University of Virginia School of Nursing.

• Contact Us
• A-Z Index

• Applying
• Academic Programs
• Our Faculty and Staff
• Innovative Research
• Make A Gift
• Contact Us
• Information For
• Alumni
• Parents and Family
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Visitors to U.Va.

Nursing Student Writing Guide

(Updated 2006)

After reading this guide and writing your paper, turn to page 379 of the APA manual for a very helpful "Checklist for Manuscript Submission".

FONT (p 285)

• Use one of these two preferred typefaces:12-pt Times Roman or 12-pt Courier

PAGE SETUP (pp. 286-287, 289)

• Use uniform margins of at least 1 in. (2.54cm) at the top, bottom, left, and right of every page (if you are using Microsoft Word, notice that the default settings are 1½ in.).
• Indent the first line of every paragraph (use the tab key). The only time you do not indent the first line is in the abstract.
• Double-space the body of the paper and the reference list, leaving one full-size line blank between each line of type on the page.

PAGE NUMBERS and RUNNING HEAD

• Number all pages in the upper right-hand corner in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.), except artwork for figures. The number should appear at least 1 in. (2.54 cm) from the right-hand edge of the page, in the space between the top edge of the paper and the first line of the text. Use your word processor function “insert” and then “page number” to automatically insert pager numbers.
• The title page is the first page (page 1)
• The abstract (if one is required), is the second page (page 2)
• Introduction and the body of the paper may be page 2 or page 3 depending on the abstract requirement.
• Check with your instructor about the need for a running head (which is the first 2-3 words of the title placed in the upper right corner either above the page number or at least 5 spaces to the left of it). Most word processors have an automatic header function: go to “view” and select “header and footer”

HEADINGS

• If your paper is divided into sections (highly recommended by some professors), headings are used for each section. Here are the levels:

  CENTERED UPPERCASE HEADING
  Level 1: Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
  Level 2: Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

  Level 3: Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side Heading
  Level 4: Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

• Important:
  • Most of your papers will have three or fewer types of headings, and you should use levels 1, 3, & 4.
  • If you only use 2 levels, use level 1& 3 headings.
  • If you only use 1 level, use level 1 only.

GRAMMAR (pp. 40-61)

• Use proper grammar. The APA manual and a high school English grammar book provide fundamental guidance for the correct use of the English language, including proper use of verbs, agreement of subject and verb, pronouns, misplaced and dangling modifiers, use of adverbs, relative pronouns, numbers, and series.
• Avoid bias (especially gender). Example of bias: referring to the nurse as “she”.
• Write in the third person. That is, never refer to yourself as ‘I;’ rather, refer to yourself, if you must, as ‘the author of this paper.’ Do not refer to others as ‘you’

SPELLING (pp. 89)

• Spell-check your paper.

ABBREVIATIONS (103-111, especially 106-108)

• Define the meaning of the abbreviation the first time the abbreviation is used, and then use the abbreviation in the remainder of the text. Example: The patient had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Accepted scientific abbreviations may used without defining the meaning. A list of accepted scientific abbreviations is found in the APA manual of p 107-108.
• Beware of using Latin abbreviations. (see APA manual p 106)

NUMBERS

• Write words for numbers less than ten or that occur at the beginning of a sentence..
• Use figures for numbers that precede a unit of measure (i.e. 3 cm), represent time (i.e. 70 years old, 3 days ago, etc.), or represent mathematical functions.

PUNCTUATION (pp. 78-87)

• The APA manual and your old high school English grammar book provide fundamental guidance for the correct use of punctuation, including proper use and placement of commas, semi-colons, colons, dashes, quotation marks, parentheses, brackets, and slashes.
• Quotation marks are used whenever the exact words of an author are being reproduced. Failure to use quotation marks for direct quotes represents plagiarism and is a clear violation of the honor code.
• Students are strongly encouraged to minimize use of direct quotes, especially lengthy direct quotes. If direct quotes are used, the following rules apply:
  • Less than 40 words: incorporate into the text in quotation marks followed by an in text citation that includes a specific page number. Example: The study showed “no significant differences when the variables of height and weight were controlled.” (Brown, 1994, p. 113).
  • More than 40 words: Placed in a free standing block without quotation marks. The block begins on a new line and the first and all subsequent lines are indented 5 spaces from the left margin. The citation can be used to introduce the quote. The quote is double spaced. Brown (1994) found the following:
    ………………….(p. 113).

FIGURES, TABLES, CHARTS, and PHOTOGRAPHS (pp. 176-201)

• Follow the References
• Refer to the APA manual on p 201 for a checklist review of how and when to use these.

APPENDIXES (pp. 205-206)

• Follow Figures, charts or tables.
• Refer to the APA manual for guidance about the use of appendices.

REFERENCE CITATIONS (pp. 207-281)

• You are required to document the source(s) of information used in your paper.
• Cite references within the text of your paper.
• Failure to provide in text citations for paraphrased words and ideas represents PLAGIARISM and is a clear violation of the honor code.
• In general students are encouraged to err on the side of over-citing rather than under- citing. The use of the following or similar phrases indicates a clear need to support the statement with specific citations:
  1. "The literature generally agrees,” or, “Within the literature, it is widely recognized"
  2. "Studies have shown, or, research shows"
  3. definitions of terms or disease processes
  4. the inclusion of specific numbers or statistics.

