English 101

Assignment Guide: The Compare/Contrast Essay

Assignment Prompt

For this assignment, you will be writing a 
compare/
contrast essay–an 
exploratory piece of writing in which you attempt to show readers how two topics are similar, different, or a combination of the two: both similar and different. Whether you 
focus exclusively on comparing, exclusively on contrasting, or a mix of both, is totally up to you. However, regardless of which approach you decide to take, you will want to include a strong 
thesis/
claim statement, at least three effective 
supporting points, and a streamlined 
point-by-point organizational strategy

Assignment-Specific Requirements:

Length: This assignment should be at least 750 words. 


Thesis

Underline your 
thesis statement or the main 
claim of your essay.

Sources Needed: Two reliable and 
credible sources are required for this assignment. Be sure to use 
MLA guidelines for all in-text and 
Works Cited citations. 

While we encourage you to acquire sources from Gale’s Opposing Viewpoints, you may access credible, 
scholarly sources from other resources.  Tertiary sources, such as online encyclopedias, dictionaries and Wikipedia, are not 
scholarly sources, and should not be cited within your work; however, they may offer helpful foundational information as you develop your understanding of an issue. (For more information, please review Berkley University’s resource on scholarly and popular sources: 
“Evaluating Resources.”)

Page Formatting: See 
Appendix C – Formatting and Submitting Your Work


MLA

 Requirements: See 
Formatting your Essay: MLA 8th Edition

Rhetorical Mode

Compare/
contrast essays are both creative and 
analytical in nature. They are typically more formal than a personal narrative in the sense that they are written from a 
third-person perspective, where a writer is not injecting their own opinion directly using “I” or “me” 
language

To prove points–
compare/
contrast essays rely on 
researched evidence, and not personal opinion or experience, per se. When you choose two topics, you will have numerous options for comparing and contrasting them–much more than you can actually use in a single paper. Therefore, you will need to decide what elements are worth comparing and contrasting, and why. This is the seek and discover part of the essay, but also the creative part. For example, another writer may choose the same two topics as you, but their essay may rest entirely on 
thesis and 
supporting points. When you limit your 
supporting points to those points you think you can prove most effectively, you are maximizing your creative and 
analytical writing abilities.  

Rhetorical Considerations

Purpose:

Remember that this is an 
exploratory paper: The piece of writing should show readers, through the inclusion of careful detail and specifics, and strong 
supporting points, how your two topics are similar, different, or a combination of the two: similar and different. 

Audience:

The 
compare/
contrast essay is written for someone else–either a single 
reader or a community of readers. When choosing the points you want to use to show readers that your topics are similar, different, or a combination of the two, you should keep this 
audience in mind, making sure that you are choosing the most effective points possible to show how your two topics are similar or different.     

In this instance, you are writing to show readers that your two topics are similar, different, or a combination of the two (similar and different). Keep this 
audience in mind by emphasizing the 
compare/
contrast 
claims throughout the essay. 

Form:

This is a formal writing project, written in 
third-person, relying on strong 
organizational strategies, integrating 
researched evidence, and following 
MLA formatting guidelines. 

Six Features of a 
Compare and 
Contrast Essay

1.

Compare

/

Contrast

 

Thesis

Contains a strong and succinct 
thesis/
claim statement that outlines whether the two topics are similar, different, or a combination of the two, and at least three 
supporting points that can boost that 
claim. A sample 
compare/
contrast 
thesis might look like this:

Although curriculum A and curriculum B are similar in their student success goals, they are very different when it comes to their structure, topics, and scoring. 

2.

Transition

s: Utilizes 
transitional words and phrases that help the 
audience (or 
reader) move more easily from idea to idea, sentence to sentence, and paragraph to paragraph.  

1. *Note–
transitions do not only occur in topic sentences but throughout the essay. When you are moving from one idea to the next, whether between two sentences or between two paragraphs, you will want to include 
language that can help bridge your ideas (and sentences/paragraphs). Some examples might be “in addition to,” “next.”  

