, resulting in no missing data.

Association Between Interventions and Outcomes

Confidence using APA format was asked on a 0–10 scale. The mean pre-test score for the combined 49 participants was 4.65 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.269) whereas the post-test mean for the same question was 7.18 (SD = 1.845). The paired sample t statistic was 5.95 and the finding was significant at the p  < .001 level in a paired samples t -test. Confidence in using APA citations correctly was also asked on a 0–10 scale. The mean pre-test score was 5.78 (SD = 2.094) whereas the post-test score was 7.45 (SD = 1.815). This, too, was a significant finding at the p  < .001 level in a paired samples t -test ( t  = 4.22). Perceived knowledge (experience with APA) was asked on a 0–10 scale. The pre-test mean was 4.71 (SD = 1.958), and the post-test results were a mean of 7.18 (SD = 1.856); this finding was also significant ( t  = 6.39, p  < .001). Reliability for these items was established using a Cronbach's alpha in SPSS. At time 1 for these four questions, the Cronbach's alpha was 0.885, and at time 2 it was 0.898, indicating strong covariance between items and variance in the total score. The 12 questions that asked students to identify the correct APA format/citation out of four or five options was marked as either correct or incorrect. These questions were created by Pennsylvania State University to test student knowledge. Questions and answers can be accessed through the Penn State University Libraries APA Quick Citation Guide (2023) .

Prior to the workshop, students got an average of 8.06 questions correct (SD = 1.761), and after the workshop, students got an average of 9.35 questions correct (SD = 1.614). The paired sample t statistic was 3.79, and this finding was significant ( p  < .001). Cohen's d was used to measure effect size because groups at time 1 and time 2 have similar SDs and are of the same sample size. Cohen's d effect sizes are presented in Table 1 . All effect sizes are large with the exception of the APA style questions answered correctly at time 1 and time 2. This effect size is 0.76, and falls between a medium and large effect size. Therefore, the means at time 2 are all at least 0.76 SDs above what they were at time 1.

Paired Sample Means and t -Test of Improvement in APA Knowledge.

Note. p  < .05*, p  < .01**, p  < .001***

Findings from this research were statistically significant and indicate that a workshop approach can be used to improve student writing. Scores for experience, confidence, and ability to use APA format improved after the workshop compared to before the workshop. In programs where little time is available for written communication instruction, APA writing workshops may be the answer for busy faculty and students.

While the curriculum for nursing majors is demanding on both students and faculty, learning written communication is essential for long-term success of nursing students. We have bridged the gap between time and learning by offering APA format workshops to our students. Results indicate that students not only learned APA format during these workshops but also boosted their confidence related to writing using professional guidelines. When asked to identify correct APA format in 12 questions, participants got an average of 8.06 correct before the workshop and an average of 9.35 questions correct after the workshop. What is more impressive is how much confidence participants gained during the workshop. Faculty plan to develop topics for future writing workshops based on faculty and/or student-identified needs.

Lessons Learned

Prior to the workshops, nursing faculty were aware of gaps in students’ understanding of APA format. The data collected during these workshops showed that not only were students struggling with the technical aspects of APA format but also with their confidence in their ability to use APA format and citations correctly. A 1-hour workshop significantly improved students’ abilities and confidence in regards to APA format.

Strengths and Limitations

Nursing curricula are content-full and fast-paced, making it difficult to add information, that may or may not be addressed in general education classes, into courses. In alignment with findings from previous research ( Derouin et al., 2015 ), voluntary workshops improve students’ abilities to use APA and their confidence in using APA format and citations. The current study has two major limitations that can be addressed with future research. The sample size of this study was 49 students who self-selected into the writing workshop. Future research would benefit from a larger, randomized sample. Furthermore, the post-test survey was given only once immediately following the workshop. Future research would benefit from an additional post-test survey given several weeks after the workshop to see if students retained their knowledge. Even if specific ideas were not retained, the authors argue that building confidence in using APA format will help students overcome hurdles in future writing projects.

