Developing Master’s-Level Writing Skills Nurses are busy. Many develop habits that help them work quickly: writing in short-hand on the job or in text message abbreviations in everyday life. When starting a Master’s program, however, nursing students must use scholarly writing or academic writing. The objective of academic writing, which has a high level of rigor and a specific structure, is to provide clear, concise insights and to support them with evidence. The transition from short hand or casual writing to scholarly writing requires using the five-paragraph essay format. The Five-Paragraph Essay Format The five-paragraph essay format is a classic structure used for building an essay and is helpful in organizing and developing ideas. The basic five-paragraph essay contains the following: · One introductory paragraph to introduce the topic and a thesis statement · Three body paragraphs that support, defend, and develop the topic of the essay · One concluding paragraph to summarize and synthesize the information provided on the topic The body paragraphs can be expanded for a more robust discussion. Please review the American Psychological Association’s (APA) style manual for further guidance in paragraph and sentence development. Planning Your Paragraphs With the “MEAL Plan” Presenting information to your reader in a clear and concise manner requires writing organized and effective paragraphs. Paragraphing is a core skill in building paraphrase that convey mastery of your academic writing abilities. Students at Duke University are encouraged to think of a paragraph as a complete MEAL that includes a Main idea, Evidence, Analysis, and a Link. Understanding the MEAL Plan will provide you with an effective strategy to ensure each paragraph contains a main idea, evidence to support the idea, analysis of evidence, and a link of the information to what already exists and to the next topic in the discussion. M – The Main Idea Every paragraph should have one main idea. If you find that your paragraphs have more than one main idea, separate your paragraphs so that each has only one main point. The idea behind a paragraph is to introduce an idea and expand on it. If you veer off into a new topic, begin a new paragraph. E – Evidence (or Examples) Your main idea needs support, either in the form of evidence that buttresses your argument or examples that explain your idea. If you don’t have any evidence or examples to support your main idea, your idea may not be strong enough to warrant a complete paragraph. In this case, re-evaluate your idea and see whether you need even to keep it in the paper. A – Analysis Analysis is the heart of academic writing. While your readers want to see evidence or examples of your idea, the real “meat” of your idea is your interpretation of your evidence or examples: how you break them apart, compare them to other ideas, use them to build a persuasive case, demonstrate their strengths or weaknesses, and so on. Analysis i.

1. Developing Master’s-Level Writing Skills
Nurses are busy. Many develop habits that help them work
quickly: writing in short-hand on the job or in text message
abbreviations in everyday life. When starting a Master’s
program, however, nursing students must use scholarly
writing or academic writing. The objective of academic writing,
which has a high level of rigor and a specific structure, is to
provide clear, concise insights and to support them with
evidence. The transition from short hand or casual writing to
scholarly writing requires using the five-paragraph essay
format.
The Five-Paragraph Essay Format
The five-paragraph essay format is a classic structure used for
building an essay and is helpful in organizing and developing
ideas.
The basic five-paragraph essay contains the following:
· One introductory paragraph to introduce the topic and a thesis
statement
· Three body paragraphs that support, defend, and develop the
topic of the essay
· One concluding paragraph to summarize and synthesize the
information provided on the topic
The body paragraphs can be expanded for a more robust
discussion. Please review the American Psychological
Association’s (APA) style manual for further guidance in
paragraph and sentence development.
Planning Your Paragraphs With the “MEAL Plan”
Presenting information to your reader in a clear and concise
manner requires writing organized and effective paragraphs.
Paragraphing is a core skill in building paraphrase that convey
mastery of your academic writing abilities. Students at Duke
University are encouraged to think of a paragraph as a

2. complete MEAL that includes a Main idea, Evidence, Analysis,
and a Link. Understanding the MEAL Plan will provide you
with an effective strategy to ensure each paragraph contains a
main idea, evidence to support the idea, analysis of evidence,
and a link of the information to what already exists and to the
next topic in the discussion.
M – The Main Idea
Every paragraph should have one main idea. If you find that
your paragraphs have more than one main idea, separate your
paragraphs so that each has only one main point. The idea
behind a paragraph is to introduce an idea and expand on it. If
you veer off into a new topic, begin a new paragraph.
E – Evidence (or Examples)
Your main idea needs support, either in the form of evidence
that buttresses your argument or examples that explain your
idea. If you don’t have any evidence or examples to support
your main idea, your idea may not be strong enough to warrant
a complete paragraph. In this case, re-evaluate your idea and
see whether you need even to keep it in the paper.
A – Analysis
Analysis is the heart of academic writing. While your readers
want to see evidence or examples of your idea, the real “meat”
of your idea is your interpretation of your evidence or
examples: how you break them apart, compare them to other
ideas, use them to build a persuasive case, demonstrate their
strengths or weaknesses, and so on. Analysis is especially
important if your evidence (E) is a quote from another author.
Always follow a quote with your analysis of the quote,
demonstrating how that quote helps you to make your case. If
you let a quote stand on its own, then the author of that quote
will have a stronger voice in your paragraph (and maybe even
your paper) than you will.
L – Link Back to the Larger Claim
Linking one idea to another helps your reader to see how your
paragraphs fit together. When you end a paragraph, try to
connect that idea to something else in your paper, such as your

