Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide

Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide

Title of Your Paper: Centered, and Using Both Upper and Lowercase Letters

Your Name: The name you use

Walden University

Instructor’s Name: The name of your instructor

Course Title and Number: The title and number of your course

Date: The date of your paper

Center the Title of Your Paper Here

This format should serve as a template for all your assignments at Walden, unless your instructor instructs otherwise. If you read this essay carefully and print a copy for your use, it will be very helpful as you create your assignments. Since bachelor’s level students do not typically write extensive research papers, the requirements for your assignments will differ from those for graduate students. Most of your written assignments will be essays with opening and closing paragraphs, a clear purpose achieved within the essay, and logically organized paragraphs that develop your ideas. Please note that the best introductory paragraphs identify a specific topic or problem, highlight what has been said or done concerning this topic, and offer a new and important argument or perspective about the topic. As you create your introductory paragraph, remember to engage the reader and express the purpose you hope to fulfill in the paper. Additionally, the introduction should include a thesis statement, which is usually the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. A strong thesis serves as a roadmap for your readers, showing the route you plan to take to cover all the important aspects of your topic.

This template generally follows APA formatting but with some exceptions. Some features appropriate for lengthy manuscripts or dissertations are not necessary for relatively short assignments. For example, you do not need to provide an abstract or Table of Contents for every assignment unless your instructor specifies otherwise. Additionally, note that the sixth edition of the APA manual allows the use of first-person singular, meaning you may refer to yourself, the sole author of the essay, using pronouns like “I,” “me,” and “my.” However, first-person plural pronouns like “we,” “us,” and “our” should only be used when referring to yourself and a group of authors writing the assignment.

When writing your paper, consider the visual appearance of your paragraphs. The indentation and length of a paragraph convey a message to the reader, suggesting whether the idea is briefly mentioned or extensively developed. Two important points within any paragraph are the opening sentence and the closing sentence. The opening sentence, often called the topic sentence, should provide a mini-roadmap for what you plan to discuss in the paragraph. The closing sentence offers an opportunity to emphasize and guide your reader to the next idea.

Specifically, the opening sentence, or topic sentence, provides a natural opportunity to direct the reader from one idea to another. It serves as a combination topic and transition device, indicating to the reader where this particular section is headed. You can also use single words or phrases like “also,” “in addition,” “moreover,” “therefore,” “similarly,” “in contrast,” “although,” or “however” to connect your ideas. It’s your responsibility as the author to demonstrate the relationship between one idea and another so that the reader doesn’t have to guess at the logical organization of your ideas.

Another way to indicate organization to your reader is by using headings. However, many assignments do not require headings. If your paper exceeds five pages, or if you believe headings would help convey the organization and clarity of a complex paper, then consult the guidelines for formatting headings. Keep in mind that headings alone won’t achieve what your writing should. For example, if your heading says “Conclusion,” but several paragraphs introducing new ideas follow, it will confuse the reader.

At Walden, your writing should adhere to standard edited English. This means it should appear grammatically correct, formal, and written for silent reading. Avoid contractions like “it’s” and informal slang. Write in your authentic voice, but in an intelligent and engaging manner. Anticipate the questions your reader might have and provide well-developed, detailed, specific ideas rather than vague generalizations.

One crucial way to develop your ideas is to ground them in the course materials you’ve read or in additional evidence-based sources you discover during your studies. When you reference the author of a required reading or an expert’s statement, you’re providing a context for your idea based on research by experts in your field. For example, if you’re discussing how Beach (1999) approached organizational change and mention his explanation of institutionalizing change in his book “Leadership and the Art of Change,” you’re demonstrating your scholarship, which is expected of Walden students. Show the connection between your ideas and the literature by paraphrasing their ideas or quoting their language and including an in-text citation afterward.

Additionally, you can choose to cite a fellow student’s discussion post or other shared course work to support your own perspective. Citing other students demonstrates your willingness to give credit to your online colleagues and makes use of all available resources. For instance, in a critical analysis of a source, you might mention that a fellow student named Alex Jones identified an author’s study as “interesting but lacking in practical application to the classroom” (Jones, 2012) to show how your views align with those of your classmates.

Before submitting your work to your instructor, ask yourself, “Have I fully addressed the complete assignment?” In your concluding paragraph, bring your essay to a satisfying close, similar to tying a ribbon on a present. Some writers summarize key ideas concisely in their concluding paragraph, while others introduce an idea that takes the reader beyond the implications of the topic. Regardless of your approach, ensure your closing paragraph leaves the reader with a sense of completion.

