Category Archives: Professional writing

Tips for Getting the Most out of the APA Publication Manual

In my nursing programs, all formal papers had to be written using the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guidelines. So I learned APA style, as required. I really learned it.  Other than revisions for a new edition, once I learned APA, I didn’t have to learn it again — I

What’s New in the 7th Edition of the APA Manual?

It’s here! With a 2020 copyright date, and after almost 10 years, the new Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (AKA the APA Manual) is here! This post tells you what’s new in the 7th edition and how to navigate the vast amount of information contained within.  Remember that as

Professionalism: How to List Your Credentials

I’ve gotten questions from students and readers about how to list their credentials, so I thought I’d give you some quick tips based on what I was taught and from my experience as an editorial board member. This post discusses why credentials are important, how to list your credentials for

Grammar and Spelling Count! Tips for Writing Academic Papers

As a nursing student, you will be required to submit many written assignments in the form of care plans, reports, reflection papers, journal entries, research papers, and the like. In all of these assignments, your attention to grammar and spelling will be essential to getting your point across and getting

Be Aware of Predatory Journals!

I’ve had multiple emails from concerned faculty members about the dangers of predatory journals for students and aspiring authors. Predatory journal sounds scary, no? Yes! Students citing from predatory journals or faculty publishing to them are laying themselves open to intellectual theft. In this post, I talk about what predatory journals

What is the Research Design Process?

All nurses are expected to base their practice on established evidence. The generation of evidence in the form of research studies is the strongest type of evidence upon which to base nursing practice. Researchers use the phases of the research process to guide the design and development of their research

Tips for Writing an Effective Nursing Résumé

A résumé is basically a brief summary of your professional qualifications. It is a marketing and branding tool. When you are job hunting, a résumé is a must, of course. But it is also a snapshot of your growth as a professional nurse. In this post, I’ll give you 6 tips

Productivity Hack: Chunk Your Work to See Forward Progress!

One way to focus your work projects is to “chunk” your work. This post will give you 8 tips for breaking your next work or school project into chunks so that you can decrease the overwhelm, see your progress going forward, and have the satisfaction of crossing steps off your

Five Tips for Writing Your Nursing School Application Essay

Original full-text post: August 21, 2017; Edited 9/26/2021 Readers, I’ve had the full-text of this post available free since 2017. I have since truncated this post because I have this and other information about applying to nursing school collected for you in one valuable 44-page resource – my eBook. Please

How to Write a Literature Review

At some point in your graduate nursing program, you will most likely have to write a literature review about an assigned topic or a self-selected topic (e.g., your thesis, dissertation, or capstone project topic). Undergraduate students don’t typically have to write a full-blown literature review; however, the tips in this post

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