Implications for Practice

These research findings indicate that nurse educators can successfully incorporate writing instruction in the nursing curriculum utilizing a workshop format. This approach serves as an effective alternative to adding this important content to an already content-heavy course. Incorporating campus resources, such as the university Writing Center, can increase the benefits of such workshops to students.

Conclusions

While professional standards for nursing clearly argue that written communication is an essential competency needed for career success, previous research indicates that skill in written communication is something that nursing students struggle to ascertain ( Diehl, 2007 ; Troxler et al., 2011 ) and faculty struggle to teach given other demands ( Miller et al., 2015 ). Addressing this gap takes creativity and data-driven decisions. Our pilot study indicates that teaching workshops on APA formatting, while partnering with the university Writing Center, works to improve nursing students’ self-ranked experience and confidence of APA formatting and citations while also improving their ability to successfully identify proper APA citations and format.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Krystle Forlines, DNP, RN of Danville Community College for her contributions to this project.

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD: JoEllen Pederson https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6912-3269

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2021). The Essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education-executive summary. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/AcademicNursing/pdf/Essentials-Executive-Summary.pdf
• APA Quick Citation Guide. (2023). Penn State University Libraries . https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/apaquickguide/quiz
• Derouin A. L., Hueckel R. M., Turner K. M., Hawks S. J., Leonardelli A. K., Oermann M. H. (2015). Use of workshops to develop nurses’ and nursing students’ writing skills . Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing , 46 ( 8 ), 364–369. 10.3928/00220124-20150721-03 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
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Tips for scholarly writing in nursing

Affiliation.

• 1 School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis 46202-5107, USA.
• PMID: 10659514
• DOI: 10.1016/s8755-7223(00)80006-x

Professional nurses, and certainly those in academia and nursing service leadership positions, are experiencing an increasing need for writing skills. Among the most important skills required for scholarly writing are those relating to critical thinking. With this in mind, suggestions for scholarly writing in nursing are presented in this article, organized according to Paul's criteria for critical thinking: clarity, precision, specificity, accuracy, relevance, consistency, logicalness, depth, completeness, significance, fairness, and adequacy for purpose. Although becoming proficient in scholarly writing takes time and effort, the rewards in terms of career advancement, professional contributions, and personal satisfaction and enjoyment are considerable.

• Guidelines as Topic
• Nursing / standards*
• Writing / standards*

Writing a Nursing Research Paper that Meets Professor's Requirements

As a nursing student, you will spend much time researching, reading, and writing papers. Many students find the entire process of writing research papers challenging.

Imagine on top of spending many hours in clinical practice shifts only to find yourself sparing more time researching and writing, not to mention the overwhelming information condensed in a few hours of in-class lecture sessions. Working shifts and studying while having family duties and obligations worsens it, and when done in a rush, you end up with subpar papers and average grades.

Even though many student nurses find writing research papers tricky and daunting, you can write a perfect paper that ticks all the checkboxes your professor uses to mark them and be sure to get an A+ grade on your nursing paper.

Our expert nursing research writers, who have written thousands of BSN, MSN, DNP, and Ph.D. papers, have compiled this comprehensive guide to help you write a strong nursing research paper that leaves a lasting impression on your professor.

Having marked many papers and supervised many theses, capstone projects, and dissertations, you can trust that the information herein is valuable and timely in your pursuit of nursing career success.

What is a Nursing Research Paper?

A nursing research paper is a scholarly and thesis-driven paper that a nursing student (at ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP, or Ph.D. level) writes to comprehensively explore a specific nursing research topic either of their choice or one that the professor assigns.

