ASSESSMENT

NS201: Assessment - Written Assignment 2023/2024 (90%)

The aim of this assessment
• The aim of this assessment is to enable the student to develop skills in academic
assignment writing while focusing on the learning outcomes of the module.
Students will be asked to source a piece of primary nursing research that relates
to an element of contemporary clinical practice within their discipline of nursing
and discuss this in relation to one of the five Principles of the Code of Professional
Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives 2021. This is a
1000 word assignment and content should include the following;
• -A short overview and critique of the study (qualitative/quantitative, sampling,
data collection, results etc)
• -The relevance of the chosen Principle to this piece of research and contemporary
clinical practice in their discipline of nursing.
Assessment
• Thisassessment is linked to both practice and
research enabling you to apply your academic
writing and research/library skills. By
incorporating multi -mode assessments in the module
it reflects the learning outcomes of the module
whilst also building on the student's
skills/knowledge base which will help you with your
assignment
Presentation of your assignment
• Use Times New Roman/Arial font size 12
• Number all pages
• Leave left hand margin of 2.5cm
• Between lines use 1.5 spacing
• Neat presentation: Look out for new headings at the
bottom of the page and transfer on to the next page
• Neat presentation: to Justify or not to justify the text
and make sure to check for short lines that may be
spread out when you justify
Order
• Title page
• Introduction

• Main body (Do not use this title as a section

• heading!) headings or no headings
• Conclusion

• References, (Separate page)

• Page number --- where------ ----here
Introduction
• The introduction should draw the reader into the
essay
• It should let the reader know what issues will be
discussed
• Define key terms and concepts
• Give an outline of what will follow in the main body of
the essay
• At the end of the introduction, I should have a sense
of what you are going to write and why
Main Body
• Present the main ideas/arguments/discussion on the
issues chosen in this section
• Back up your statements with reference to the
literature (at least five citations)
• Logically move from one key area to the next
• Use link sentences
• Keep similar themes/ideas/concepts together in the
• same section of the main body, review your work to
ensure you have done this - Drafts
Conclusion
• Summarise the main arguments you have put forward
• Summarise implications for nursing
• Do not introduce any new material
Spelling
• Always do a spell check
• Dothis as you go along, it will make things easier in
the end or not
• Always proofread before finishing and get someone
else to read it for you, spell check will not pick up on
all typographical
• errors Draft 1 to draft 2,3,4 etc
Word Count
• For this module (NS201) your assignment
• should be 1000 words in length
• 10% (1000) above or below the 1000 to 900 mark will
be accepted
• If you exceed this amount, it will not be read, and
your mark will reflect the acceptable word count only
• The word count does not include the references in
your reference list.
References
• Consult the guidelines on the Harvard system of
• referencing (print them off and have them beside you!!)
•• Be aware of how to reference in the text.
•• Be aware of how the reference should appear on the
reference list.
••Know how to reference books, articles, chapters of books
and so on.
•• Use the library lectures
• Tryto avoid the use of secondary sources where possible -
just avoid
Things to avoid! Do not plagiarize
– read the policy!
• Avoid using underlines, italics, em-bolding, unless it is
essential to do so.
• Do not use abbreviations without giving an explanation
when you use it for the first time e.g. Health Service
Executive (HSE)
• Do NOT use abbreviations such as ‘etc’, ‘e.g.’ and ‘i.e.’.
• Use bullets and quotations only where necessary (not as an
aid)
• I.T. problems such as losing your assignment – save as you
go and back up, back up, back up!!!!!
• Store on a cloud/Email it to yourself as you go along
More things to avoid
• To Use or not to use the phrase
• “The author” or “The writer”
• Donot refer to the word count when explaining why
you can’t discuss everything you would like to.
• Sentences that make no sense
• Incomplete sentences
• Long rambling sentences (3 line rule)
Sentences that don’t make sense
or
sweeping statements: Examples...
•“In order to do this health inequalities is needed”
• “The elderly are a high-risk group of flu viruses”
• “It
is well known that......like to dabble in a few points
every now and then”
More examples of sentences that
make
no sense....
•As well as and interventions such as smoking
• cessation advice exercise referrals”
• “Withinthese primary care team practice nurses and
nurse practitioners mainly due to nurse
professionalisation leading to an increase in the
number of nurses available to work within the primary
care teams.  “In 2005 the view that the primary care
strategy was dead was in the opinions of many”
Incomplete sentences
• “In
Canada the community nurses specialise into a
specific (Nic Philbin, 2009).”
Long rambling sentences
• “Within this program states that a universal primary
care will be introduced established under a universal
primary care act where GPs will be paid capitation for
the care of their patients and work in primary care
teams with help from practice nurses and providing a
care to patients without fees”
Avoid sensationalism
• “The waiting lists are huge”
• “Ireland is in desperate need”
Acronyms
• HSE, GP, HIQA, EBP, for example.
• You must always identify an acronym the first time
you use it.
• Correct Approach - state in full the first time with the
acronym in brackets, for example; Health Service
Executive (HSE) – now from this point on you can use
HSE.
Late Submission of Assignments
• Beaware of regulations which apply to late
submission of assignments
• Sliding scale of penalties will be applied
Submission
• Convert your doc to PDF (see Loop page with
instructions how to do this)
• Upload your PDF to the module loop page in the link
labelled “Upload Continuous Assessment 2 here”
• Work on this on time.
• Final submission deadline is…….
• Always keep a copy of all work submitted, you may be
asked for it again at a later stage