Title Page, Abstract, Introduction/Thesis, & Reference List The construction of your essay begins this week. You will use the same focused question that you’ve been using all term. We will work on the same essay for the rest of the semester. You should be able to see your essay grow step by step. At the end of the semester, you should have a completed evidence review, and you will have taken an idea from its elemental focused question stage through to a completed, polished science-based evidence review. You should be able to apply both the process (idea — focus — research — synthesis — essay) and the completed essay template to the rest of your courses in the graduate program that require writing. Let’s get started! This week, we begin with the basics: title page, abstract, introduction/thesis, and reference list. Review the handout on formatting the header from Focus 1 and the sample essay in your APA (2010) manual (pp. 41-49) to refresh your memory on formatting these pages. Title Page: 1. Remember, the top of the title page should have the Running head: ABBREVIATED TTILE left justified and the page number right justified. Every subsequent page will have your ABBREVIATED TITLE left justified and the page number right justified. 2. Consider the best title for your essay. Typically, professional titles begin with the general subject, followed by a colon, then a few words that describe your narrowed focus of the general subject. For example, “Genetic and Genomic Healthcare: Ethical Issues of Importance to Nurses” begins with the general topic, followed by a colon, followed by a narrowed focus. 3. Do not use abbreviations in your title. Titles should be no longer than 12 words. 4. Following the title, return once (you should already be in a double-space format) list your name (no degrees). Then, return again, and list your institution (Clarkson College). 5. See p. 23 of your APA (2010) manual for further information. Abstract: 1. The abstract comprises page two of your essay. The abstract is one paragraph of 150-250 words. It is the only paragraph in your essay that is not indented. The word, Abstract, is centered on the top line of the page below the header. 2. The abstract summarizes your essay. It begins with a brief description of the current discussion on the topic, followed by a brief discussion of how your essay joins the discussion (including your methodology, which is an evidence review), followed by a brief allusion to your conclusions, and your recommendations for further study based on the results of your review. 3. It is fine if your abstract changes somewhat as your essay nears completion. As conclusions change and ideas refocus, it is natural that your abstract will need revision. Keep it current with your essay. 4. Below your abstract paragraph, indent once, type the word Keywords: with a colon, and include three to five keywords for indexing your manuscript. 5. See p. 27 of your APA (2010) manual for further information, and see p. 41 of your manual for an illustration. Reference List: 1. The reference list is evenly double spaced. The word, References, appears centered on the top line of the page. 2. References are listed alphabetically according to the first authors’ last names. Do not re-alphabetize authors within a source. They are listed by order of importance, so maintain the published order. Simply alphabetize according to the last name of the first author listed. (Exceptions to this rule are found in section 6.25 of your APA [2010] manual. Use a hanging indent format for each reference citation, meaning the second (and any subsequent) line of each citation is indented once. See an example on p. 59 of your APA manual. 3. Pay special attention to spacing, capitalization, punctuation, and italicization guidelines. APA is finicky about these things, and so are some of your instructors. 4. See p. 37 of your APA manual (2010) for further information on the structure of the reference list. And, see chapter seven for reference citation examples. 5. If you have questions, contact me. If I don’t know the answer, I will find it. ________________________________________ Read the following document on Introductions and Thesis Statements: Getting Started. Essentially, you need to lead into your thesis with a solid introduction. Typically, in professional writing, the introduction broaches the general topic. What is the topic? What is being said about the topic? What is the general consensus by professionals in the field? Then, begin to “turn” into your specific focus on the topic. A turn will usually take the form of a transition (however, moreover, on the other hand, what is not being discussed is, to explore this idea even further, an unexplored area of this topic is, etc.). This turn alerts your reader that they are about to encounter your thesis statement (which is a revised form of your focused question). In short, explain the current professional dialogue on the topic, and explain how your essay will join that dialogue. This is an important concept to learn. Once you learn how to broach and join a professional dialogue, your days of not knowing how to begin an essay are over! One final element you must consider in your introduction: significance of thesis. You must try to address the importance of your topic. This will explain to readers why they should bother reading your essay. Significance can take many forms in a science-based essay, such as timeliness, cost-effectiveness, unexplored diagnoses, varying treatments, etc. The list is endless, but work to alert your reader to the significance of your ideas. Instructions: 1. Your introduction and thesis will likely be about a page long. 2. Remember that your essay is beginning to grow, so this will be on the same document as your title page, abstract, and reference list. Every subsequent writing assignment from here out will be on the same growing document. This will provide practice in how to take an essay from its idea stage to its polished, completed stage. 3. Following the introduction/thesis, answer the following metacognitive questions. Please answer them in green to differentiate them from your essay and my comments. A. How did you lead into your thesis? What was your strategy? Did you use a “turn”? What was it? B. Describe the significance of your thesis. Why is it important? How did you attempt to highlight the significance of your thesis in the introduction of your essay?
