How to Write Your Nursing Term Paper in 9 Steps. Topics Included

What Is a Nursing Term Paper?
How to Write a Nursing Term Paper
Step 1. Understanding Nursing Term Paper Requirements
Step 2. Choosing Among Term Paper Topics for Nursing
Step 3. Research and Sources Screening
Step 4. Prewriting and Brainstorming
Step 5. Basic Structure Establishing
Step 6. Nursing Term Paper Outlining
Step 7. Nursing Term Paper Writing
Step 8. Citation and Reference List Formatting
Step 9. Editing and Proofreading
Nursing Term Paper Writing Checklist
Get Professional Help with Your Nursing Term Paper

Nursing school is challenging enough as it is without the constant pressure of ever-nearing deadlines. And term papers make the whole experience more excruciating because they challenge your long-term planning and time-management skills. And if you fail to work on the term paper throughout the semester, you'll lose precious points or fail the assignment altogether.

We developed this nursing term paper writing guide to help you break up the challenge into manageable chunks and plan your tasks to achieve the best results.

What Is a Nursing Term Paper?

Current nursing research involves evidence-based practice, using medical research findings to improve patient outcomes based on patient healthcare goals and needs. So most nursing term papers include a hefty dose of literature research and require analytical and critical thinking skills, making them a perfect exercise for future registered nurses.

Unlike term papers on most other subjects, nursing assignments usually deal with human subjects, so ethical and moral aspects must be addressed. And patient safety and well-being should always be the paper's primary focus.

How to Write a Nursing Term Paper

To make your job easier, we've developed a 9-step writing guide and devised a few nursing term paper topics. There's also a writing checklist at the end of this post, so add this page to your bookmarks and revisit it whenever you need a refresher on dealing with term papers.

Step 1. Understanding Nursing Term Paper Requirements

Your professor has specific expectations when assigning a nursing term paper. You can get the top mark if you understand them. So read the assignment prompt and rubric carefully and pay attention to the following:

Topic description and assignment details. Look for keywords and action verbs like "analyze", "describe", "develop", etc.
Word count requirements. Limit the scope of your research according to the maximum word count.
Deadline. Add the final deadline to your calendar and to-do list, and inquire if there are any interim deadlines you need to keep track of.
Structure and formatting guidelines. Include all the required sections and format them according to APA, MLA, or other style guidelines.
Sources requirements. Look into the sources your professor provides and learn if you need to find extra materials. Learn how many sources you need to cite and how old they can be.

Step 2. Choosing Among Term Paper Topics for Nursing

When it comes to topics for argumentative term paper, Nursing professors can assign them or leave the choice to you. Your topic should be relevant to the class and your professional interests. For instance, if you like working with the elderly and are taking a senior care class, you can look into nursing home term paper topics. Alternatively, if you dream of an administrative position and love technology, a nursing informatics term paper will be more suitable for your career goals.

Realistically, we cannot cover all possible nursing issues in one post, so we'll offer a few suggestions to kickstart your inspiration.

Using social media to establish and achieve patient's healthcare goals
Hypothermia risks in prematurely born infants
Reducing patient falls through physical training and communication
Community education programs to promote vaccination
The effectiveness of online healthcare classes for high school students
Covid-related perinatal anxiety and depression mitigation
Multidisciplinary cooperation to prevent patient falls
The risks of substance abuse during pregnancy
Analyzing flu vaccination perception after the pandemic
Practical techniques for preventing sepsis shock
Alcohol screening for preventing medical overdoses in emergency departments
Cultural competency among nurses working with Hispanic patients
Assessing LGBTQ+ competencies among emergency department nurses
Factors affecting heart failure readmission rates
Medication reconciliation for outpatient treatment
Technological solutions for patients with dementia
The primary causes of teenage obesity and mitigation strategies
Scheduling solutions for reducing nurse overtime
Followup appointment efficiency in promoting patient self-management
Assessing the effectiveness of video simulation in nursing training

Step 3. Research and Sources Screening

Forget Google, Youtube, and Wikipedia when looking for credible sources for a nursing term paper or healthcare policy term paper. You need reliable data and reproducible methodologies published in respected peer-reviewed journals by recognized experts. Ideally, you want sources that are at most five years old. To find relevant sources on your topic, use one or more of the following databases:

You can also research your campus library facilities to access more valuable resources.

Step 4. Prewriting and Brainstorming

With your sources ready, it's time to decide how you want to use them. To make sense of the information overload you prepare for your nursing research paper, use a note board, brainstorming, or mind mapping.