To write a perfect research paper, the student has to provide concrete, reliable, and trustworthy evidence. In most cases, even professionals such as RNs undertaking clinical practice, nursing education training, clinical studies and evaluations, and nursing research can also write research papers published in journals or conferences to advance and disseminate nursing knowledge. The typical length of most nursing papers ranges from 5 pages to 20 pages, depending mainly on the complexity of the subject, the word count limits, and the requirements. Nurses and nursing students write research papers to share their insights as they learn more about nursing processes and practices. Nursing research papers are used to: document research, organize information, advance nursing scholarship, and improve the writing skills of nurses. Students in the USA, Australia, Japan, and Canada write their research papers in the American Psychological Association (APA) format, while those in Australia and the UK write them in Harvard formats. The research papers fall under three main categories:

• Analytical research papers. These papers present an analysis of the topic using evidence, facts, and examples.
• Argumentative research papers. These research papers are analytical but with a twist where the writer uses evidence to reinforce their opinion and persuade the reader.
• Expository research papers. This category of nursing research papers explains the subject matter using credible evidence such as examples, facts, statistics, and other pieces of evidence.

Structure and Format of a Nursing Research Paper

A simple nursing research paper, especially an expository or informative type, can have 5 paragraphs, like a typical essay. However, longer research papers have additional sections.

Scientific Nursing Research Paper Structure

Here is a breakdown of how a well-formatted and scientific nursing research paper should look like.

• Title Page. The title page comprises the research paper title, details of the student or professional writer, course details, details of the school or institution, and the date. The cover page is the first contact point with the reader. It is brief.
• Abstract. The abstract summarizes the nursing research paper. It is 200-250 words long and should be focused on what the reader expects. It is a condensed version of the paper, which is critical to help professors know what your paper is about. It should not have acronyms. Note that the word count of the abstract is not considered part of the research paper.
• The Introduction. The introduction should have an attention-getter or a hook that can be a statement, statistic, or fact. It should be 10% of the entire word count. It also has background information that details the nursing issue or topic you are exploring. It also comprises a well-thought-out thesis statement related to the topic. If you have a long paper, ensure that your problem and purpose statements are part of the introduction. It should also list your PICOT question .
• Literature Review. This is a critical section of the research paper. Here, you should explore other nursing scholars' thoughts and scholarly findings. Focus on peer-reviewed scholarly articles that address the same issue as your thesis statement or topic. Explore your topic's theories, theoretical frameworks, and other facts. Do it so well that your professor marvels at your research, organization, and writing prowess. Consider the levels of evidence as you choose selection criteria for the papers to include in your nursing literature review.
• Research Methodology. This section of the research paper details the data collection methods, such as ethnographic studies, secondary data collection, literature review, quasi-experimental research, correlational studies, descriptive research, ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, or experiments. Ensure that you state and give a rationale for your research design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods). If you are writing a quantitative paper, explain how you tested the hypotheses. Also, report the sampling frame and the sampling strategy.
• Results and Discussion. This section of the paper presents the findings. You can use visual aids such as charts and graphs for a quantitative research paper. If you are writing a qualitative research paper, present the evidence chronologically. When presenting the findings, avoid making definitive facts. Instead, ensure that the results suggest something is true or false, even when testing a hypothesis.
• Conclusion and Recommendations. The conclusion should be 10% of the entire word count. You should restate the thesis and give a summary of your entire paper. Explore the recommendations for future research on the topic.
• Ensure that your reference list is arranged alphabetically. The list should adhere to the formatting requirements (Harvard, ASA, or APA formats). Only use scholarly peer-reviewed references.

Format for a General Nursing Research Paper

If you are writing a non-scientific nursing research paper, you will only have three sections as follows:

• Introduction. The introduction paragraph should introduce the topic by providing an attention-getter, background information, and a thesis statement.
• Body of the paper . The body paragraphs should have strong topic sentences, supporting details (examples, evidence, and explanation), and concluding sentences. It should also portray a good use of transition words. You should analyze the topic and use evidence to support the arguments, and give enough explanation. Use in-text citations within the body paragraphs.
• Conclusion. End the paper by recapping the main points, reasserting the thesis statement, and signaling the end of the paper to give your readers good closure.