3.

Compare

/

Contrast

 Signals: In addition to more typical 
transitional words and phrases, this essay should also include 
compare/
contrast specific signals, emphasizing for readers how and why your topics are alike or different. Here are some example: 

1. similar: in addition, by comparison, similarly

2. different: however, in 
contrast, differing from

4.

Point-by-Point Organizational Strategy

The essay should follow the point-by-point approach to showcase the use of 
transitions, 
synthesize your own 
supporting points with 
researched evidence, and build a fully developed essay with an 
introduction, several body paragraphs, and a 
conclusion. For this kind of 
organization, you will create a 
topic sentence for each 
body paragraph that outlines a 
compare/
contrast point regarding both topics and use the 
body paragraph to show readers how your two topics are similar, different, or similar and different. 

5.
Reliable and 

Credible Sources

The essay should integrate at least two reliable and 
credible sources (also known as “
scholarly sources”) to help prove the 
compare/
contrast 
claims to readers and to boost or substantiate the 
supporting points that you have created for your two topics. 


Proofreading

 and 

Revising

As with any writing project, the final draft of this essay should be carefully reviewed for clarity and correctness. This includes checking 
word choice
sentence structure
organization
transitions/coherence, and 
MLA formatting.

Choosing a Topic for Your 
Compare/
Contrast Essay

Selecting the right topic is an important step in ensuring your success in writing a 

Compare

/

Contrast

 essay. You’ll want to choose a topic that has the following features:

· Of interest to you

· Relevant

· Current

· Debatable 

· Well-researched

·
Narrow in scope

· Academic or “scholarly” in nature

Topics to avoid, as they are either too complex to 

compare

 and/or 

contrast

 in a single essay, or not considered appropriate for an academic or scholarly argument, are as follows:


For/against . . .

· The death penalty

· Euthanasia or self-assisted death

· Abortion 

· The (il)legalization of drugs (e.g. marijuana) 

· Religion or religious readings (e.g. existence of a higher order/being, or life after death)

· Gun rights/rules

· Global warming 

Please do not select one of the above topics, as your essay may be returned without grading, and you will be asked to rewrite it. 

Need assignment ideas?  

Take a look at this valuable resource from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Writing Center: 
 Topic Ideas

assessment-2 4030

Assessment 2

Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources

Instructions-Develop a 2-4 page scholarly paper in which you describe a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis, and then identify and analyze credible evidence that could be used as the basis for applying EBP to the issue.

Introduction

The goal of using evidence-based research findings is to enhance safety and quality of patient care and ensure optimal outcomes are achieved. It is not uncommon to hear a nurse say, “why change it as we’ve always done it this way.” However, this is no longer acceptable in today's practice environment. The profession of nursing has evolved, and the expectation is that the professional nurse has a scientific foundation to support the care that is provided. As the profession of nursing continues to evolve and engage in health care transformation, baccalaureate-prepared nurses are expanding taking on leadership roles that include incorporating EBPs. To be able to do this, the nurse needs to understand the criteria and makes a resource credible, as this is crucial when deciding if the research is valid and reliable for implementation into health care settings. The nurse will need to incorporate the use of evidence-based practice models. EBP models are designed to assist the nurse in developing a plan to gather evidence to answer a practice problem or question. It is a systematic approach to direct the user to incorporate scholarly findings into current practice. These EBP models lead the nurse through the decision-making process of evaluating the literature to determine the best practice evidence for the practice issue or question.

It would be an excellent choice to complete the Vila Health Determining the Credibility of Evidence activity prior to developing the report. The activity is a media simulation that offers an opportunity to review a scenario and work on determining the credibility of presented evidence. These skills will be necessary to complete Assessment 2 successfully. This media simulation is one potential source of context on which to base your assessment submission. This will take just a few minutes of your time and is not graded.

