how to write your nursing dissertation How to Write Your Nursing Dissertation provides nursing and healthcare students with authoritative information on developing, writing, and presenting an evidence-based practice healthcare dissertation, project or evidence-informed decision-making assignment. Written by experienced healthcare professionals, this comprehensive textbook offers clear and straightforward guidance on sourcing, accessing, and critically appraising evidence, helping students develop their clinical research and writing skills. The authors address the common difficulties encountered throughout the process of writing a dissertation, project or evidence-informed decision-making assignment, and offer expert tips and practical advice for managing time, developing study skills, interpreting statistics, publishing aspects of the work in a journal or at a conference, and more. Now in its second edition, this bestselling guide presents relatable and engaging scenarios to illustrate the setting of standards, explore legal and ethical frameworks, examine auditing and benchmarking, and demonstrate how evidence is applied to real-world problems. Covering the entire dissertation, project or evidence-informed decision-making assignment process from a nursing and healthcare perspective, this innovative textbook: Helps students develop and appropriately answer a clear dissertation, project or evidence-informed decision-making assignment Addresses the fundamental aspects of evidence-based practice in an accessible and readable style Features new and updated content on mini dissertations, final assessments, and evidence-informed decision-making projects that many healthcare institutions now require Presents up-to-date information that meets the needs of new healthcare roles, such as the Nursing Associate and Healthcare Assistant Includes access to a companion website containing downloadable information, an unabridged dissertation sample, and links to additional resources How to Write Your Nursing Dissertation is a must-have guide for nursing and healthcare students, trainees, other healthcare students required to complete an evidence-based practice project, and anyone looking to strengthen their critical appraisal and assignment writing skills.

Table of Contents:
List of contributors xiii Foreword xvii Preface xx About the companion website xxii The Scenarios xxiiii Section 1 Starting your dissertation journey 1 1 Starting the journey of your final-year project 3 Megan Bonner-Janes What is a final-year project? 3 Why do nurses need to do a research-based project? 5 Undergraduate versus postgraduate projects 6 What are the features of a degree education? 7 Features of a final-year project 8 Planning your final-year project: essential considerations 9 Completing your final-year project and gaining a good classification 11 Don’t panic! 13 2 Introduction to writing your evidence-based practice dissertation/project 14 Alan Glasper, and Diane Carpenter Sample guidelines for students undertaking a nursing associate project, an undergraduate healthcare project/dissertation or a master’s degree project 14 Typical learning outcomes for a nursing associate course 2000-word literature review 15 Typical learning outcomes for an undergraduate evidence-based practice dissertation/project 15 Typical learning outcomes for a postgraduate evidence-based practice dissertation/project 16 The dissertation/project/assignment 17 Guidelines for students undertaking a nursing associate evidence-based practice assignment 18 Guidelines for students undertaking an undergraduate evidence-based practice final project 19 Guidelines for students undertaking an undergraduate evidence-based practice dissertation 20 Guidelines for a typical postgraduate evidence-based practice dissertation/project module learning outcomes 22 Conclusion 23 3 Clinical effectiveness and evidence-based practice: background and history 24 Mary O’Toole and Alan Glasper Introduction 24 Historical aspects of evidence-based practice 25 The contribution of the nursing profession to evidence-based practice 27 How is evidence sourced? 27 Conclusion 29 4 What is evidence-based practice and clinical effectiveness? 31 Andrée le May Clinical effectiveness 31 Evidence-based practice 35 Making care more effective 38 5 The challenges of delivering practice based on best evidence (in primary, secondary and tertiary settings) 43 Andrée le May An evidence base for practice 43 Barriers to the use of research evidence in practice 45 Encouraging the use of research evidence in practice 48 Conclusion 53 Section 2 Sourcing and accessing evidence for your dissertation 57 6 Sourcing the best evidence 59 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Exploring and refining your question 59 Searching for research articles 62 Devising your search strategy 66 Accessing journal literature 69 The Cochrane Library 70 Websites and other resources 74 Support from your library service 75 Conclusion 78 7 What is grey literature and where can it be found? 80 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper What is ‘grey literature’? 80 Where can I find grey literature? 81 Important websites 82 What about Google scholar? 82 8 Harvard or Vancouver: getting it right all the time 83 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Vancouver system 84 Harvard system 85 Use of computer referencing packages 87 Conclusion 88 9 Posing an evidence-based practice question: using the PICO and SPICE models 89 Alan Glasper and Diane Carpenter What is the PICO model? 90 Examples of PICO formulated questions 91 What is the SPICE model? 94 Section 3 Developing your healthcare/evidence-based practice dissertation 97 10 Managing your time wisely 99 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper An evidence-based practice healthcare dissertation/final project or evidence-informed decision-making assignment as a frame of mind 100 Conclusion 104 11 Developing your study skills 106 Diane Carpenter, and Alan Glasper Knowing yourself 108 Being organised 111 Organising things in terms of what goes where 112 Consolidating your ideas and activities by talking to others about it 112 12 Getting the most from your personal tutor 114 Ellen Kitson-Reynolds Before approaching your academic support 114 How to get started 115 Agreeing a working pattern 116 Anticipating and preventing problems 116 Good planning is the essence 117 Supervision at a distance 118 Additional support 118 Section 4 Preparing to use research evidence in your dissertation 121 13 Clinical standards, audit and inspection 123 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper What is healthcare governance? 124 What are the seven pillars of clinical governance? Are they still relevant in contemporary practice? 126 The role of the Care Quality Commission 127 NICE quality standards 132 Developing audit tools to measure compliance to policy standards 136 Healthcare regulators 139 Responding to an adverse incident 143 14 Understanding quantitative research 146 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Is it a quantitative study? 146 Why quantitative? 148 Types of quantitative studies 148 Key elements in a quantitative study 151 Strengths of quantitative studies 154 Limitations 154 Conclusion 154 15 Understanding qualitative research 156 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Why qualitative? 157 Types of qualitative studies 158 Key elements in a qualitative study 159 Strengths of qualitative studies 160 Limitations 162 Conclusion 163 16 Using historical literature 164 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper What is the use of history in a world focused on scientific evidence? 165 Where does historical research fit methodologically? 165 Would such a study constitute primary research or would it be possible to appraise historical research that others had done? 167 Could I possibly justify doing a historical evidence‐based practice project? 168 How do I go about undertaking a study based on historical evidence? 168 Section 5 Critically appraising evidence 175 17 Selecting and using appraisal tools: how to interrogate research papers 177 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Introduction 177 What is critical appraisal? What are critical appraisal tools? Why is critical appraisal of published research important? What does critical appraisal mean to nurses and other healthcare professionals? 178 What is the best critical appraisal tool to use? 179 Commencing your critique 180 Is an individual paper worth adding to the shortlist? Preparing your initial long shortlist 181 Commencing your initial read and review of an empirical journal paper 181 Points to consider about the paper(s) before using any critiquing tool 183 Applying a critiquing framework tool of your choice to your selected papers 185 Critiquing models 187 Conclusion 196 18 Critically reviewing qualitative papers using a CASP critiquing tool 199 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Screening questions 200 The CASP qualitative questions 201 Data analysis 204 Research findings 204 The value of the research 205 Reflection 205 19 Critically reviewing quantitative papers using a CASP critiquing tool 207 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Question 1 ‘Did the study ask a clearly focused question?’ 208 Question 2 ‘Was this a randomised controlled trial and was it appropriately so?’ 209 Question 3 ‘Were participants appropriately allocated to intervention and control groups?’ 211 Question 4 ‘Were participants, staff and study personnel “blind” to participants study group?’ 211 Question 5 ‘Were all the participants who entered the trial accounted for at its conclusion?’ 213 Question 6 ‘Were the participants in all groups followed up and data collected in the same way?’ 213 Question 7 ‘Did the study have enough participants to minimise the play of chance?’ 213 Question 8 ‘How are the results presented and what is the main result?’ 214 Question 9 ‘How precise are these results?’ 215 Question 10 ‘Were all important outcomes considered so the results can be applied?’ 215 20 Critically reviewing a journal paper using the Parahoo model 217 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Introduction 217 Framework for appraisal 218 Conclusion 228 Section 6 Taking your dissertation further: disseminating evidence, knowledge transfer; writing as a professional skill 231 21 Publishing your work or making a conference or poster presentation 233 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Your dissertation or final assignment is complete: what next? 233 Motivation 234 Conference poster or abstract and presentation at a conference 235 Writing a paper for publication 241 What will you do with your evidence-based practice healthcare dissertation/final project or evidence-informed decision-making assignment? 247 22 Reflecting on your evidence-based practice healthcare dissertation/final project or evidence-informed decision-making assignment journey 248 Justine Barksby Reflection 248 Frameworks for reflection 250 Some final points on reflection 256 Conclusion 257 23 Building the architecture of your dissertation 258 Diane Carpenter and Alan Glasper Writing your evidence‐based practice healthcare dissertation/final project or evidence‐informed decision‐making assignment 258 Section 7 Bonus chapters (website only) 265 24 Public health: writing a master’s level dissertation Sarah Adrienne Hughes 25 Critically reviewing a journal paper using the Rees model Diane Carpenter and Colin Rees 26 Managing a learning difference Michelle Cowen 27 Research governance in practice Jane March-McDonald 28 Using evidence in practice Index 267