Otterbein University Department of Nursing Guidelines for Preparing & Submitting the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree Final Project Report The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project is the culminating activity of the DNP degree program at Otterbein University. The Project is an evidence based venture that demonstrates synthesis of research principles, leadership, critical thinking and advanced clinical practice. The Project is a faculty guided scholarly process that demonstrates a systematic approach to change, knowledge development and outcomes evaluation and addresses identified needs of a group, population or community. Project outcomes will be disseminated within the professional community through written documents and/or oral presentations. On completion of the DNP Project, a project report will be written by the DNP student. The required style manual for the written project report is the current edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Approvals Signature by the Adviser and Project Committee members on the title page constitutes final approval for submission and must be included in the document forwarded to the Library. Submission An original printed version of the final project report, a copy for each committee member as desired, and a student copy will be submitted to the Otterbein Courtright Memorial Library for binding. The Library will retain one bound copy for their permanent collection and then distribute the other bound copies to the project committee members and the student, if desired. The DNP student will also submit an electronic version of the written report to the OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Center. Please refer to the Library website for additional details. Formatting Guidelines Paper version 1. The weight, color and texture of the paper must be uniform throughout the document, should be white, acid free and 20 lb bond paper or paper of equal quality. 2. Documents must have laser quality text and graphics with consistent font size and style. Smaller type may be used for extensive tables. Recommended font is Cambria, 11 point. Only one side of the paper should be printed. 3. Documents must be double spaced including a double space between paragraphs. Single spacing may be used for long tables, long quotations, footnotes, and multi line captions. 4. Margins must be 1.5 inches on the left, and at least 1 inch on the top, bottom and right sides. 5. The paper copy submitted to the library should not be bound in any way. Formatting Guidelines Electronic version
1. The document must be formatted as in steps 2 4 above. 2. The paper must be saved as a single PDF file with all fonts embedded and security restrictions removed. 3. Complete the form available at the OhioLINK ETD Center Organization of Paper 1. Title Page (not numbered, but counted as first page) Title Student name and academic credentials (do not include certifications, licenses or your DNP degree. Your DNP has not yet been conferred by the President on behalf of the Board of Trustees). Otterbein University Date/Year The phrase: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Nursing Practice Signatures in black ink of Advisor and Committee Members Running Head FINAL PROJECT TITLE Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Nursing Practice By Your Legal Name, BSN, MSN The Graduate School Otterbein University 2013 Final Project Committee: Professor Kim Nurz, DNP Advisor Date 2. Professor Chris Nirss, PhD, DNP Date Copyright page Professor Centered Pat Nourse, as follows PhD (2 inches from top of page) Date
RUNNING HEAD Copyright By Pat Norris, BSN, MSN 2013 3. Acknowledgements The heading ACKOWLEDGEMENTS is centered without punctuation 2 inches from top of page; the text begins four spaces below. It should acknowledge the contributions of individuals to the successful completion of the project. Number in lower case Roman numerals center bottom 4. Table of Contents (optional) TABLE OF CONTENTS is centered without punctuation 2 inches from top of page. The titles of each section must be worded exactly as they appear in the body of the document at the left margin, beginning four spaces below the title TABLE OF CONTENTS. Number in lower case Roman numerals center bottom 5. List of Tables or Figures (optional) LIST OF TABLES (FIGURES) is centered without punctuation 2 inches from top of a separate page and numbered in lower case Roman numerals center bottom. The list of tables must be worded exactly as they appear in the body of the document at the left margin using the same numbers and captions, beginning four spaces below the title LIST OF TABLES (FIGURES). After the document is completed, a List of Tables (Figures) can be generated from the main document. Go to page labeled List of Tables (Figures). Place cursor on the page and click, and the contents of the current list should be highlighted in gray. Select the References tab, and from the Captions box, select Insert Table of Figures. Select the Tables (Figures) as the label, and make sure the Include Label and number is checked. Click OK. Repeat the process for Figures rather than Tables, as needed. 6. Executive Summary or Abstract The heading ABSTRACT is centered without punctuation 1.5 inches from top of the page. The text begins four spaces below.