An excellent nursing research paper follows this structure as long as it is not research-based. The three-part approach is super recommended if you did not conduct any study. In most cases, when assigned to write those 5-12 pages of nursing school research papers, you will be using this format.

So, what are the steps for writing a good nursing research paper? Let’s find out in the next section.

The 6 Main Steps for Writing a Nursing Research Paper

Writing assignments are an essential training aspect for nursing students. No wonder professors will stress that you write essays, discussion posts, responses, or proposals well. They are doing so to prepare you for research roles somewhere in your nursing career.

According to our most successful research paper writers, writing a top-grade research paper involves decoding the instructions, selecting a good topic, planning, researching, writing, and polishing the paper.

Here is a breakdown of each step for clarity and deeper understanding.

Step #1: Understand the Prompt or Instructions

You can only perfect what you know! Therefore, you can begin the research writing process by reading, analyzing, and understanding the instructions. It is an essential pre-writing stage process where you carefully read the instructions.

Although it sounds obvious, most nursing students who write off-topic and subpar research papers jump into writing without reading to understand the instructions.

You need to skim through the instructions on the first attempt, then read keenly and critically as you take note of the scope of the assignment, the topic, and other things you must fulfill in the paper. Take note of the:

• The number of words.
• Type of research paper (argumentative, analytical, exploratory, or persuasive).
• The structure of the paper (thesis-driven or research/study-based (scientific) research paper.
• The deadline.
• Whether you need to draft an outline.
• Reading materials.
• Whether you need external sources.
• Which sources to use and how many?
• The theoretical constructions or conceptual frameworks.
• The age limit of the scholarly sources.

If you need further clarification, ensure that you ask your peers, professor, or a professional writer in time.

Step #2: Select a Good Nursing Research Topic

Compared to average students, top nursing students always remember to select a research topic they are comfortable handling. When you are confident with a topic, you can develop it without procrastinating.

Sometimes you are given a list of nursing research paper topics, issues, and ideas to consider. Other times, you come up with the topic and consult your professor/educator for approval.  

Choose topics related to patient safety, nursing processes, nurse staffing, nursing policies, nurse privileges, nursing legislations, nursing ethics, mental health, health promotion, chronic disease management, healthcare systems, health informatics, changes in healthcare, and working conditions.

Choose any nursing topic that resonates with your specialization interests. It should be manageable, relevant, and explorable.

Related Readings:

• Nursing informatics research topics
• Capstone project ideas and topics for BSN, MSN, and DNP students
• Mental health nursing topics
• Epidemiology nursing topics
• List of the best nursing research paper topics
• Evidence-based nursing topics and ideas
• Nursing ethical dilemmas

Step #3: Plan your Paper

Create a thesis statement for your research paper if it is thesis-driven rather than study-based or scientific (experimental). After writing the thesis, like any of our nursing assignment slayers, write a good outline using Roman numbers and numbers.

List the ideas you wish to have in your paper in chronological order, starting with the introduction, body, and concluding paragraphs. As you outline, do some preliminary research so that you develop arguments the right way.

Include the in-text citations in your nursing research paper outline to simplify the writing process.

Step #4: Research and Organize Resources

Doing in-depth research as you refine the draft would be appropriate because you know what you want the paper to look like. Use scholarly nursing databases for research and limit yourself to topic-related scholarly articles published within the last 5 years.

You can read the abstracts of the articles to determine if they are fit to use in your paper. If you find the best articles, list them using online citation management tools such as RefWorks, Zotero, EndNote, Citefast, or any of your choice.

Ensure to list them in the most appropriate formatting styles. Take notes and list the points and ideas in your outline. Do your research meticulously and ensure that you organize the process to avoid any confusion.