3. thesis or argument, the previous paragraph or main idea, or the
following paragraph. Creating links will help your reader
understand the logic and organization of your paper, as well as
the logic and organization of your argument or main points.
Rigor
Rigor does not refer to whether an essay uses an elevated
vocabulary or has impeccable grammar, but, rather, it is
determined by how well ideas are expressed and supported by
compelling evidence.
Low-rigor indicators
High-rigor indicators
· Vague ideas or clichés
· Sweeping generalizations
· Exaggerations
· Stating the obvious or well-known information as if it were a
new insight
· Unsupported assertions and opinions
· Inadequate explanations
· Insufficient use of examples
· Lack of analysis of researched material
· Specific facts and ideas supported by research
· Explanations of key concepts
· Examples to illustrate ideas
· Analysis that explains, interprets, or synthesizes researched
material
· New information or insights
Make sure to use specific facts supported by research. Always
proofread and revise your work until the paper is well
organized, your phrasing is precise, and the information flows
from one point to another in a logical manner.
Writing Resources
For assistance with scholarly writing, please visit the Center for
Writing Excellence, attend a Live Writing Lab, or get Writing
Help on PhoenixConnect.

4. Student Code of Academic Integrity
University of Phoenix is an academic community whose
fundamental mission is the pursuit of intellectual growth.
Achievement of this mission is dependent upon the development
of autonomous thought and respect for the ideas of others.
Academic dishonesty threatens the integrity of individual
students as well as the University’s academic community. By
virtue of membership in the University’s academic community,
students accept a responsibility to abide by this Student Code of
Academic Integrity, which is a part of the Student Code of
Conduct.
Academic integrity violations include all forms of academic
dishonesty, including but not limited to:
a. Plagiarism – Intentional or unintentional representation of
another’s words or ideas as one’s own in an academic exercise.
Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to:
● The exact copy of information from a source without proper
citation and without use of quotation marks or block quotation
formatting. If any words or ideas used in a class posting or
assignment submission do not represent the student’s original
words or ideas, the student must distinguish them with
quotation marks or a freestanding, indented block quotation (for
a quotation of 40 or more words), followed by the appropriate
citation in accordance with the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association. When a student copies
information from a source, he or she must acknowledge the
source with quotation marks or block quotes irrespective of
whether or not the source has been formally published.
● Paraphrasing statements, paragraphs, or other bodies of work
without proper citation using someone else’s ideas, data,
language, and/or arguments without acknowledgement.
● Presenting work as the student’s own that has been prepared
in whole or part by someone other than that particular student.
This includes the purchase and/or sharing of work.
● Failure to properly cite and reference statistics, data, or

5. other sources of information that are used in one’s submission.
b. Self-plagiarism, double dipping, or dovetailing – Submission
of work that has been prepared for a different course without
fair citation of the original work and prior approval of faculty.
Students who submit assignments that were previously
submitted in another course are subject to the same
consequences they would face if they plagiarized these
assignments. The use of one’s previous work in an assignment
requires prior approval from the current faculty member and
citation of the previous work.
c. Fabrication – Falsification or invention of any information,
citation, data, or document.
This includes the invention or alteration of data or results, or
relying on another source’s results in any assignment without
proper acknowledgement of that source. Fabrication includes
citing sources that the student has not actually used or
consulted.
d. Unauthorized Assistance – Use of materials or information
not authorized by the faculty member to complete an academic
exercise, or the completion of an academic exercise by someone
other than the student.
Students must rely upon their own abilities and refrain from
obtaining assistance in any manner that faculty does not
explicitly allow. This includes but is not limited to providing or
receiving answers to an exam, use of faculty materials or
answer keys, or a student having someone take his or her exam.
e. Copyright infringement – Acquisition or use of copyrighted
works without appropriate legal license or permission.
f. Misrepresentation – Falsely representing the student’s
situation to faculty when (1) justifying an absence or the need
for an incomplete grade; or (2) requesting a makeup exam, a
special due date, or extension of a syllabus or class deadline for
submitting a course requirement.
g. Collusion – Helping or allowing another student to commit
any act of academic dishonesty.

6. Services in the Center for Writing Excellence
The Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) provides a range of
services and resources to help improve your writing skills,
including tutorials and guides, WritePoint® Powered by
Grammarly®, and Plagiarism Checker.
Plagiarism Checker and the Turnitin® Originality Report
University of Phoenix values academic honesty and integrity in
student work. The Plagiarism Checker is an automated tool that
enables students and faculty to ensure originality in student
work. Students and faculty may submit papers to the CWE and
use the Plagiarism Checker to identify unoriginal material.
Every paper students submit to the Plagiarism Checker is
returned in the form of a customized Turnitin® Originality
Report. This report identifies exact word matches with
previously published materials and helps students monitor the
originality of submitted papers.
WritePoint® Powered by Grammarly®
WritePoint® Powered by Grammarly® is an automated system
providing basic grammar and formatting feedback to students in
their written work. Papers submitted for a WritePoint® Powered
by Grammarly® review may be processed and returned to
students within a few minutes.
Follow these steps to access the WritePoint® Powered by
Grammarly® service:
Access Tutorials and Guides
Follow the steps below to access these writing resources:
1. Log on to eCampus.
2. Enter your username and password.
3. Click Library.
4. Select the Center for Writing Excellence.