Essay & Report Formatting Guidelines

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Diploma of Health Care – Griffith College
Essay & Report Formatting Guidelines
These formatting guidelines are to be used together with the Assessment Descriptor for
each course.
To remain consistent with APA 7th Edition conventions, all Diploma of
Health Care written essay/report style assignments must be formatted using the following
rules:
Margins: 2.54 left, right, top and bottom (this is the pre-set default margin setting)
Font Type: ‘Times New Roman’
Font Size: 12-point font only with no larger fonts used for headings (if used).
Line Spacing: Double line spacing should be used throughout the assignment and on the
reference list with no additional spaces between paragraph, assignment ‘sections’ or listed
references. New paragraphs or sections are indicated by indenting of the first line of each new
paragraph (see example on page 4).
Indenting: Each new paragraph should be indented 5-7 spaces (or one Tab space) (see
example on page 4).
Justification: No justification of text on right hand margin. Justify the left side of text in the
body of essay/report except for indents required for the first lines of each new paragraph (see
example on page 4).
Page Numbers: Page numbers should be inserted in the upper right-hand side of the page
header flush against the margin. Page numbers should start on the Title Page (starting at 1)
and should be formatted with just the page number (see example on page 4).
Assignment Title: Devise a suitably descriptive assignment title to include on the title page.
An example is: Health assessment in health promotion, illness prevention and patient care.
Footer: Your student number is to be inserted into the footer of the document on the
right- h a n d side of the page (to assist with identification of lost pages if submission
errors occur) (see example on page 5).
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Title Page: Include a title page with the following information. See example on page 4
below.
• Student Name:
• Essay/Report title:
• Word count: (excluding title page and reference list)
Note: Your title page will also have a page number in the header (starting at ‘1’) and your
student number in the footer as detailed above.
Word Count: Word counts will comprise text material contained in the body of the written
assignment. This will include all in-text citations, quotations, and any headings (if used).
Information presented in tables or figures within the main body of the assignment in addition
to information included outside of the main body of the assignment (e.g. title page, reference
list, presentation table) will NOT contribute to the word count.
Please Note: You must adhere to the stipulated word count for your assignment. Assignments
which go over this stated limit will be penalised.
Referencing: You will have the opportunity to attend scheduled teaching sessions during
5902GCH, 1020GCH, 1803NRS and 1806NRS early in the trimester and have access to
guidelines regarding required in-text and end-of-text referencing conventions using APA 7th
ed.
Once you have your s-number and login you will also have access to the Griffith University
referencing tool available through he following link:
https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/reference_tool/index-core.php Please use the APA 7
Reference Style.
Here is a screenshot of the page you are looking for:
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Headings: Headings are generally used more in research reports than in essays. The
following rules should be followed to format headings if used.
Note: In general, if you are using headings in an essay, you will format them using ‘Level 2’
heading guidelines (see table below).

The above table has been adapted from the APA Style Guide to Electronic References (2012).
Serial Comma: APA conventions require the use of a comma between elements in a series of
three or more items. This is known as a ‘serial comma’. For example:
Examining height, width, and depth indicated that ……..
Use of numbers in assignment text:
• Numbers between zero and nine should be represented in words. For example:
o There were five experimental groups in the trial.
• Numbers ten and above should be represented in numerical format. For example:
o A total of 47 participants took part in the pilot test.
Assignment Submissions: All students are required to submit all essays and reports in the
Diploma of Health Care through TURNITIN. On each course site where you are asked to
submit a written assignment you will find a link to complete your submission. Before
uploading your assignment you will be prompted to answer questions to ensure that your
work is your own and meets the Academic Integrity requirements of Griffith College.
*************************************
These guidelines have been adapted with permission from the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Griffith University Writing & Referencing
Guide: https://sites.google.com/a/griffith.edu.au/nursing-writing-and-referencing-guide/Assignment-Presentation-Formatting-Guidelines
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1
Student Name: Maria Lee
Essay title: Health assessment in health promotion, illness prevention and patient care
Word count: 1198 words (excluding title page and reference list)

Insert your student number in the
‘footer’ of the document
MARLE5678
Insert page numbers in the upper
right hand corner of the page in the
‘Header’
Title page
EXAMPLE ONLY
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Double-spaced, Times New Roman’,
12 point font
2
Page
Reasons for employing a technically rational approach to patient care and adherence
and protocol in new graduate nurses can be explained by Benner’s theory of skill
(2001). This is a characteristic of the ‘Novice’ nurse who relies on rules that are
of specific patient situations and are commonly applied to perform tasks (Valdez
Such behaviour is limited and inflexible (Benner 2001) and is commonly reported in
numbers in
‘header’ of
every page
ate Nurses (NGNs) as they attempt to fit in with the culture of the unit in which
ced (Malouf & West 2011). Altmann (2007, p. 115) further identifies that during
acquisition, nurses view situations in ‘multiple fragments’ and as ‘detached
This could explain the observation of the low engagement of these Saudi NGNs.
categories emerged from the needs analysis with associated issues identified in the
process to transition NGNs into clinical practise. These findings, which are
in Table 1, raised two questions. How could these new graduate nurses most
be supported to work safely and independently in this complex tertiary
staffed predominantly by expatriate nurses? What resources are needed to
Do not justify
the right side
of your text
NGNs to progress along Benner’s (2001) continuum towards competence and later
nursing practise?
‘Artful questioning’ was a central creative facilitation technique employed by NGDP
staff. This is similar to Paul and Elders’ (2008) idea of Socratic questioning. It was most
effective when the role of coach was adopted. Here NGDP staff provided guidance and
encouragement by facilitating goal setting; meeting to discuss individual challenges; and
clarifying learner’s priorities and their role as novice nurses. McCormack et al. (1999)
recognize that such coaching provides focused guidance for the learner as the facilitator
probes, explores and challenges conceptual understandings, assumptions, inferences and
implications for practise.
No spaces
extra spaces
between
paragraphs
Reference used with permission:
Fielden, J. M (2012). Managing the transition of
Saudi new graduate nurses into clinical practice in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Nursing
Management, 20, 28-37.
Student ID
number in
‘footer’ of
every page MARLE5678

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