Some software tools can help you create professional-looking documents. You can find helpful resources on MS Word Troubleshooting. For MS Word 2007 users, go to File, then Word Options at the bottom of the box. Click on Proofing and select various components from the Grammar and Style settings. Click OK. To check your documents, go to Review and select ABC spelling. When a green squiggle line (indicating a potential grammatical error) or a red squiggle line (indicating a potential spelling error) appears, right-click on the line to get a message about the possible error. Grammarly, an automated grammar checker, is another program to explore for a more comprehensive review of grammar usage.

In conclusion, take your time to create a well-structured assignment that not only looks professional but also effectively communicates your ideas.

 Title of Your Paper, Centered, and Using Both Upper and Lowercase Letters

Your Name Here

Walden University

Instructor’s Name

Course Title and Number

Date

 

Center the Title of Your Paper Here

This formatting should be used as a template for all your assignments here at Walden, unless you have been directed to format your essay differently by your instructor. If you read this essay carefully and print a copy for your use, it will be a great help as you create your assignments. Because bachelor’s level students do not write extensive research papers, the appropriate requirements for your assignments will differ from those for graduate students. Most of your written assignments will take the form of essays with opening and closing paragraphs, a clear purpose that is accomplished in the course of the essay, and logically organized paragraphs that develop your ideas. Please note that the best introductory paragraphs identify a specific topic or problem, highlight what has been said or done concerning this topic, and offer a new and significant argument or perspective about the topic. As you construct your introductory paragraph, remember to engage the reader and to express the purpose you hope to fulfill in the paper. In addition, the introduction should offer thesis statement, which is usually the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. A strong thesis is like a roadmap for your readers, presenting the route you are planning to take in order to hit all of the highlights of your topic. For more help on how to create a focused thesis statement, make sure to check out here. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

This template generally follows APA formatting, but the exceptions are significant. A number of features appropriate for a long manuscript or for a dissertation are not necessary for relatively brief assignments. For example, you do not need to provide an abstract or Table of Contents for every assignment unless your instructor indicates otherwise. Also, note that the sixth edition of the APA manual allows for first person singular, meaning that you may to yourself, the singular author of the essay, using the pronouns I, me, and my. However, you may not use the first person plural (we, us, our) unless you are referring to yourself and a group of authors who are writing the assignment. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

Throughout your paper, consider the way a paragraph looks on the page. The indentation and length of a paragraph convey a message to the reader, suggesting a brief or extensively developed unity of an idea. Two naturally emphatic places in any paragraph are the opening sentence and the closing sentence. The opening sentence of a paragraph is often called the topic sentence, which should provide a mini-roadmap for what you plan on discussing in the paragraph. For a more comprehensive explanation of how to write effective topic sentences, make sure to review the  information on topic sentences. Take advantage of the positions of both the opening and closing sentences in a paragraph; use them for emphasis and for guiding your reader.

Specifically, the opening sentence, or topic sentence, of any paragraph provides a natural opportunity to direct the reader from one idea to another. The sentence may function as a combination topic and transition device, suggesting to the reader where this particular section is headed. You may also use single words or phrases to connect your ideas to one another. Think of transitional expressions such as the following as glue or signposts: also, in addition, moreover, therefore, similarly, in contrast, although, or however. As the author, you have the responsibility to demonstrate for the reader the relationship between one idea and another so that the reader never has to guess at the logical organization of your ideas. Notice that I am writing about organization, and this sentence becomes a bridge to the next paragraph. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

Another way that you might wish to indicate organization to your reader is the use of headings. However, in many of your assignments, no headings are required.  If your paper exceeds five pages, or if you think that headings will help to convey the organization and clarity of a particularly complex paper, then consult the  headings information for the correct formatting of the various levels of headings. Remember that headings alone will not accomplish what your writing should accomplish. In other words, your heading may announce “Conclusion,” but if a number of paragraphs introducing new ideas follow that heading, it is rather like a false advertisement and will confuse the reader. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

At Walden, your writing is expected to reflect standard edited English. In other words, it should appear as grammatically correct, formal, written English intended for silent reading. Scholarly readers do not usually speak in (or listen to) standard edited English; in their oral dialect, they naturally use contractions, slang, repetition, and all kinds of interpersonal oral signals to one another. In a rather formal writing context, however, none of those elements of speech are particularly useful or appropriate. In particular, APA style does not allow for the use of contractions (e.g., write it is instead of it’s) or informal slang (i.e., use office assistant instead of office boy and students or learners instead of kids). The writing that you are submitting for a grade is more formal than you may be accustomed to. Take the time to read your writing aloud or consult a grammar source regarding some stylistic elements you might have forgotten over the years; to avoid contractions, bullets, and the use of bold type; and to be sure that your sentences are clear to your reader. Write in your authentic voice but in your most intelligent and interesting voice as well. Imagine what questions your reader might ask you, and then provide your reader with well-developed, detailed, specific ideas rather than vague generalizations. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