Professional Context

As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will be responsible for locating and identifying credible and scholarly resources to incorporate the best available evidence for the purposes of enhancing clinical reasoning and judgement skills. When reliable and relevant evidence-based findings are utilized, patients, health care systems, and nursing practice outcomes are positively impacted.

Scenario For this assessment, you may choose from the following options as the context for the quality or safety issue or chosen diagnosis/health issue for researching and completing this assessment:

· The specific diagnosis/health issue you identified in your previous assessment.

· The simulation Vila Health: Determining the Credibility of Evidence.

· A personal practice experience in which a sentinel event occurred.

Instructions- The purpose of this analysis is to better understand what constitutes credibility of journal articles as well as websites. The role of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse in incorporating evidence-based research continues to growth in clinical practice. As quality improvement (QI) measures to reduce safety risks continue to be emphasized, the need for evidence-based models and evidence-based templates is growing. This type of systematic approach to incorporating evidence-based findings allows nurses to make clinical and operational decisions based upon the best available evidence. When the most up-to-date evidence-based findings are utilized, patient-centered care improves outcomes and enhances the patient experience.

Below is a quick review table of several well-known Evidence-Based Practice Models used to guide exploration:

Evidence-Based Practice Models

Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice

Stetler Model

Ottawa Model

PARiHS (Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services) Model

ACE (Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice) Star Model

ARCC (Advancing Research and Clinical Practice Through Close Collaboration) Mode

John Hopkins Model

KTA (Knowledge-to-Action) Model

For this assessment:

· Explain the criteria that should be used when determining the credibility of journal articles as well as websites.

· Support your explanations with references to the literature or research articles that describe criteria that should be used to determine credibility.

· Your identification and determination of credibility should be done within the context of your chosen scenario for this assessment. For example, if you choose to use the provided Vila Health scenario, your initial identification of resources should be of resources that will best help address the presented issue. However, if you are locating resources to help provide evidence-based care for the diagnosis/health care issue you identified in the first assessment, you may want to begin your literature and evidence search from the databases that were identified. Any of the three scenario options are acceptable. So, pick the one that most interests you.

Be sure to address the following in this assessment, which correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so that you will know what is needed for a distinguished score.

· Describe a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis, that could benefit from an evidence-based approach.

· Explain criteria that should be considered when determining credibility of resources such as journal articles and websites.

· Analyze the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources within the context of a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis.

· This is where you are selecting the specific resources to help address the issue in your chosen scenario.

· Identify the Evidence-Based Practice model and explain the importance of incorporating credible evidence into the EBP model used to address a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis/health care issue. Review the literature below and choose the appropriate model for your diagnosis/health care issue.

·

Selecting a model for evidence-based practice changes. [PDF]
 and 

Evidence-Based Practice Models
 help explain the various evidence-based nursing models.

· Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional with correct grammar and spelling using current APA style.

Additional Requirements

Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

·
Length of submission:
 2-4-page scholarly paper, this does not include the APA-formatted title page and reference list.

·
Number of references:
 Cite 3-5 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than five years old.

·
APA formatting:
 References and citations are formatted according to current APA style.

Portfolio Prompt: Remember to save the final assessment to your ePortfolio so that you may refer to it as you complete the final capstone course.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

· Competency 2: Analyze the relevance and potential effectiveness of evidence when making a decision.

· Explain criteria that should be considered when determining credibility of resources such as journal articles and websites.

· Analyze the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources within the context of a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis.

· Competency 3: Apply an evidence-based practice model to address a practice issue.

· Identify an evidence-based practice model (such as Iowa, Stetler, John Hopkins, etc.) and explain the importance of incorporating credible evidence into an EBP model used to address a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis/health care issue.

· Competency 4: Plan care based on the best available evidence.

· Describe a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis, that could benefit from an evidence-based approach.

· Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication strategies to lead practice changes based on evidence.

· Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.

· Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.

Scoring Guide

Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated

Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources Scoring Guide

CRITERIA

NON-PERFORMANCE

BASIC

PROFICIENT

DISTINGUISHED

Describe a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis, that could benefit from an evidence-based approach.