Step #5: Write the First Draft

With the research, synthesis, and outline, you are now left with the chance to put rubber on the road. Use the Pomodoro technique, where you spend stretches of 25 minutes of focused work and have minor 5-minute breaks.

Ensure you cover as much ground in your research paper as possible before three-quarters of the deadline. When writing the paper, and considering that you have the outline, you can start chronologically from the introduction to the appendices.

Most research paper writing pros prefer working on the body section and conclusion before writing the introduction and finalizing the abstract. Whatever works best for you, adopt it. When writing the first draft, focus on piecing together the information rather than perfection.

Ensure you research lightly as you write and assert your voice while giving the right in-text citations for every idea you paraphrase from a source to avoid plagiarism. Each body paragraph should only have one idea.

Step #6: Edit, Proofread, and Polish the Paper

The final step towards completing your nursing research paper is ensuring everything is in its rightful place. A polished research paper scores 90% and above, which is an A. Begin by reading the paper aloud to identify areas that do not make sense.

If there is a need, do not hesitate to rewrite an entire section so that you have the right flow of information.

Check the grammatical, spelling, and syntax errors and make necessary corrections. You should also check the tenses used in the paper. If you feel like polishing the essay is too much work, you are better off hiring a nursing paper proofreader/editor.

When you receive feedback from your educator or professor, address the changes and resend the paper for grading.

Related Reading: How to write an evidence-based nursing paper.

Valuable Tips to Consider as You Write Your Nursing Research Paper

Nursing schools and educators have their standards and guidelines for writing a research paper. Therefore, ensure that before everything else, you familiarize yourself and adhere to these instructions, which include word count and citation styles.

Do not assume anything when writing a paper. You should also access and understand suggestions from your school’s writing lab. Apart from these essential tips, also ensure that you follow the insights we give below:

• Write your paper using a formal tone. Do not use passive voice when writing the paper. Instead, use active voice.
• Your paper should have a good organization from the introduction to the conclusion.
• Whenever you borrow ideas from a scholarly source, ensure you cite them correctly.
• Have a well-thought-out thesis statement that clarifies your arguments.
• Create a complete outline during the early stages of writing. It gives you a roadmap to follow as you write the paper. Organize the ideas chronologically based on their strength and weaknesses.
• Have a plan and schedule to trace your progress with the paper.
• If you have a more extended deadline, contribute to your research paper daily.
• When writing the paper, start with the body, the conclusion, and the introduction last.
• If you are writing a study-based research paper, include the literature review, methodology, discussion, and conclusion sections per the IMRAD format. A general nursing research paper follows the essay structure: introduction, body section, and conclusion.
• Use peer-reviewed scholarly sources from CINAHL, PubMed, Nursing Reference Center, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and other nursing research databases with peer-reviewed articles. Credible sources mean your research paper has rigor since you have strong points.
• Proofread and edit the paper thoroughly to remove any mistakes to signal your seriousness to your professor. If possible, use professional editing services.
• Have a compelling conclusion that is elaborate, clear, and concise.
• Read your paper aloud to identify mistakes.
• Revise the paper, and do not fear rewriting an entire section.

When writing a research paper, adhere to the writing conventions. You should also read well and understand how to communicate through academic writing effectively. Your paper should document evidence that supports your arguments and topic.

Write concisely, coherently, and accurately. It is not all in vain; you are training for your future role as a nurse when you will write conference papers, white papers, essays, policy documents, letters, blog posts, and professional nursing articles.

Checklist for a Great Research Paper in Nursing

Now that you have written your paper, you must align a few things to make it the best your professor will read. Most nursing classes, especially at the graduate levels (MSN, DNP, and Ph.D. levels), have small class sizes, and the professors spend time reading the papers from start to end. This means that you should leave nothing to chance.

Nursing research asserts professional identity, ensures accountability in nursing decision-making, and expands nursing practice. You have to be meticulous when writing a research paper in nursing.

