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NUR 3710 Evidence Based Research Guide: Writing

SafeAssign in Blackboard

SafeAssign  is a course tool available in Blackboard. It compares submitted assignments to academic papers and existed work to se if there are similarities between them. Instructors may have assign specific assignments to be SafeAssign assignments, look for links within the assignments content and submit your papers using that link. Once your paper is process a report is generated with details on the percentage of the text that matches other existing sources. Any matching or highly similar text discovered will be match with the source it belongs to. This tool is used by instructors to spot plagiarizing, it is important to understand that matching text is not necessarily bad as long as you provide proper credit to original authors (citations).

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using the work of others and pretending it is your own. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines plagiarizing as "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own" (emphasis added). It is plagiarism, if you copy someone else's words without giving them proper credit. 

In HPU's Policy on Academic Integrity; examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to: (a) using verbatim or paraphrased text without proper citation; (b) paraphrasing so as to mislead the reader regarding the source; (c) submitting, without permission, the same written or oral material in more than one course; and (d) obtaining research or laboratory data from another individual or source but presenting it as one’s own.

One simple rule to avoid plagiarism —always give credit to a source whenever you use information that is not your own unless it is common knowledge.

Writing Tips

Writing is a vital component of being a student and it is an important part of nursing practice because it contributes to the knowledgebase in the discipline. Whether it is for class or to advocate for better health protocols, it is important to learn to write well and become part of the academic conversation.

The following are writing tips to keep in mind when compiling information:

  • Keep an evolving bibliography – Compile your evolving bibliography in a Word file or in a program such as EndNote Basic or Zotero. For handouts on APA styles, see handouts created Center of Academic Success and Purdue Owl.
  • Read actively – Make notes, comments and questions as you read. Instead of just highlighting, write it out. You can summarize the text or write down key words to help you recall where important points are discussed.
  • Concept mapping – Make outlines, flow charts, or diagrams to help you understand ideas visually. You can do it on paper or use online tools such as: FreeMind , Bubbl.us, or Popplet.
  • Information logging – Record the information you find whether it is using a concept mapping tool, Word or citation management tools like EndNote Basic or Zotero (which allows you to make notes in each citation entry). 
  • Notetaking – It depends on your preference; some people like to write notes in notepad, others like to type notes directly into Word, and still others like to record notes on index cards. Whatever method you choose, always enclose direct quotations within quotation marks and keep a clear record of the source and the page number for the information you include. Doing so will help you to avoid accidental plagiarism.

APA Style Guidelines

Guidelines and models are based on the format presented in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Individual instructors may have additional requirements for student papers.

The American Psychological Association's own style site is the most accurate and up-to-date guide of their publication manual.  Below is a list of APA's Official Resources:

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is one of the most useful guidelines in academia, they cover numerous citation styles including APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, and others. 

In addition, you count with tutoring support provided by the Center for Academic Success (CAS) to help you using APA, MLA, Chicago styles. You can make an appointment at Hawaii Loa Campus in the ETC (3rd floor), or at Downtown campus at Waterfront Plaza Building 6, 4th floor. 

General Format (p. 43-67):

  • Margins     1” on top, bottom, left, and right 
  • Font           12-point Times New Roma, 11-point Georgia, 10-point Computer Modern
  • Spacing     Double-spaced, hanging indent 0.5 in.
  • Header      No running headers are required for student papers

Writing & Grammar (p. 120-121):

  • Singular "they" required in two situations: when used by a known person as their personal pronoun or when the gender of a singular person is not known.

Reference List  (p. 281 - 309):

  • The References list should be labeled as "References" capitalized, in bold, and centered. Double-spaced all entries, and each entry should be formatted with a hanging indent of 0.5 inches (p. 39 - 40).
  • References generally have four elements: author, date, title, and source (p. 283 - 284).
  • Order the reference list entries alphabetically by author. If references have more than one source by the same author, arrange by year of publication. If there is no author information or group or organization, alphabetized the entry by the first significant word of the title, ignoring words like A, An, The (p. 303 - 306).
  • Invert all individuals author's name, providing the surname first, followed by a comma and the initials, use a comma to separate an author's initials from additional author names  (p. 286).
  • Use italics for titles of books, reports, webpages, periodical titles, and other stand-alone works (p.170).  
  • If a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is listed on either a print or an electronic source, it must be included in the reference. Display DOI as hyperlinks always starting with "https://doi.org/" no period in the end, because it may interfere with link functionality (p. 298 - 301). Make sure you clean up DOI URLs from HPU proxy information.
  • For works without DOI from websites (not databases), provide a URL in the reference as long as the URL will work for the reader, no period at the end because it may interfere with link functionality (p. 298 - 301).  For works without DOI from most academic databases, do not include URL or database information in the reference list. Academic database links do not work for the readers who are not affiliated to the institution; cite source as if it was a print source (p. 299).  The exception is ERIC and Cochrane Library; the reference for content that is only accessible thru those databases should include the database name  (p.299). 
  • When DOIs or URLs are long or complicated, you may use a short DOIs or shortened URL. For DOI use, the short DOI services from http://shortdoi.org/. Any shortened URL is acceptable in a  reference as long as it checked that the link works (p. 300)
  • A reference without a recoverable source cannot be included in the reference list, which includes personal interviews and online sources that are no longer accessible thru the listed URL. Check that all your reference links are active; if the content is not available, look for an archived version of the page on the Internet Archive. 
  • The words “Retrieved from” (preceding the URL or DOI) are now only used when a retrieval date is also provided in the citation. However, you should include a retrieval date only when the page's content is likely to change over time. (see example below)

 

In-Text Citation

APA7 style requires that in-text citations consist of the author(s) and date, in brackets, with a comma in between, eg; (Abbott, 2020).

General Format (p. 228-229):

  • Margins     1” on top, bottom, left, and right 
  • Font           Times New Roman, 12 point
  • Spacing     Double-spaced, hanging indent
  • Header      The title of your paper should be in all caps on the left, the page number should be on the right

  • The References list should be double-spaced. Each entry should be formatted with a hanging indent (p.180).

  • References cited in text must appear in the References list and vice versa. The only exceptions to this rule are personal communications and classical works; they are cited in text only and are not included in the References list (p.174).

  • Use only the initial(s) of the author’s given name, not the full name (p.184).

  • If the References list includes 2 or more entries by the same author(s), list them in chronological order with the earliest first (p. 182).

  •  If the author’s name is unavailable, use the first few words of the title of the article, book or Web source, including the appropriate capitalization and italics formatting (p.176-177). E.g. (Scientists Say, 2000).

  • Arrange References entries in one alphabetical sequence by the surname of the first author or by title or first word if there is no author (p.181-183). Ignore the words A, An, and The when alphabetizing by title.

  • In titles and subtitles of articles, chapters, and books, capitalize only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns, except in parenthetical (in text) citations (p.185).

  • Italicize book titles, journal titles, and volume numbers. Do NOT italicize issue numbers.

  • If a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is listed on either a print or an electronic source it is included in the reference (p.187-192). 

  • When the References entry includes a URL that must be divided between two lines, break it before a slash or dash or at another logical division point  and Do NOT add a period after the URL (p.192).