Creating an APA Essay Template: Formatting for Success

Those students who grew up with computer and keyboarding functions or have a special interest in the technology may wonder why so many have difficulty with this writing skill. If you are from my generation who grew up prior to the world of the computer, you may remember typing college papers on manual typewriters and carbon paper. We can commiserate having to learn word processing and formatting functions for college. It is necessary. Every one of those early papers took me twice as long as it should have because I was so poor at the computer. Smart phones and iPads are not adequate for the rigors of college. You are required to have an adequate computer (the catalog has the specifications) to be a GU student. It does not have to be an expensive, fancy computer, but you must have one. You should not be in this course without having your own computer that functions properly. Although I bought a Word for Dummies book decades ago, you do not have to. There are now an enormous array of helpful resources for you.

Watch the following videos:

APA Style Part 1: Formatting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBMcOGGTZYM [7:18] (stop at 7:18)

APA Style Part 2: References https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TagGFwGpTM [9:15]

Produce an outline with correct APA specifications.

Include the following aspects in the assignment:

Include an APA title page. Note that in college, lines may be added for the course name/number and Instructor, but three lines are sufficient for our program consisting of the title, your name, and the institution (Grantham University). Please create the title of your choice.

Include a Running head on the title page. Note: this should follow the GU standard naming guide and is present only on the title page (page 1)

Include page numbers in the top right corner of each page.

Include page 2. Note: this page should not have the words “Running head” in the header at the top of the page…just the title. On the first line of page 2, place the title as the first line. The title is bolded a Level 1. Leave the remaining part of the page blank.

Include a Reference Page. Note: A reference page is always a stand-alone page, and the word ‘References’ is centered but not bolded.

Do not include an Abstract page. Abstracts are seldom required in the Schools of Nursing and Allied Health.

Add the YouTube links above per APA as two entries on the reference page. Please consult the Purdue OWL for the appropriate formatting for a YouTube video entry.

Submit the three pages.

Scholarly Writing for Healthcare Professionals – Week 1 Assignment 2

Thesis Statements: Mapping the Direction and Preparing the Way

The thesis statement is the most critical aspect of your paper. Why, you ask? Have you ever gotten into the car for a road trip without the slightest idea of where you were going, what you would do, or how long you would be gone? Probably not. Planning is essential for a great journey. Knowing where you are going dictates many things: how much money do I need, what should I pack, and what I will do there? If you asked me to join that mysterious car trip, most likely I would refuse.

Writing is much the same. Without a clear purpose for the point we are trying to make, how do we know what references to gather, how to organize the information, and how to engage the reader to read our work? The thesis statement provides the purpose for your ‘road trip’ and encourages the reader to take a front seat for a wonderful adventure.

The thesis statement establishes important information for the writer and the reader in the first paragraph:

What is the topic?

What is the claim?

What is the evidence to verify the claim?

Placing this information into the last sentence of the introduction becomes the purpose and the map for the contents of the writing.

A potential thesis statement for a simple essay on elder healthcare might look like this:

Quality healthcare for Medicare patients is reduced due to inadequate coverage of service expenses, decreased ability to pay for medications, and inconsistent healthcare delivery for all populations.

Now let’s break it down to see if this thesis statement is strong by presenting the topic, the claim, and three supporting facts to be discussed.

Quality healthcare for Medicare patients [the topic] [focused more narrowly for a simple paper] is reduced [the claim] due to inadequate coverage of service expenses [1], decreased ability to pay for medications [2], and inconsistent healthcare delivery for all populations [3] [three supporting facts].

These “facts” at this point are really assertions. The assertions become more factual (and less opinion) as you add scholarly citations and references. The more of these, the stronger your assertion is seen as factual.

Yes, it looks like we have a compelling purpose statement. Not only does this inform the reader, but it actually provides the outline for your paper right here! Nice! This is wonderful place to start, but as you go through your researched sources, you may find that you need to adjust the thesis statement somewhat. That’s okay. You have your initial map, and everyone knows where you are headed!

Now, you try it!

Be sure to watch the short assigned video before completing this assignment (W1 Video Lecture 4).

Explore the purpose and construction of a thesis statement.

Include the following aspects in the assignment:

Write a possible thesis statement for each of the topics below. [You do not need to find resources upon which to base your statement since these topics are general.]

Include a narrowed topic, a claim, and three reasonable supporting ideas.

Divide each thesis statement as the colored example above and place the information in the following table and submit as a one-page document.

Topics – 1. The opioid crisis 2. Online education 3. Mandatory flu vaccinations for healthcare workers

Table form:

Include a title page [practice the running head] and a page 2 with a title and the table.

This chart is added here as a downloadable form. Save to your hard drive. Then you will be able to complete the chart and copy/paste it back into the Discussion Forum.