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Nursing school can be a challenge for many. Lots of people believe nursing is like the easy version of Medicine. Those interested in healthcare might opt for nursing since it requires less time than becoming a doctor.
That misconception can bring serious complications for students. Nursing and medicine are quite different, but that doesn’t mean it’s easier. Both careers have a general focus. Besides that, each one has its own growth opportunities, and specializations. The functions and even work nature are quite diverse between both.
One of the main obstacles for nursing students comes when writing a nursing research paper. If you take a look at sample nursing research papers, you’ll see they aren’t too different from other careers.
That’s why nursing paper writing services are very popular these days. Writing your research paper involves more than seeing a nursing research paper example. It’s not enough to copy the structure. You must know which format to use.
Follow the rubric
Writing a nursing research assignment involves many steps. You must research your topic, work on drafts, revise, and build your thesis. You also need to make it concise and error-free. However, all of that depends on your rubric.
The rubric is your set of rules. It details what you need to do to reach the score you need. It’s more than just a guide. Your rubric tells you exactly how your professor is going to measure. Sticking to it is the first step.
A simple nursing research paper example rubric could look like this:
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Sentence grammar. | Doesn’t contain any errors. | Contains less than 3 grammar errors. | Contains less than 6 grammar errors. | Contains over 6 grammar errors. | Contains too many errors to be comprehensible. |
That example is for one element of your rubric. You’ll find similar guidelines for format, evidence, references, organization, and more. As you can see, it says everything you need to get every grade.
Style vs grammar
Grammar is a critical aspect for writing nursing research papers. However, it’s not the only element. You could have perfect grammar and still deliver a subpar assignment. Grammar and style are equally important to achieve the highest grade.
They’re quite different as concepts. However grammar and style complement each other. Grammar is vital for avoiding errors and creating well-structured sentences. Then, your writing style helps you make your text easier to read.
In essence, grammar is rules and style is customization. Grammar tells you what’s right and what’s wrong. Style is a preference system, like avoiding contraptions.
Style
Unlike grammar, style isn’t a constant for all forms of communications. Style refers to how we communicate in practice. For instance, you wouldn’t write a sentence in your research paper the way you would on Facebook.
For research papers, your writing style should be unbiased and clear. Style “rules” for academic writing include:
- Write in third-person.
- Use active voice.
- Avoid words that suggest biases.
- Don’t use contraction.
- Don’t use prepositions at the end of a sentence.
- Don’t split infinitives.
It doesn’t focus on what’s grammatically correct. When writing a nursing research paper, a formal style is key. That’s what dictates the language you should adopt. Used in other contexts, these practices aren’t wrong.
Grammar
On the other hand, grammar is rules for communication. Grammar focuses on formulas. Proper verb usage and sentence structure belong to grammar. You can compare it to math. It’s not really concerned with your style.
We can simplify the concept further. Grammar tells us how to create sentences. That includes where and how you place verbs, using proper tenses, and more. That said, it still needs proper styling to be easy to read. For instance:
- The journey is determined by the destination you’re going to.
- Your destination determines the journey.
Both sentences are grammatically correct. However, you can clearly see that the second one is easier to read. That’s not a difference in grammar, but in style. The first one is in passive voice with a preposition at the end. The second one uses active voice and avoids prepositions.
However, grammar is still vital. Bad grammar is still hard to read:
- I could had went there tomorrow.
- I could have gone there yesterday.
The first sentence has several mistakes. It uses a third-person auxiliary verb in a first-person sentence. It uses a simple past verb instead of a past participle. It uses a future time adverb in a past tense sentence.
Style makes a sentence easier to read. However, grammar is vital for a sentence to make sense.
APA or MLA?
They are the two most popular format styles for research writing. Having good grammar and the right writing style isn’t enough. You also need to use the right format.
Formatting styles can intimidate inexperienced writers. They have several rules, and deviating from them can hurt your grade. They dictate several elements:
- Text formatting, including paragraphs, titles, and headings.
- How to add tables and illustrations.
- Margin size.
However, references make up the most important element. Your format determines how you cite and list your references. Thankfully, these two aren’t too different. If you understand one, you shouldn’t have a hard time using the other.
Similarities
- Both styles require clear source credits. That means pointing out the author, publisher, work, page, and date. Thankfully, they’re also quite simple.
- Adding citations requires adding small information in parentheses. That goes for both direct citation and paraphrasing. If you mention the author within your text, you don’t need to add it in parentheses.
- Both styles use roughly the same margin size, title distribution, and typefaces.
Differences
Thankfully, differences are mostly minor.
| APA | MLA |
| Citing in-text requires the publishing year, author, and page number. | Citing in-text only requires page number and author. |
| Reference page requires only the authors’ first initial. | References include the authors’ full names. |
| Author order is alphabetical, and their works are chronological. | Both authors and their works rank chronologically. |
| It’s mostly used in scientific research, including education, psychology, and laboratory reports. | More popular for literary research and humanities. |
| It focuses on precision and how recent the scientific references are. | It focuses on citing books and multimedia. |
Wrapping up
Writing the top nursing research paper isn’t particularly difficult. It’s more about getting used to it. Sure, nursing research papers examples help, but you must practice. You’ll grow accustomed to formatting styles and how to cite references.
The best tip I can give you is to find your own approach. Look at the different formatting styles. Find which one is more comfortable for you. Choose what you’re familiar with every time you can. That includes choosing formatting, subjects, and more.
What’s good about academic writing is that it gets a lot easier the more you do it. Don’t let the first impression get the best of you.
