This assingment is for an Epidemiology/Statistics Nursing Graduate Course.
In 400 words or less using APA guidelines for academic writing, please post about the following:
- Goal of project (outcome)
- Population/patient, intervention, comparison, outcome, and amount of time needed to make this change (your PICOT question)
- Variables – name at least one variable that you plan to collect that is related to your intended outcome. What type of variable is it? (i.e., nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio). Identify at least one number that represents a benchmark, incidence, prevalence, or goal. Cite your source for this number in APA format.
You may find it easier to write your original post as a Word document, format it for the headings (see #1-#3 above), and write your response under each heading. Remember to set up your Word document (File, Options, Proofing – check Grammar & Refinements or Grammar & More) for APA style. It does not catch everything, it is not always correct, but it is helpful and free. This information will be incorporated into your improvement proposal, so this Discussion Board posting showcases your formal writing skills. Once you are done in the Word document, copy and paste it into the Discussion Board. As in Week 2, I will transfer your work into a Word document and send it back to you with my suggestions once it is graded.
APA observations/suggestions/tips from the previous Discussion Board posts (APA 7th ed. page # in parentheses):
- Oxford commas (p. 155) – any series of 3 or more needs a comma before the conjunction (e.g., red, white, and blue; the patient checked in, sat down, and waited)
- Review formatting of references:
- APA manual or APA Blog are good sources. Also Purdue OWL
- Whenever available, include the doi# even with there is a URL that works. Format is https://doi.org/10.XXXXLinks to an external site. (p. 299-300)
- Citing/referencing governmental agencies – use the “most specific agency as the author” (p. 288).
- If a website does not list an author and the website belongs to a respected authority (e.g., CMS, AHRQ, AACN), then the owner of the website is the author.
- URLs for websites – the reader must be able to access the weblink provided. If the URL contains EBSCO, Chaminade, or [your name], it is a unique address from a search engine and cannot be used by others. The URL must link any reader to your source.
- Verb/subject agreement. The word, data, is plural – data are, data were, but not data is.
- Numbers – spell out all numbers under 10 BUT use numerals when that number represents time (1 hour), statistics, scores, numbers before units of measurement, number after noun . . . (p. 178-179).
- Direct quotes – only use when absolutely necessary and cannot reasonably be stated another way. Part of academic writing is being able to synthesize what others have said.
- Statements of fact – must always be followed by a citation. If 80% of Native Hawaiians are at risk for diabetes type 2, then cite the expert who published that fact. If your paper states that something is a major healthcare issue, then cite your source(s).
- Shifting verb tense. The verb tense within a paragraph should be consistent (past, present, or future). If describing a progression where the verb tense needs to shift, then only go forward or backward; do not jump around.
- Typically, when writing about research or other publications, write in past tense. Since it takes approximately 1 year to get an article to print and 2 years to get a book to print, what authors stated in their publication may have changed since the information was published. Unless you are sure you are stating current scientific beliefs, use past tense.