Whichever option you choose, you need to combine source data with your notes with a visual representation of possible combinations, connections, and relationships. You can use a Trello board or a mind map. And if you're a pen-and-paper lover, take out your sticky note stash and clear the wall or the desk to shuffle them around. Once the puzzle pieces fall into place, take a photo or save the board or mind map and progress to formal structuring and outlining.

Step 5. Basic Structure Establishing

Most nursing research papers follow a classic structure and use the APA formatting style, though your professor's requirements may differ. On a large scale, your paper will include an introduction, body, and conclusion. While the introduction and conclusion follow the familiar pattern of introducing the topic and summarizing the piece, the body section is trickier. Depending on your class and assignment requirements, you may need to include a literature review, methodology, research findings, and discussion. Check out the outline template in the next section to learn what each chapter entails.

Step 6. Nursing Term Paper Outlining

There's no universal nursing term paper structure that fits any class and topic. And you should always refer to the assignment prompt to learn if any outline requirements are present. Otherwise, you can use the outline template below and alter it to fit your study.

Title page
Abstract
Introduction

Topic relevance
PICOT question
Research objectives

Literature review

Background information
Inconsistencies and gaps in knowledge
Research relevance and goal

Research methodology

Sampling technique
Sample population and size
Quantitative research methodology
Qualitative research methodology
Data processing methodology
Ethical considerations

Research results and discussion

Research findings
Findings analysis
Potential limitations and drawbacks

Conclusion

Theoretical significance of research findings
Practical value of research findings
Practical application and limitations
Future research potential

References
Appendices

Step 7. Nursing Term Paper Writing

Unfortunately, there's no secret to writing a nursing term paper quickly and successfully. It comes down to getting everything ready at the prewriting stage and establishing a writing routine. Unless you break up the writing process into several sessions, all your hard work will go to waste. And if writer's block is giving you trouble, use one of the tried-and-true tricks from our arsenal:

Skip the abstract and introduction. Instead, work on the body sections you're excited about. It will break you from the standstill and make developing the opening sections much easier.
Choose a research paper to mimic. Develop your writing style by following the best examples of research you find among your sources. Pay attention to sentence and paragraph structure, tone, and transitions and translate them into your piece.
Treat your nursing term paper writing as a workout. Shift your focus from the seemingly useless task to a better objective, like improving your research and writing skills or adding an excellent sample to your nursing portfolio.

Step 8. Citation and Reference List Formatting

Regardless of the nursing topic, you cover in your paper, most schools only accept APA formatting and citation style. To make the task of handling in-text citations and reference list easier, use automatic citation generators like EasyBib, Mendeley, or RefWorks. They should work even if your professor wants you to format the citations in your term paper on nursing in MLA, Harvard, or another style.

Step 9. Editing and Proofreading

Editing always comes first after a short break from writing. You need to look at your paper with fresh eyes to notice things that don't make sense. Redundancies, weak arguments, and controversial evidence need to go. And if your word count drops below the minimum requirement, supplement new arguments, source data, or analysis.

Once you are happy with how the paper flows, it's proofreading time. Use Grammarly, ProWritingAid, or other professional term paper proofreading to detect mistakes and typos a regular spellchecker will miss. If possible, swap papers with a classmate and go over each other's work with critical eyes to catch lingering errors.

Finally, format the whole thing according to the APA style guide, save it in the required format or print it out and submit it for grading.

Nursing Term Paper Writing Checklist

We've gone over every nuance of how to write a nursing term paper, and the sheer amount of work may seem overwhelming, so it's easy to miss a minor detail. To avoid unpleasant surprises during grading, use our checklist to ensure your paper meets the critical requirements:

Your nursing term paper meets the assignment prompt requirements
The paper is formatted correctly, from the title page to the appendices
The abstract summarizes your paper and has a list of keywords
The introduction presents the topic and the PICOT question
The literature review balances source data with your analysis
The methodology section holds all pertinent information to make your study reproducible
The data is cleaned out, and the results are presented clearly
The discussion includes the potential benefits and drawbacks of the study
The conclusion holds theoretical and practical value and implementation recommendations
Every source on the reference list is relevant, credible, and objective
The writing is logical, cohesive, and clear, without jargon or slang
The paper is free of typos and mistakes
The final version addresses the TA's and professor's feedback
The paper is ready for submission before the deadline

Get Professional Help with Your Nursing Term Paper

Reading a detailed guide on how to write a nursing term paper is different from completing your assignment. If you're lucky, you have time and energy to put our advice to good use. But if the deadline is drawing closer, and you're still at step one, getting professional nursing term paper help is your best option. All it takes to order a cheap term paper is a live chat message or a filled order form for us to match you with an expert. We'll meet your every requirement and deliver the term paper right on time to guarantee your grades get a boost.

Nursing Term Paper Step-by-Step Writing Guide

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