Description
Formal Paper Guidelines
Format and References
The paper is to be a scholarly review of the evidence related to a clinical question developed by the student.It is worth 15% of the course grade.
- The clinical question will be submitted for approval by the course instructor prior to the topic being written on.
- The paper will be evaluated for correct grammar, spelling, writing mechanics, and APA format
- The paper is to be 10-12 pages in length, not including Title page and References.
- The paper will include a title page, introduction, review of evidence, recommendations for practice, conclusion, and reference page.It will NOT include an abstract or table of contents.
- Sources: There must be at least 5 peer-reviewed journal sources.Secondary sources, such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses may be used, but can only account for 2 of the 5 sources.You may use a text currently in use at SNU School of Nursing for background information, but it will not count as one of the required references.Wikipedia, dictionaries, general newspapers are not considered to be scholarly sources; they should be used very cautiously and will not count as part of the required number of references.
- See the grading rubric for details of the structure and scoring of the paper.1. Scoring Breakdown
% Final Score Points PICOT Question & Key Words 5 10 Annotated Bibliography 5 10 First Draft 15 50 Final Paper 75 80 Southern Nazarene University School of Nursing NURS 4336 Formal Paper Grading Rubric
Category Unacceptable 5 Acceptable 7 Good 9 Excellent 11 Comments Introduction Provides importance of the topic chosen States the PICOT question Outlines content of the body of the paper Does not adequately address topic Does not introduce subtopics to be discussed in body of text Briefly conveys topic Subtopics to be discussed in body are unclear Clearly conveys topic Clear introduction of subtopics to be discussed in body of text Strong topic statement Clear introduction of subtopics to be discussed in body of text Focus and Sequencing a. Literature search b. Appraisal of the evidence c. Review of the evidence d. Discussion of practice implications e. Recommendation Content is not related to topic No logical organization of the subtopics Unclear or nonexistent transitions Content is related to topic Inconsistent connections between topics and subtopics Inconsistent transitions Content is clearly related to topic Logical organization of subtopics is evident Clear transitions Content strongly related to topic Strong, clear organization of subtopics Strong, clear transitions Support Peer-reviewed Primary sources No scholarly support of topic Supporting materials are not published within past 5-7 years Limited scholarly support of topic Many supporting materials are published within past 5-7 years Clear scholarly support of topic Most supporting materials are published within past 5-7 years Strong scholarly support of topic All supporting materials are published within past 5-7 years Conclusion Summarizes key points of the paper Brings paper to close No summarization, synthesis, or lacks insightful discussion of topic conclusions New information is introduced into the conclusion Some summarization, synthesis, or insightful discussion of topic conclusions Little new information is introduced into the conclusion Clear summarization with synthesis and insightful discussion of topic conclusions No new information is introduced into the conclusion Strong summarization with synthesis and insightful discussion of topic conclusions No new information is introduced into the conclusion Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation Substantial grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that detract from overall readability Occasional grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors that limit overall readability Minimal grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors; does not detract from readability No grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. Writing mechanics Many awkward or unclear passages Informal tone, not consistent with scholarly work Many awkward or unclear passages Inconsistent tone Minimal awkward or unclear passages Consistently formal tone Clear, well-written passages Consistently formal tone APA style Failure to use APA 0 Substantial errors – 2 Occasional errors – 3 Minimal errors – 4