435 Tips for Successful Assignments: Update 03.20.26
Overall tips:
- The use of AI should be limited to concepts and guidance, if you copy and paste from AI, it is cheating. You will be turned in, Turnitin does not show on your end your AI score but does on ours. We CAN SEE IT. Please use this ONLY as a resource as is intended. If you do quote or cite AI, you MUST cite it, just like any other source. This cannot be whole paragraphs or sections of papers.
- You can NOT COPY AND PASTE anything in this class from this class or any other. If you use the same concepts, always rewrite and paraphrase unless you quote or cite yourself just like you would any other APA paper. This cannot be whole paragraphs or sections of papers.
- We will ALWAYS use APA 7th edition for all writing, discussion boards, and PowerPoints.
Please see tip sheet below for helpful tips!
- Please use your paper template for all papers in this course, including the hallmark. They are required to be used. It tells you exactly how many paragraphs are required in each section and what the content of that section is.
- Do not keep the template as a part of the assignment you turn in, delete the template portion for your final paper.
- Please remember generalized paper rules. 5 sentences generally constitute a minimum length paragraph and use complete sentences, do not just place a bunch of periods to make it look like 5 sentences.
- Acronyms …ALWAYS spell out acronyms out the first time you use it followed by the acronym in parenthesis i.e., attention deficit disorder (ADD). Even then, only use acronyms if you will be using that acronym multiple times and if it is important to use. Rule of thumb is: When in doubt… spell it out.
- We are here to help you be successful and we look forward to speaking with you. However, we also believe as an adult student, learning how to use your resources before seeking additional help is a good skill to learn and a good habit to get in to. So, please at minimum watch the video explanations and review your template first, then make a list of things that you still may need help with before making an appointment. It will help us to help you in the best way possible.
- BE VERY CAREFUL if you use sites like full story, course hero, or any other ‘helpful’ sites that have ‘guides’ to students’ old papers. WE SEE IT WORD FOR WORD. YOU WILL BE TURNED IN for plagiarism if you plagiarize. Do not be tempted. Do not just throw it in quotes. I promise you are only the thousandth person to do this. It is unacceptable. If you DO use it as a guide, be careful, only use it as a true example, and do not use parts of the actual paper. We strongly urge you to utilize your writing lab, not another student’s paper for even examples.
- Please review previous paper comments so you do not repeat mistakes in papers. You may have to open the document to do this. This will help increase your grade and help you to understand how you can improve in the future.
- You may NEVER copy and paste from your previous work in this course. Everything must be re-paraphrased. If you use the same references, rewrite the citation. Example referencing and citing your previous work in this course:
Reference Page Format:
Author, (year written). Title [Unpublished manuscript]. Institution.
Reference Page Example:
O’Toole, T. (2019). Types of Research [Unpublished manuscript]. Nightingale College.
In-text Citation Examples:
According to O’Toole (2019)
(O’Toole, 2019).
(O’Toole, 2019, p. 4). – for a quotation include the page or paragraph number.
- Know the difference between QUOTATION and CITATION. They are not the same. Please see APA 7 formatting.
Templates and Review Video Links
Guidelines for a Research Topic *IMPORTANT*
Week 5 paper assignment – Types of Research assignment due in week 5
Types of Research Video explanation of the Assignment
Types of Research (Week 5) Paper Template .docx
Types of Research Paper Example
Week 7 paper assignment – Locating and appraising research paper due in week 7
Locating and Appraising Research Video explanation of the Assignment
Week 7 Paper Template
Locating and Appraising Research Paper Example
Week 9 paper assignment – Research designs paper due in week 9
Research Designs Video explanation of the Assignment
Reserach Designs (Week 9) Template.docx
Research Designs Paper Example
Group assignment Ethical research project.
Your group may pick from 1 of 5 listed topics:
- Tuskegee syphilis study
- Jewish chronic disease hospital study
- Nazi experiments
- Willow Brook Hepatitis study
- Standford Prison Experiment
Video explanation of the assignment
PowerPoint template
Group project example PowerPoint presentation
Group Project Example_ Guatemala STD Experiments.pptx
Hallmark assignment
Guidelines for a Research Topic *IMPORTANT*
Video explanation of the assignment
Hallmark Review Video 2026
Paper template and other docs
Hallmark_Paper_Topics_and_Questions.docx
Hallmark Research Paper Example.docx
Hallmark Template .docx
Hallmark User Template for Learners
Helpful links and information:
Easy Research Source and Reference List Collection:
https://nightingale.instructuremedia.com/embed/9a2371a8-e96a-4086-8f18-d1e14a8e4001
Capstone vs hallmark
https://nightingale.instructuremedia.com/embed/caf59e46-4dfa-49e1-b153-0fddb82080a4
How to Create an APA 7 Formatted Table
https://nightingale.instructuremedia.com/embed/f35eb02d-e247-49be-b7c3-6f07b6068018
Nightingale writing center email
writingcentertutors@nightingale.edu
Perdue Owl APA writing resource
https://owl.purdue.edu/
Can You Use AI? Yes, But…
https://nightingale.instructuremedia.com/embed/659bc12c-dcc9-4dae-b552-c9e26837d862