The Direct Practice Improvement Project Title Appears in Title Case and Is Centered Comment by Author: NOTE: All notes and comments are keyed to the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association (APA) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, footnotes, and the reference page. For specifics, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. For additional information on APA Style, consult the APA website: http://apastyle.org/learn/index.aspxGENERAL FORMAT RULES:Manuscripts must be 12-point Times New Roman typeface, double-spaced on quality standard-sized paper (8.5? x 11?) with 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, and right side. For binding purposes, the left margin is 1.5 in. [8.03]. To set this in Word, go to:Page Layout > Page Setup>Margins > Custom Margins> Top: 1 Bottom: 1 Left: 1.5 Right: 1 Click OkayPage Layout>Orientation>Portrait>NOTE: All text lines are double-spaced. This includes the title, headings, formal block quotes, references, footnotes, and figure captions. Single-spacing is only used within tables and figures [8.03]. The first line of each paragraph is indented 0.5 inch. Use the tab key which should be set at 5 to 7 spaces [8.03]. If a white tab appears in the comment box, click on the tab to read additional information included in the comment box.Please note: The section citations to APA Manual are provided in brackets throughout template. These brackets are not to be modeled for APA formatting. The information is included to help you locate material. Comment by Author: If the title is longer than one line, double-space it. As a rule, the title should be approximately 12 words. Titles should be descriptive and concise with no abbreviations, jargon, or obscure technical terms. The title should be typed in uppercase and lowercase letters [2.01].
Submitted by
Insert Your Full Legal Name (No Titles, Degrees, or Academic Credentials) Comment by Author: For example: Jane Elizabeth Smith
Equal Spacing
~2.0 2.5
Direct Practice Improvement Project Proposal
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Equal Spacing
~2.0 2.5
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona
December 31, 2018
GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY
The Manuscript Title Appears in Title Case and Is Centered
by
Insert Your Full Legal Name (No Titles, Degrees, or Academic Credentials) Comment by Author: For example: Jane Elizabeth Smith
Proposed Comment by Author: Please note that this page will change with your final DPI manuscript development. Make sure you begin to use the DPI Project Template after obtaining IRB approval.
[Insert Current Date]
DPI PROJECT COMMITTEE:
Full Legal Name, EdD, DBA, or PhD, Manuscript Chair
Full Legal Name, EdD, DBA, or PhD, Committee Member
Full Legal Name, EdD, DBA, or PhD, Committee Member
Abstract Comment by Author: The abstract is an accurate, nonevaluative, concise summary or synopsis of the research project. It is not an introduction, and is usually the last thing written. The purpose of the abstract is to assist future investigators in accessing the project material and other vital information contained in the practice improvement project. Although only a relatively few people typically read the full practice improvement project after publication, the abstract will be read by many scholars and investigators. Consequently, great care must be taken in writing this section of the practice improvement project. The abstract is a concise statement of the nature of the project and content of the practice improvement project. The content of the abstract covers the problem statement, clinical questions, methodology, design, data analysis procedures, location, sample, theoretical foundations, results, and implications. The abstract does not appear in the Table of Contents and has no page number. Abstracts must be double-spaced and no longer than 1 page. The abstract must be fully justified with no indentions and no citations. Refer to the APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition, for additional guidelines for the development of the practice improvement project abstract.
Rationale/Background:Provide one to two statements describing the nature of the project topic and introducing the problem.
Purpose:State the purpose of the project. Please make sure your purpose statement is the same throughout the manuscript.
Theoretical Framework:Include approximately one to two statements summarizing the theoretical framework.
Project Method and Design:Include approximately two to four statements summarizing the methodology and design.
Data Results:Identify the population and the sample size. Briefly describe the approach for data analysis and results of statistical tests. State whether the results were statistically significant and include numeric values.
Implications:Conclude the abstract with one to two statements describing how the results of your project directly impacted practice at your site, and recommendations for what should be done in the future based on the findings of the project. Comment by Author: You may use these headings to separate the content, or you may remove the headings and make the abstract one single paragraph.
Keywords: Abstract, assist future investigators, 150 to 250 words, vital information Comment by Author: Make sure to add the keywords at the bottom of the abstract to assist future investigators.
Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction to the Project 1 Background of the Project 4 Problem Statement 5 Purpose of the Project 6 Clinical Question(s) 8 Advancing Scientific Knowledge 10 Significance of the Project 11 Rationale for Methodology 12 Nature of the Project Design 13 Definition of Terms 14 Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations 16 Summary and Organization of the Remainder of the Project 18 Chapter 2: Literature Review 20 Theoretical Foundations 22 Review of the Literature 24 Theme 1. You may want to organize this section by themes and subthemes. To do so, use the pattern below. 26 Theme 2. Chapter 2 can be particularly challenging with regard to APA format for citations and quotations. Refer to your APA manual frequently to make sure your citations are formatted properly. It is critical that each in-text citation is appropriately listed in the References section. 27 Summary 30 Chapter 3: Methodology 33 Statement of the Problem 34 Clinical Question 34 Project Methodology 35 Project Design 36 Population and Sample Selection 38 Instrumentation or Sources of Data 40 Validity 41 Reliability 41 Data Collection Procedures 42 Data Analysis Procedures 44 Ethical Considerations 46 Limitations 48 Summary 49 Appendix A 52 Appendix B 54
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Chapter 1 : Introduction to the Project Comment by Author: This heading is tagged with APA Style Level 1 heading [3.03].
The Introduction section of Chapter 1 briefly overviews the project focus or practice problem, states why the project is worth conducting, and describes how the project will be completed. The introduction develops the significance of the project by describing how the project translates existing knowledge into practice, is new or different from other works and how it will benefit patients at your clinical site. This section should also briefly describe the basic nature of the project and provide an overview of the contents of Chapter 1. This section should be three or four paragraphs, or approximately one page, in length.
Keep in mind that you will write Chapters 1 through 3 as your practice improvement project proposal. However, there are changes that typically need to be made in these chapters to enrich the content or to improve the readability as you write the final practice improvement project manuscript. Often, after data analysis is complete, the first three chapters will need revisions to reflect a more in-depth understanding of the topic, change the tense to past tense, and ensure consistency.
To ensure the quality of both your proposal and your final practice improvement project and reduce the time for Academic Quality Review (AQR) reviews, your writing needs to reflect standards of scholarly writing from your very first draft. Each section within the proposal or practice improvement project should be well organized and presented in a way that makes it easy for the reader to follow your logic. Each paragraph should be short, clear, and focused. A paragraph should (a) be three to eight sentences in length, (b) focus on one point, topic, or argument, (c) include a topic sentence the defines the focus for the paragraph, and (d) include a transition sentence to the next paragraph. Include one space after each period. There should be no grammatical, punctuation, sentence structure, or American Psychological Association APA formatting errors. Verb tense is an important consideration for Chapters 1 through 3. For the proposal, the investigator uses present tense (e.g., The purpose of this project is to), whereas in the practice improvement project, the chapters are revised into past tense (e.g., The purpose of this project was to). Taking the time to put quality into each draft will save you time in all the steps of the development and review phases of the practice improvement project process. It will pay to do it right the first time. Comment by Author: Consider where you are in the process when determining past or present tense. If your project has been implemented, and you have finished your data collection, then the entire manuscript should be written in past tense.
As a doctoral investigator, it is your responsibility to ensure the clarity, quality, and correctness of your writing and APA formatting. The DC Network provides various resources to help you improve your writing. Neither your chairperson nor your committee members will provide editing of your documents, nor will the AQR reviewers provide editing of your documents. If you do not have outstanding writing skills, you will need to identify a writing coach, editor, or other resource to help you with your writing and to edit your documents.
The quality of a practice improvement project is not only defined by the quality of writing. It is also defined by the criteria that have been established for each section of the project. The criteria describe what must be addressed in each section within each chapter. As you develop a section, first read the section description. Then review the criteria contained in the table below the description. Use both the description and criteria as you write the section. It is important that the criteria are addressed in a way that it is clear to your chairperson, committee, and an external reviewer to illustrate that the criteria have been met. You should be able to point out where each criterion is met in each section. Prior to submitting a draft of your proposal or practice improvement project, or a single chapter to your chairperson, please assess yourself on the degree to which criteria have been met. There is a table at the end of each section for you to complete this self-assessment. Your chairperson may also assess each criterion when returning the document with feedback. The following scores reflect the readiness of the document:
3 = The criterion has been completely met. It is comprehensive and accurate. The section meeting the criterion is comprehensive and clear. The criterion information is very well