Nursing Writing Resources

Short, practical guides to the sections and documents of nursing projects and papers, from capstones and DNP projects to theses. Each page gives an outline, a weak-versus-strong example, a checklist and the mistakes to avoid.

Choose What You Are Writing

Twelve guides for graduate scholarly work, in roughly the order a project unfolds. Each one walks through an outline and a worked example.

Project Foundations

Practice Problem Statement

Frame a practice problem with local data, name the gap you are claiming, and lead into a purpose a committee can test.

Read guide →
Project Foundations

SMART Aims and Objectives

Separate the aim from its objectives, set a baseline and target, and line each objective up with a measure and an analysis.

Read guide →
Evidence Synthesis

Literature Synthesis Matrix

Choose the columns, appraise each study the same way, and turn the grid into theme-based paragraphs that end on a gap.

Read guide →
Evidence Synthesis

Annotated Bibliography

Write annotations with a summary, an appraisal and a relevance statement, laid out in APA 7.

Read guide →
Theory and Design

Theoretical Framework

Choose a framework for fit, define only the concepts you use, and connect them to your measures and discussion.

Read guide →
Theory and Design

Methods Section

Describe design, setting, sample, intervention, data collection and analysis so a reader can judge and repeat your work.

Read guide →
Findings

Results and Discussion

Report findings in the order of your aims, use tables well, interpret carefully and state limitations plainly.

Read guide →
Summaries

Structured Abstract

Fill each labelled slot, keep to the word limit, and report real results for a project or a manuscript submission.

Read guide →
Summaries

Executive Summary

Condense a project into one page for stakeholders and committees: the decision first, then findings and next steps.

Read guide →
Sharing Your Work

Dissemination Plan

Match audiences to formats, agree authorship and permissions, and set owners and dates for sharing your results.

Read guide →
Sharing Your Work

Scholarly Poster

Lay out sections, keep the text short, let one figure carry the results, and prepare for questions at the session.

Read guide →
Reflection

AACN Competency Reflection

Reflect on AACN Essentials 2021 competencies by pointing to specific evidence, analyzing growth and setting next steps.

Read guide →

Need help with a nursing project?

Send your rubric and project details for an instant quote. Every order includes 14-day free revisions after delivery, and your details are not shared with third parties.

Get my instant quote →

Also: Citations and Project Guides

For referencing rules, use the citation guides. For a full walkthrough of a whole project such as a DNP scholarly project or a dissertation, see the nursing guides.