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Develop the academic writing skills required throughout nursing school: scholarly writing conventions, APA 7th edition formatting, essay structure, literature synthesis, academic integrity, and writing evidence-based nursing papers.
Conventions, tone, and structure of nursing school writing
What Makes Writing Scholarly?
Scholarly writing in nursing is formal, evidence-based, objective, and precisely referenced. It differs from casual or journalistic writing in four key ways: (1) It uses third-person or first-person as specified (APA 7 now permits first person for personal perspectives), but always maintains professional tone. (2) Every claim is supported by a citation from a peer-reviewed source. (3) It follows strict formatting conventions (APA 7th edition in most nursing programs). (4) It avoids contractions, colloquialisms, and unsupported opinion statements. The most common nursing school writing assignments: concept analysis papers, care plan rationales, evidence-based practice (EBP) papers, reflective journals, and literature reviews.
✓ Scholarly Language
✗ Non-Scholarly Language to Avoid
Which sentence is written in appropriate scholarly style for a nursing paper?
The citation and formatting standard for nursing school
Title page (student papers): paper title (bold, centered), author name, institutional affiliation, course number and name, instructor name, due date. Running head: NOT required for student papers in APA 7 (was required in APA 6). Headings: Level 1 = bold, centered. Level 2 = bold, left-aligned. Level 3 = bold italic, left-aligned. Level 4 = bold, indented, ends with period. Level 5 = bold italic, indented, ends with period.
Basic format: (Author, Year). Single author: (Smith, 2023). Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2023). Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023). Direct quote: include page number: (Smith, 2023, p. 45). No page number: use paragraph number: (Smith, 2023, para. 3). Long quotes (40+ words): block quote, no quotation marks, indented 0.5 inch.
Journal article: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Article title in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case and Italics, Volume(Issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx. Book: Author, A. A. (Year). Book title in sentence case (edition, if not first). Publisher. Website: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title. Site Name. URL. No author: use title in the author position. No date: use (n.d.) in place of year.
Always include a DOI when available — format as hyperlink: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. When there is no DOI and the article came from a database, no URL is needed (the reference is the same as a print journal). For websites, provide the URL at the end. URLs in APA 7 do NOT end with a period. Live hyperlinks should be blue and underlined (they can remain active in APA 7).
Common APA 7 Student Errors
A paper with three or more authors should be cited in-text as:
Integrating multiple sources into a coherent argument
Synthesis is the most advanced academic writing skill — it means weaving ideas from multiple sources together into an integrated argument, rather than summarizing each source one by one. A paper that summarizes Source 1, then Source 2, then Source 3 is NOT synthesized. A synthesized paper brings multiple sources together around a central claim: 'Smith (2021), Jones (2022), and Williams (2023) all demonstrate that hourly rounding reduces call light use — however, Jones notes that effect sizes vary significantly by shift.''
✗ Summarizing (Not Synthesis)
"Smith (2021) found that hourly rounding reduces falls. Jones (2022) studied nurse communication. Williams (2023) examined patient satisfaction scores."
Three separate summaries — no connection, no argument.
✓ Synthesized Argument
"Converging evidence supports hourly rounding as a multi-outcome intervention: Smith (2021) documented a 40% fall reduction, Jones (2022) linked it to improved nurse-patient communication, and Williams (2023) observed higher satisfaction scores — together suggesting that the mechanism may be sustained nurse presence rather than fall prevention alone."
CRAAP Test — Evaluating Source Quality
Plagiarism, paraphrasing, and ethical writing
Verbatim plagiarism: copying text without quotation marks and citation. Mosaic plagiarism: replacing words in a copied passage without changing the structure — still plagiarism even if most words differ. Self-plagiarism: reusing your own previously submitted work without disclosure. Accidental plagiarism: forgetting to cite — ignorance is not a defense. Consequence: academic sanctions from failing the assignment to program dismissal, depending on the institution and severity.
Paraphrasing is NOT just replacing words with synonyms. True paraphrase: read the original, set it aside, and write the idea in your own words and sentence structure. Then re-read the original to verify you have preserved the meaning accurately — and always add the citation. A well-paraphrased sentence demonstrates that you understood the idea deeply enough to explain it independently.
Use a direct quote when: (1) the original wording is so precise and technical that paraphrasing would distort it, (2) you are analyzing the author's specific language choices, or (3) you are quoting a policy, law, or official statement. Nursing papers should have very few direct quotes — the majority of citations should be paraphrases. A paper filled with quotations suggests you could not process the ideas independently.
Policies on AI writing tools vary significantly by institution and assignment. Using AI to generate text you submit as your own is generally considered academic misconduct when not disclosed. Using AI for brainstorming, outlining, or checking grammar may be permitted with disclosure. If in doubt: ask your instructor before submitting, not after. When AI use is permitted and disclosed, verify all AI-generated citations — AI tools frequently produce plausible-looking but fabricated references.
components.interactiveLearning.terms
components.interactiveLearning.definitions
A student reads an article and rewrites a paragraph by substituting synonyms for most of the original words while keeping the same sentence structure. This is an example of:
