Identifies concept under study. Describes why the concept is important to nursing according to nursing literature and personal opinion.

Concept discussed in an organized, clear way with support from nursing literature.

Concept identified but discussion is disorganized without well-constructed ideas.

Concept unclear and not supported by literature.

Explain how the concept is incorporated into your nursing practice.

Incorporation clearly discussed using examples from own practice. Logical flow of ideas.

Discussion incorporates the concept into practice, but examples are not used or fully illustrate the concept.

No details and/or examples are given. Unclear how concept applies to practice.

Explore how you will continue to gain knowledge of the concept as you progress in your nursing education and practice. Includes a detailed and measurable plan for how learning will occur.

Discussed plan for learning about the concept in a thorough and realistic way.   Plan is achievable and relevant.

Explanation unclear and without clearly identified plan for learning.

Explanation unclear and without learning plan.

Describe at least two outside sources of quality information that could help you to advance your knowledge of your topic. This could include professional journals or professional organizations. How could these outside sources of information help you to build your knowledge basis for professional practice?

Includes at least two outside sources of information and explains their relevance and application in acquiring professional knowledge.

Includes at least two outside sources of information, but  explanation of relevance and application in acquiring professional knowledge is not clear.

Includes fewer than two outside sources of information.

What potential barriers do you anticipate as you continue to learn about your topic? Barriers could include time constraints, monetary constraints, lack of support for continued learning, etc. How will you address these barriers?

Identifies several potential barriers and includes a detailed plan of how to address the barriers.

Identifies one barrier and potential plans for overcoming them.

Has not identified barriers or plan to incorporate them is poor and lacks detail.

Uses at least four professional references, two of which are articles published in professional nursing journals within the last five years. Professional references include things such as nursing journals, books, .edu and .gov sites. Organizations such as ANA, and other nursing or health related national organizations are also acceptable. Uses APA format that includes a title page and reference page.

Uses correct spelling and grammar.  Don’t forget to run the spellcheck as a last step before submitting. Note: Must use the headings for all areas noted above in the rubric or lose 10 points.

Uses at least four professional references cited correctly in the paper.

APA formatting uses correct font (Times New Roman, 12 point font), title page,  spacing, and use of references and headings when needed. Correct spelling.

Less than four professional references used.

APA is mainly correct with correct font (Times New Roman, 12 point font), title page,  spacing, and use of references and headings when needed. Spelling is correct. No more than 5 major errors in the paper.

No references used or references not from professional sources.

APA is minimally correct. Greater than five major errors in paper. Major errors are incorrect citations, multiple misspellings, and incorrect grammar usage.