A good research paper demonstrates a complete understanding of nursing knowledge, topic exploration, advanced organization, proper formatting, and mature academic writing skills. The following checklist enlists some main aspects to countercheck before hitting the submit button.

• Have I followed all the instructions outlined in the assignment prompt or rubric?
• Does my paper have the right title page?
• Does the paper have a written title that resonates with the thesis and the research question?
• Is the introduction presenting an attention grabber, background information, and a signpost of the ideas in the paper?
• Is the thesis statement well-thought-out, clear, concise, and elaborate?
• Is the problem statement clearly stated?
• If it is a PICOT-based research paper, is the PICO question well-outlined?
• Does the paper touch well on the nursing issue that the topic needs it to address?
• Is there a logical flow of the paragraphs?
• Are the words in each paragraph balanced?
• Does the paper have correctly formatted headings and subheadings?
• Are the in-text citations done correctly and consistently?
• Does every paragraph in the body of the paper build on the thesis?
• Does the paper demonstrate a mature choice of words and uses nursing lingo?
• Is the literature review section comprehensive? Does it have a theoretical and conceptual framework or constructs?
• Are the data and information presented in the literature review current?
• Has the methodology section listed the sample, sampling strategy, data collection and analyses, and rationale for each?
• Does the discussion section interlink the concepts from the literature review with the findings?
• Does the conclusion offer good closure to the readers? Does it restate the thesis? Does it summarize the recommendations?
• Is the entire paper formatted correctly? Does it follow the formatting guidelines?
• Is the paper devoid of spelling, syntax, and mechanical mistakes?

If your answer to all these questions is a resounding YES, you are sure it will fetch your professor a good grade. Our nursing writers, most of whom are alumni from top nursing universities and colleges such as Chamberlain, Capella, Herzing, Vanderbilt, SFU, Rutgers, Yale, Duke, NYU, UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, University of Toronto, McGill, Ottawa, Queens, and other best colleges in the USA, UK, Canada, and many other places. Besides, they are nursing educators in different capacities, and a couple are nursing professors with big titles; you can trust the checklist to guarantee you an excellent grade.

Where to Get Help When Writing Research Paper

As a nursing student, writing a research paper is something you will most likely enjoy doing. However, unforeseen things happen, prompting you to search the internet for sites to help you do your nursing research paper. NurseMyGrade.com is one such place to pay a nursing writer to do your paper.

Expect a paper that meets all the requirements, is written by a human rather than AI software, and is uniquely tailored to your requirements.  Our rates are affordable, and our writers cover diverse fields. Apart from offering advice about research, writing, and formatting papers, we have resourceful writers whom we allow you to communicate directly with via our platform.

We also maintain high levels of secrecy because we care more about your privacy and confidentiality of your details. Not even your professor can tell you got help from our website because we advise on specific strategies to use the paper. We have assisted students in various levels of nursing education with their writing, and we can do yours too.

Get affordable, well-researched, formatted, and organized nursing research papers done for you today by filling out the order form. Nursing research papers are a chance to stand out. Let our professionals help you achieve your nursing school goals.

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NurseMyGrades is being relied upon by thousands of students worldwide to ace their nursing studies. We offer high quality sample papers that help students in their revision as well as helping them remain abreast of what is expected of them.

Nursing Resources: Writing for Publication

• Databases & Resources
• Writing for Publication
• HFH Nursing Research This link opens in a new window
• HFH Evidence-Based Practice Change This link opens in a new window
• Cardiac Nursing
• Geriatric Nursing
• Maternal/Neonatal Nursing
• Perioperative Nursing
• Human Trafficking This link opens in a new window
• NCLEX-RN Prep
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• Library Help