One essential way to develop your ideas is to ground them in the course materials you have been reading or in additional evidence-based sources that you discover in the course of your studies. When you refer to the author of a required reading or to a statement by an expert on a video, you are offering a context for your idea that stems from the published research by experts in your field. For example, if you are writing about how Beach (1999) approached organizational change and you allude to his explanation of institutionalizing change in his book Leadership and the Art of Change, you are demonstrating your scholarship, which is an expected behavior of an exemplary Walden student. Conversely, if your thinking remains vague and general and you do not ground your ideas in references, your ideas are likely to be underdeveloped and taken as your opinion. Let your readers know that you have read (or viewed) and learned from the writings of theorists and scholars by either paraphrasing their ideas or quoting their language and following either the quote or a paraphrase with an in-text citation. For example, you can directly quote a source using the format illustrated by the following sentence (note that you use past tense to report research): Knowles (1998), an authority on adult learning theory, described students as “motivated to learn to the extent that they perceive that learning will help them perform tasks or deal with problems that they confront in their life situations” (p. 67). The reader may be so intrigued with this allusion to Knowles’s idea that he or she may wish to follow up by consulting the same reference. If you want to quote material that is 40 or more words in length, you would create a block quote, such as this quotation from the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010), which states: Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

Readers will better understand your ideas if you aim for continuity in words, concepts, and thematic development from the opening sentence to the conclusion. Continuity can be achieved in several ways. For instance, punctuation marks contribute to continuity by showing relationships between ideas. They cue the reader to the pauses, inflections, subordination, and pacing normally heard in speech. (p. 65)

Note that the block quotation as shown above is double-spaced. When you end your quotation, make sure the next paragraph transitions from that information, so your reader can follow you. You might also want to include other theorists’ ideas to substantiate the above information. Note that if you are citing a course video, you should not directly quote from it because a video does not have page numbers. However, you can easily paraphrase the information and cite the publisher of the video in a parenthatical citation, like this: (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Also remember to include complete reference information for the cited source in the reference list, for your reader to further investigate if he or she chooses. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

Additionally, you may choose to cite a fellow student’s discussion post or other shared course work to substantiate your own perspective. Citing other students is a way to use all resources available to you, and it demonstrates your willingness to give credit to your online colleagues. For example, in a critical analysis of a source, you might remark that a fellow student named Alex Jones identified an author’s study as “interesting but lacking in practical application to the classroom” (Jones, 2012) to indicate how your views harmonized with those of other classmates.

Now, glance back over this essay to note that it is a well-developed piece of writing and not merely a five-paragraph, perfunctory essay. Notice the transitional expressions that allow your mind to move smoothly from one idea to the next. Not all paragraphs are the same length, suggesting that the author is able to develop ideas in various ways. Try to determine what single topic unifies each paragraph. Ask yourself, “What question does this paragraph attempt to answer?” Sometimes it is helpful to write out one to two words that highlight the main idea beside each paragraph. After you have done this for each paragraph, then you should review each sentence of the paragraph to make sure it reflects this main idea. All of your sentences should not look or sound alike, either; some are brief and direct, while others are more complex and flowing. For tips on varying sentence structure, see this resource. With practice and time, you can create an assignment that not only looks professional but also conveys your ideas powerfully. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

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Some program tools can assist you in creating documents with a professional appearance. The MS Word Troubleshooting site can be a helpful resource. If you have MS Word 2007, go to File and then Word Options down at the bottom of the box. Then click on Proofing and select the various components from the Grammar and Style settings. Then click OK. To check your documents go to Review and then select ABC spelling. When a green squiggle line (indicating potential grammatical error) or a red squiggle line (indicating potential spelling error) appears, right click on the line, and you will get a message about the possible error. If you would like a more complete review of grammar usage, Grammarly, an automated grammar checker, is another program to explore.

Finally, just before submitting your work to your instructor, ask yourself, “Have I fully addressed the complete assignment?” Then in your concluding paragraph, end your essay, rather like the last gesture of tying the ribbon on a present. Some writers close an essay with a concise summary of key ideas, as in the following sentence: “In this essay, I have examined the key requirements for the written assignments undergraduate students write in the Walden bachelor’s program.” Others like to offer an idea that takes the reader beyond the implications of this particular treatment of the topic. For more information on writing an effective conclusion, make sure to check out the resource on conclusions. However you choose to close your essay, do close the door firmly, thereby giving the reader a satisfying sense of completion. Walden nursing APA paper referencing guide.

Walden APA paper referencing guide