Explain criteria that should be considered when determining credibility of resources such as journal articles and websites.

Analyze the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources within the context of a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis.

Identify an evidence-based practice model (such as John Hopkins, Stetler, Iowa, etc.) and explain the importance of incorporating credible evidence into an EBP model used to address a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis/health care issue.

Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.

Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.



WEEK 8 RN CAPSTONE POST REPLY

Reflecting on Your Nursing Destiny

Discussion post reply

Hello class!

As I approach the culmination of my nursing career, I am excited about the various ways in which I can contribute to service both within my organization and community, while also considering the global impact of my nursing areas of interest and professional development. One area from the Recommendations list in the lesson that I find particularly significant is the emphasis on “Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.”

1. Contribution to Service:

Within my organization:
-Mentorship and Education: I would take on the role of a mentor for new nurses, sharing my experience and knowledge to help them navigate the challenges of healthcare delivery. This would involve providing guidance on patient care, critical thinking, and professional development.
– Process Improvement: Drawing from my years of experience, I could actively participate in quality improvement initiatives. By identifying inefficiencies and suggesting evidence-based changes, I can contribute to enhancing patient outcomes and the overall healthcare delivery process.

Within my community:
– Health Workshops: Collaborating with local community centers and schools, I could conduct workshops on health promotion and disease prevention. Empowering individuals with knowledge about healthy lifestyles, nutrition, and preventive measures can lead to healthier communities.
– Screening Camps: Organizing health screening camps in underserved areas could aid in the early detection of health issues. This proactive approach aligns with the principle of prevention, potentially reducing the burden on healthcare facilities in the long run.

2. Global Impact of Nursing Areas:

Given my interest in telemedicine and healthcare technology:
– Telemedicine Outreach: I envision participating in global telemedicine initiatives, connecting with remote and underserved populations to provide healthcare consultation and guidance. This could bridge the gap in access to medical expertise and improve health outcomes in areas with limited resources.
– Health Tech Advocacy: As technology continues to shape healthcare, I would advocate for the responsible integration of health tech solutions globally. This includes ensuring data privacy, promoting digital literacy among healthcare providers, and making sure technological advancements are accessible and equitable.

3. Expanding Roles of Nurses:

The area from the Recommendation list that resonates with me is “Policy Advocacy and Leadership.” Nurses are uniquely positioned to influence healthcare policy due to their frontline experience and holistic perspective on patient care. As a nurse leader, I would actively engage in advocating for policy changes that improve healthcare delivery, increase patient access to services, and enhance nursing practice. This might involve collaborating with healthcare policymakers, participating in discussions on healthcare reform, and being a voice for the nursing community.

In conclusion, I am committed to contributing to service within my organization, community, and the global healthcare landscape. By focusing on health promotion and disease prevention, embracing telemedicine and healthcare technology, and advocating for policy changes, I aim to make a positive impact on patient outcomes, healthcare accessibility, and nursing practice at large.

( Saundra)

Repply to 2 classmated posts

 Reply to at least two classmates’ posts. Your response to your  classmate’s discussion should be around 50 words (each) and add to the  discussion (i.e. reflecting on their response, asking questions, etc.). 

repply to Jennifer and to a Juvenal

intervention plan design to improve the quality of outcomes for your target population and setting. related to combating or preventing veterans homelessness

Develop a 4-6 page holistic intervention plan design to improve the quality of outcomes for your target population and setting.TOPIC: combating and preventing veterans homelessness

ntroduction

Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

Your application of the PICOT approach to developing your problem statement and the research that you conducted and synthesized in your literature review are the foundation and framework that you will need to successfully build your intervention plan. This plan will lay out specific components of the intervention you are planning to address the need you have identified for the target population and setting. You will justify your approach to the intervention plan by integrating appropriate theoretical foundations. You will also analyze and address the needs of stakeholders, requirements of regulatory bodies, and ethical and legal considerations. It is important to have a sound intervention plan design in place before trying to work on the details of implementation and evaluation.