How-to Books at Sladen

Helpful Websites

• Writing for Professional Journals - University of Utah College of Nursing This online course is free and open to the public. It consists of 12 online modules with accompanying videos, slides, assignments, and reading lists.
• Nurse Author & Editor Provides helpful articles on scholarly writing and publishing within nursing literature.
• Directory of Nursing Journals A service of "Nurse Author & Editor" and INANE, a vetted list of journals to help nurses find an appropriate place to publish their work.
• Top 10 Avoidable Mistakes as an Author

AJN "Writing for Publication" Article Series

This is...a series of articles to help nurses share their knowledge, skills, and insight through writing for publication. Nurses have something important to contribute no matter what their nursing role. This series will help nurses develop good writing habits and sharpen their writing skills. It will take nurses step by step through the publication process, highlighting what gets published and why, how to submit articles and work with editors, and common pitfalls to avoid. (Author's abstract)

• Roush, K. (2017). "Becoming a Published Writer." American Journal of Nursing 117(3): 63-66.​
• Roush, K. (2017). "Writing Your Manuscript: Structure and Style." American Journal of Nursing 117(4): 56-61.
• Roush, K. (2017). "What Types of Articles to Write." American Journal of Nursing 117(5): 68-71.
• Roush, K. (2017). "Navigating the Publishing Process." American Journal of Nursing 117(6): 62-67.

Tips By Section

General Writing Guidance

Writing for Publication for Nurses: An easy-to-follow guide for nurses  - Wiley

Alspach, J. G. (2017). "Writing for Publication 101: Why the Abstract Is So Important." Critical Care Nurse 37 (4): 12-15.

Oermann, M. H. (2014). "Writing an Abstract." Nurse Author and Editor 24(1): 7.

Introduction

Conn, V. S. (2017). "How to Craft a Strong Discussion Section." Western Journal of Nursing Research 39(5): 607-608.

Watson, R. (2018). "Starting the "Discussion" Section of a Manuscript." Nurse Author and Editor 28(2): 3.

Rodts, M. F. (2019). "Writing for Publication: Your Professional Journey."  Orthopedic Nursing,  38 (4), 229–231.

Benton, M. J. (2014). "Dissemination of Evidence: Writing Research Manuscripts for Successful Publication." Clinical Nurse Specialist 28(3): 138-140.

Morton, P. G. (2017). "Strategies for Writing a Research Article: An Editor's Perspective." Nurse Author and Editor 27(1): 5. 

Don't Give Up! How to Bounce Back from Rejection or Revision

Pierson, C. A. (2016). "The four R's of revising and resubmitting a manuscript." J Am Assoc Nurse Pract 28(8): 408-409.

Chinn, P. L. (2018). "Dealing with the Disappointment of the "Reject" or "Revise" Letter." Nurse Author and Editor 28(2): 5.

Manuscript Preparation Services

The Sladen Library offers FREE manuscript preparation assistance for Henry Ford Health employees.

Manuscript preparation services cover many types of documents such as journal articles, book chapters, grants, conference abstracts/posters, and CVs.

Librarians will provide support with :

• Updating citations and references within the manuscript to the journal's style
• Confirming that the manuscript meets the specific style, structure and formatting requirements of the journal as outlined in their instructions for authors
• Verifying that standard style requirements have been followed (e.g., numbers vs numerals, consistent abbreviations/acronyms, etc.)
• Light grammar checking

Please note: there is a minimum 1 week turnaround time for this service.  

Contact Stephanie Stebens at [email protected] or at (313) 916-2550 for more information about manuscript preparation services.

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Cultivating the writing habit

New Year’s is a popular time for resolutions—a time to start anew. Perhaps you’ve been thinking about writing for publication but are struggling with inertia. Or maybe you’ve been published but haven’t carved out the time to make that happen more often. One way to move forward is to cultivate the habit of writing. Why? Habits save the brain effort, writes Charles Duhigg in the classic book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business . If we can lessen the effort it takes us to write, we can become more productive.

Here are a few tips from experts on habits that might be helpful in creating your own writing habit.