7. Main Body The ABSTRACT is a concise summary of the problem, purpose, procedure or methods used outcomes and results. A maximum of 500 words is recommended. This page should be double spaced and numbered in lower case Roman numerals center bottom Include title of project in capital letters two inches from top of page in bold. Writers must assume full responsibility for their use of any copyrighted material in their papers. Written permission of the copyright owner must be obtained when extensive use is planned, which signifies more than 150 words in direct quotation from a single source. Headings should be centered on the page. Sub headings should be at the left margin (see example). The paper should be double spaced using APA format. Page numbers are to be placed in the upper right corner, one inch from the top and one inch from the right edge with exceptions noted above. SECTION ONE Background/Significance of Problem History Significance on national level Significance in Ohio Impact on healthcare in the ABC agency Figure 1. Illustration of five levels of heading. (American Psychological Association (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. The Sections of the paper should include: Introduction Discusses nature of project/problem briefly Background Includes concise summary of current information related to problem based on a comprehensive literature review.
Significance of Problem Discusses significance of problem to nursing or healthcare; and, theoretical framework, if applicable and needs assessment related to specific agency. Problem Statement A concise summary statement of the problem based on background and significance of problem Purpose A concise, specific measurable statement Project Implementation Includes project design; objectives if applicable (can be bullet listed); methodology; sample; budget; protection of human subjects if applicable Outcomes and Analysis Includes instruments or measures used; data analysis; barriers or unexpected findings Conclusion, Summary & Recommendations Includes conclusion or summary of project findings; limitations of project; recommendations for future directions of project or implications; application of project to other settings if appropriate Inserting Tables or Figures Click on Enter Key two times BEFORE and AFTER inserting a table or figure before continuing with the text while still in double space mode. Always begin long or large tables or figures at the top of a page. If using Microsoft Word 2010: To insert a caption below the image; click on the References tab, and select Insert Caption from the Captions box. Type the title the way it should appear in the text. Be consistent the captions for all figures must be the same (all upper case OR upper and lower care OR only the initial word capitalized). Click OK to insert caption. If a table or figure will not fit in Portrait view, Landscape orientation can be used. Landscaped pages in your document will have the same margin requirements, rotated 90 degrees. The binding edge will be at the top of the illustration and remains 1.5 inches. The page number remains bottom center but with a one inch margin between the bottom of the page number and the left edge of the page. The caption of the landscaped illustration is also landscaped.
If using Microsoft Word 2010: To insert a landscaped illustration, begin by going to the Page Layout tab, select Breaks and then Section Break (next page). On the new page, on the Page Layout tab, select Orientation, then Landscape. On the Insert tab, select Page Number, Format Page Number and select Continue from Previous Section. Then press the enter key one or two times to be clear of the command line. Insert the illustration and add the caption. Once the Landscape page is done, repeat the steps to return to Portrait Orientation. 8. List of References 9. Appendices The heading LIST OF REFERENCES is centered without punctuation 1.5 inches from top of the page; the text begins four spaces below. The List of References may be single spaced with double spacing between entries according to APA requirements. If using Microsoft Word 2010: To create a hanging indent, position the cursor in the entry and on the Ruler Bar, drag the Hanging Indent icon ½ inch to the right of the left margin. This will indent the second line of text in the entry ½ inch from the left margin. Sample References Jones, A. (2010). The true story of nursing throughout history. Journal of Nursing, 15(1), 290. A minimum of 10 sources should be included, although more sources are strongly encouraged. The majority of citations should be reflected in the Background/Significance of the Problem section. All citations included in the body of the document should be found in the List of References. Appendices contain pages that do not fit logically in the body of the text. They may contain data tables, consent forms, permission to use copyrighted materials etc. Any font or text size can be used as long as it is legible. The heading APPENDIX is centered without punctuation 1.5 inches from top of the page; the text begins four spaces below. Appendices are typically listed by alphabetical number Appendix A: Title. The format should be consistent throughout the Appendices. 2/16/13