Preparations

  • Read Guiding Questions: Intervention Plan Design [DOC]. This document is designed to give you questions to consider and additional guidance to help you successfully complete this assessment.
  • As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
    • What theoretical nursing models, strategies from other disciplines, and health care technologies could help support or justify your approach to the intervention plan?
    • What evidence from the literature or best practice supports the intervention plan components you identified?
    • What, if any, potential is there for technology to help in the development or implementation of the intervention plan components?
    • What is the impact of stakeholders, health care policy, or regulations?
    • Are there any ethical or legal considerations related to the development or implementation of the intervention plan components that need to be kept in mind? If so, what are they?

Instructions

Note: The assessments in this course are sequenced in such a way as to help you build specific skills that you will use throughout your program. Complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented.

You intervention plan design will be the second section of your final project submission. The goal for this is to design a holistic plan that should be able to improve the quality of outcomes for your target population and setting. Provide enough detail so that the faculty member assessing your intervention plan design will be able to provide substantive feedback that you will be able to incorporate into the other project components in this course, as well as into the final draft of your project.

At minimum, be sure to address the bullet points below, as they correspond to the grading criteria. You may also want to read the scoring guide and Guiding Questions: Intervention Plan Design document (linked above) to better understand how each criterion will be assessed. In addition to the bullet points below, provide a brief introduction that refreshes the reader’s memory about your problem statement and the setting and context for this intervention plan.

Reminder: these instructions are an outline. Your heading for this this section should be Intervention Plan Components and not Part 1: Intervention Plan Components.

Part 1: Intervention Plan Components
  • Define the major components of an intervention plan for a health promotion, quality improvement, prevention, education, or management need.
  • Explain the impact of cultural needs and characteristics of a target population and setting on the development of intervention plan components.
Part 2: Theoretical Foundations
  • Evaluate theoretical nursing models, strategies from other disciplines, and health care technologies relevant to an intervention plan.
  • Justify the major components of an intervention by referencing relevant and contemporary evidence from the literature and best practices.
Part 3: Stakeholders, Policy, and Regulations
  • Analyze the impact of stakeholder needs, health care policy, regulations, and governing bodies relevant to health care practice and specific components of an intervention plan.
Part 4: Ethical and Legal Implications
  • Analyze relevant ethical and legal issues related to health care practice, organizational change, and specific components of an intervention plan.
Address Generally Throughout
  • Communicate intervention plan in a professional way that helps the audience to understand the proposed intervention.

Supplemental activity

  1. Use of prednisone in childhood severe asthma.
  2. Metformin and lactic acidosis.
  3. Congestive heart failure therapy with a diuretic medication.
  4. Immunization schedule/catch-up vaccination in childhood -until 12 years old.
  5. Type 2 diabetes mellitus and bile acid sequestrant.
  6. Urge incontinence or overactive bladder diagnoses and management.
  7. Dosing regimen principles in a pediatric population. 
  8. Testing for type 2 diabetes in all adults.

Ssdcsd

  • Explain how research has evolved since the Florence Nightingale era.
  • Discuss how research and EBP are different; include how you believe research supports EBP for nursing.
  • Describe one past/historical unethical breach of research conduct; then, share how you would ensure care of a study participant using one ethical or legal research consideration (guideline/principle).

Health promotion week 2 discussion

Health Promotion

Week 2 Discussion (USLOs 2.1, 2.3, 2.5)

Like you have learned with nursing theory, behavior change theories and models provide a framework for developing effective health promotion activities. Include the following in your initial post:

· Introduce a behavior change theory or model. Include the name and key concepts of the theory or model.

· Discuss your rationale for choosing this theory or model.

· How can this theory or model be used to address the Healthy People topic and objective you are choosing for the remainder of the course assignments?

Additional Instructions

Please note that you need to support your post with a scholarly source that is referenced using APA format and include in-text citations where you are using the referenced material in your post.