Apply the 20-second rule

When Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage , wanted to start daily guitar practice, at first he was stymied—nothing seemed to work to get him motivated. His guitar remained in the closet, a mere 20 seconds away from his taking it out and using it. Then he hit on an innovative solution: Move the guitar to the center of his apartment. This one change resulted in Achor regularly practicing each day. The lesson is that simple steps can help reduce the energy needed to engage in a desired habit.

So how does this apply to writing? Think about simple barriers that block the way to your writing endeavors. For example, if you have to drag out your computer or retrieve your notes from a filing cabinet in another room every time you want to write, you’re less likely to write. Instead, dedicate a space for writing and keep everything organized in that space. The goal is to make it as easy as possible.

Understand cue-routine-reward

Duhigg writes that a habit consists of a cue (a trigger that automatically tells the brain to do something), routine (the action, to be done, which can be physical, mental, or emotional), and reward (provides positive reinforcement, motivating the brain to continue the habit).

When it comes to writing, you could set your calendar to alert you at certain times of the week that it’s time to write. Once you’re done writing, you can reward yourself with something meaningful to you, such as spending time outside or texting a good friend.

Consider a four-stage process

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits , outlines four stages for developing a habit: noticing, wanting, doing, and liking. (You can watch a short video about these stages here .)

Noticing : People think they need motivation to do something like write, but instead they need clarity, in the form of a specific plan. It can be hard to develop that plan, so Clear suggests engaging in a “failure premortem,” in which you imagine yourself 6 months from now when you’ve failed to achieve your goal. Then “tell the story” of why you failed, noticing things such as challenges. This helps you anticipate barriers and develop “if, then” aspects of the plan. For instance, if you miss your regular writing appointment, how will you reschedule?

Wanting : This stage is similar to the 20-second rule—adjust your environment to make it easier to engage in the desired behavior.

Doing : The bottom line is to start doing the activity. Instead of focusing so much on the ultimate goal, focus on getting started.

Liking : Clear says we repeat behaviors because we enjoy them, so it’s best to bring rewards into the present moment. He cites the example of a wall calendar that you mark each day you accomplish something related to your goal. Clear says that you’ll ultimately start a “chain” that you’re less likely to break. You might not be able to mark every day on the calendar that you wrote, but you should derive satisfaction from seeing your progress.

Becoming a writer

Clear says that changing your habits can change your identity, becoming who you want to be. For example, the goal should not be to write an article but to become a writer, and the way to become a writer is to write. He says, “Every time you write you are being a writer.” Wise words to keep in mind as you move forward with your writing goals.

Achor S. The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work . London, England: Virgin Books; 2011.

Clear J. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones . New York, NY: Avery; 2018.

Duhigg C. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business . New York, NY: Random House; 2012.

Saver C. Anatomy of writing. In: Saver C. Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses. 4 th ed.Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International; 2021;3-20.

I’ve been a full-time professional nurse writer and editor for many years, and that doesn’t count the writing I did as I fulfilled my nursing roles in clinical, research, education, and management. My passion is helping nurses share their expertise through the written word, including, but not limited to, publication. Writing can be scary and intimidating. I hope to make it less so and to help you develop your writing skills the same way you’ve developed your nursing skills.

Whether you’re considering your first or your 50 th  publication, want to contribute to your organization’s newsletter, or crave to be a better communicator online and in print, I hope you’ll find what I write helpful. The nurse publishing colleagues I’ve learned from over the years (many of whom are contributors to my book) may not be listed by name, but I’m grateful for their willingness to share. In that spirit, I’m looking forward to sharing with you! If you have feedback, feel free to email me at   [email protected] .

2 Comments . Leave new

I am interested in writing health articles. How do I get started? Please advise. Respectfully. Olga Ledford, MSN, RN-BC

Hello Olga — Thanks for posting a comment. If you are interested in writing for American Nurse Journal please see our author guidelines at https://www.myamericannurse.com/author-guidelines/ for more information!

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