CITING YOUR SOURCES WITHIN THE BODY OF THE PAPER See the APA Manual for specific guidance about other exceptions not dealt with in the following):

• One Author:
  • Cite the last name of the author and the year of publication. Even if the reference includes month and year, include only the year in the text citation.
  • If a work is cited a second time in the same paragraph the year is omitted in subsequent citations.
  • Examples: Walker (2000) compared reaction times … OR In a recent study of reaction times (Walker, 2000) ….
• Multiple Authors
  • If a work has two authors, both are cited every time with an ampersand between them (Brown & Green, 1994)
  • If a work has 3-5 authors, all of them are cited the first time. In subsequent citations only the first author is cited followed by "et al." (Brown, Green, Red & Orange, 1994) and then (Brown et al., 1994).
  • "et al.," stands for 'and others' – and should be punctuated exactly as presented here.
  • If the work has six or more authors, the first author is cited followed by "et al.," for the first and all subsequent citations.
• Group Or Organization Authors
  • If a group or organization serves as the author of a work e.g. National Institutes of Health or the American Cancer Society, the group is cited in the author space.
  • If the name is cumbersome, an abbreviation can be introduced for use in subsequent citations. Examples: (National Institutes of Health [NIH], 1991), (NIH, 1991).
• No Author
  • If a work has no identified author, the first few words of the title are cited in the text. Quotation marks are used for articles or chapters, and italicize the titles of books, reports and brochures. Examples: (“Risk Factors for Smoking”, 1993) OR (Guide to Colleges, 1993)
• Anonymous Author
  • The use of anonymous authors is discouraged.
  • If a work has 3-5 authors, all of them are cited the first time. In subsequent citations only the first author is cited followed by "et al." (Brown, Green, Red & Orange, 1994) and then (Brown et al., 1994).
  • If a work is specifically designated as anonymous, it is cited as such (Anonymous, 1933).
  • In the reference list, an anonymous work is alphabetized by the word Anonymous (see APA Manual p 219).
• Authors With The Same Surname
  • If two works to be cited have different authors with the same surname, the authors’ initials are used in all citations (R.D. Brown, 1993) and (G.F. Brown, 1991).
• Two Or More Works By Different Authors
  • More than one work can be cited at once, and is an excellent way to show your synthesis of the material, as well as indicate when general agreement or consensus exists in the literature.
  • Arrange the citations in the parentheses alphabetically and separated by a semicolon. Example: Several studies have shown …. (Brown 1994; Green, 1993; Maroon, 1992).
• Same Author, Multiple Sources
  • Works by the same author are arranged by year of publication from the oldest to the newest. Example: (Brown, 1988, 1990, 1994).
• Secondary Sources
  • The use of secondary sources is not recommended in most situations. If the original source is available, attempt to use it. Secondary sources are frequently and appropriately used in historical research however.
  • For in text citations both sources are cited using the following format: Brown and Green’s study (as cited in Black and White, 1993)….
  • Only the secondary source is included in the reference list using standard formats.

REFERENCE LIST

• APA format requires reference lists, not bibliographies. A reference list cites works that specifically support particular thoughts or ideas in the paper. In contrast, a bibliography cites works for background or for further reading.
• The Reference List follows the text of the paper and precedes figures and appendices.
• Important note: References cited in text must appear in the reference list, and each entry in the reference list must be cited in the text.
• Reference list entries are flush left on the first line and indented 5 spaces on each subsequent line.
• In general, titles of books and titles of journals (including the volume number) are italicized.
• Electronic resources: Internet references include the date and site in which the information was retrieved. The internet site is not followed by a period.
• Please refer to the APA Manual for any questions about formats that do not fit these simple examples. Examples are found in pp. 240-262.
• Book:
  • Brown, G.D., & White, D.P. (1993). I am a book. Charlottesville, VA: Student Press.
  • Brown, G.D. & White, D.P. (1993). I am a book (2nd ed.)…..
  • Brown, G.D. & White, D.P. (Eds). I am a book…..
• Chapter in a Book:
  • Green, R.T. (1993). I am a chapter. In G.D. Brown & D.P. White (Eds.), I am a book (pp. 22-31).
         Charlottesville, VA: Student Press.)
• Electronic Media:
  • Online Publications of print version:
  • Green, R.T. (1993). I am an article found on line [Electronic version]. American Journal of Articles, 5, 117, 123.
  • Internet only journal:
  • Green, R.T. (1993). I am an article. American Journal of Articles, 3, Article 3,
         Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://www.journals.apa/volume3/a.html
• Periodicals (Journals)
  • Correct entries for journal articles cite the volume and page numbers only, not the issue, nor the month (which is used for magazine articles). The form (1994, April) is used for rare journals that do not use volume numbers.
    
    Violet, M. (1994). In search of an article. American Journal of Articles, 12, 10-18.
• Magazine Article
  • Violet, M. (1994, December 22). I am a magazine article. Magazine Monthly, 22-30.
• Brochures
  • American Something Society. (1993). Guidelines for making reference lists
         [Brochure]. New York: Author.
• Government Report
  • More than one work can be cited at once, and is an excellent way to show your synthesis of the material, as well as indicate when general agreement or consensus exists in the literature.
  • Arrange the citations in the parentheses alphabetically and separated by a semicolon.
    Example: Several studies have shown …. (Brown 1994; Green, 1993; Maroon, 1992).
• Government Report
  • National Institutes of Something. (1993). Clinical training for nurses (NSIT
         Publication No. est. 99-123). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Document From A Private Organization
  • Some Foundation. Chronic illness statistics. Retrieved October 5, 2000, from
         http://www.somefoundation.org

• Directions to McLeod Hall