Identify a thesis. Your main idea or controlling idea is essentially the groundwork for your entire essay. All the added parts will be merely extensions of this argument. Therefore, it is imperative that your statement be clear and concisely stated in the first paragraph. The argument will be your choice. You may choose to write about the shortage of nurses, rigor associated with nursing school, or the discriminatory practices in nursing school. Whatever you choose to argue, you must state clearly and defend thoroughly.
Gather research for evidence. Now that you have written your thesis statement and you know what you want to argue, you need to seek out the information that can be found in journal articles, peer-reviewed sources or Web sources that are recommended and deemed legitimate. Consider only the research that is most current and from reliable sources. You can refer to the bibliography of textbooks and research articles distributed by your instructor.
Use the APA style format. When you are ready to write your essay, make sure you use the APA style format, which includes the title, abstract, introduction and literature review. The abstract (not always necessary) is a one-page summary and includes the purpose of research and methods used, including findings and implications. The introduction should include what's been done and what you propose, or the thesis statement. The literature review is a synopsis of the research, including what is currently happening and connections to your thesis.
Describe your methods. Nurses are expected to use either quantifiable, quantitative or mixed tools for their research. The quantitative method is a measurable value that is objective and based on numbers, whereas the quantifiable is data gathered by interviews, surveys or observations. Whatever method is used, the researcher's credibility is at stake so it is imperative that the method is professionally done and free of bias.
Create a bibliography. Your sources need to be written according to the APA style, which includes: author name; title of the publication (or title of the article if it's a magazine or encyclopedia); date of publication; place of publication; publishing company; volume number and page number. The format may change according to source. It is important to refer to the APA guidelines for bibliographies, which can be located at APA (see Resources) or obtained through your school or library.