Nursing students fear research papers. They find it stressful to write a long quality nursing paper. If you are in this satiation, you don’t have to worry. Writing research papers is not an easy task. You must be able to find a good topic. You need good research skills. Otherwise, you will spend all your time researching. You also need to know how to organize and format your paper. Not everyone is lucky to have these skills. Luckily, you can acquire the skills through practice. In this article, we give you a guide on how to write nursing research papers. Read this guide before you start working on your paper. Take notes on important steps you should take. Ensure that you follow each step. With time, writing nursing research papers will be much easier.
How to Write Nursing Research papers-step by step
- Choose your topic
First, ensure that you understand the assignment. Identify the question. Highlight every requirement. This is the first step to getting top grades. Then, find a researchable topic. You can use the internet to find some great topics. Select one topic for your paper.
- Research
Research is an important step on how to write nursing research papers. The internet has improved the research process. You don’t have to go through physical materials in the library. Through the internet, you have access to many sources. You will find many materials to support your paper. But you have to filter materials out. Not all available sources will be relevant.
Refine the search results
If you type any word into a search engine, you will get millions of results. Most of these results will not be relevant to your topic. To reduce irrelevant results, use keywords. Identify keywords in your topic. Then, type these words into the search engine.
Use Google Scholar
Google Scholar will give access to scholarly sources. You will find abstracts, reports, and journal articles. Most of the articles are available in full. This means that they are free. You will not pay to access them. Apart from Google Scholar, you can use other sites. For example;
PubMed. It contains sources about medicine and life science. You can rely on it for sources to support your nursing school research paper. You will find relevant abstracts and articles.
PubMed Central. This is a free search engine. It provides access to full-text articles. It is also useful for your nursing school research paper.
CINAHL Complete. It contains open access journals on nursing. Nursing students have access to various materials.
Evaluating your sources
When writing a research paper for nursing, you need quality sources. After locating some articles, you must evaluate them. You must determine if the sources are reliable. For a quality research paper for nursing, use trustworthy sources. The following questions can help identify a reliable source;
- What are the qualifications of the author(s)?
A reliable source will have an educated and experienced author(s). This gives them the authority of a topic. What if the source does not have an author? Look at the organization that published the article. It should be a professional or reputable body.
- What is the purpose of the source?
A reliable source is intended for experts or academics. If it is for the general public, it may be based on opinions. In this case, it may not have reliable information.
- Is the source professional?
The article should have a good structure. It should not have spelling or grammar errors. It should have in-text citations. It should also have a references page.
- Is it current?
Most nursing research papers need current information. In such a case, you need current sources.
- Nursing research paper outline
This is the next step on how to write nursing research papers. A nursing research paper outline helps in organizing your content. It helps you to know which information to put where. It makes it easier to draft your paper.
Your outline should have several sections.
- Title: Write your topic here.
- The abstract. Don’t write anything yet. You will fill it in later.
- Introduction. Write a sentence or two introducing your topic. Write several points that highlight background information. Then, write your main argument.
- Main body. This section may have several sections. Outline these sections as necessary. Write down the main points under each section.
- Conclusion. Write the purpose of your paper. Point out the findings.
- Reference page. List the sources you have used in your paper.
- Draft your nursing research paper
This is the next step on how to write nursing research papers. Use your outline to write your paper. Try to use active voice. This is where the subject acts. This format tends to be clear and short. Passive voice focuses on the action being performed. This format is less clear. Use punctuation marks correctly. Wrong punctuations can change the intended meaning. Also, check your words and sentences.
Start drafting the introduction. In your research, you may have found a lot of information. Don’t write all that information. Just provide the most relevant details. Your paper has limitations in terms of length. For example, your teacher may only require 4,000 words. If you write everything you have found, you can write up to 10,000 words. You will have not followed instructions. This means you will lose some points. For better grades, you must follow the instructions strictly.
Then draft the body paragraphs. Again, only write the relevant details. This part should make up about 80% of your work. But you should avoid the temptations of repetition. Ensure that every paragraph carries a certain point. Don’t forget to give other authors credit. Put in-text citations when you use their work. Finally, draft then concluding paragraph.
- Editing and proofreading nursing research paper
This is a very important step on how to write nursing research papers. Some students edit everything at the same time. They edit content, formatting, grammar, and citation. This is a wrong approach. By editing everything at the same time, you will not perfect your paper. You should edit one thing at a time.
Begin the process by looking at your content. Read the assignment. Look at your topic. Is the topic relevant? Does it address the assignment? Then, read your answer. Read the work word by word. Does your content answer the question? Is the content making sense? If you are not sure, you can rely on academic writing for nurses. Experts offer editing services. If the content is okay, then move to the next step.
Look at your formatting and citations. Read the instructions again. Does your instructor need a certain formatting style? Did you use that specific style? Following instructions helps in getting higher grades. Check your in-text citations. They should be in order.
The final step is proofreading your work. This step needs you to eliminate any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Yes, you can use spell checks. However, you must check for errors manually. Spell checks may overlook some mistakes.
Now you know how to write nursing research papers. If you follow every step, you will produce top-quality paper. This kind of paper will attract top grades. You can make use of the best research paper writing service. Experts can help you improve your writing skills. They can also help you handle your research paper. Ensure that you submit high-quality research papers. This is the only way to realize your academic dream.
We hope this guide was helpful. Good luck.
