Nursing Theory & Ethical Writing

The ancient, Old Testament leader, Solomon , writes in Ecclesiastes 1:9, "That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun (NASB)." It could be said, that this is an ancient way of stating, "There is no such thing as an original thought." Sadly, I cannot reference that little quotable quote's source. But, if I were writing a professional paper, I would "google" it, or search through a Quotable-Quotes book to find the source, if possible. Because as much as that thought has become mine, in many ways, I am fairly certain I heard it said, before I said it or wrote it anywhere!

It is a wise thing to remember, when doing papers for class, that much of the thinking done about nursing, and nursing theory, what nursing actions are used, how patients respond to nursing actions, projected outcomes, or nearly anything about what nursing is about.... that you probably heard it, learned it or read it someplace before you created your idea related to that thought. A wise student will refence Nursing Diagnosis handbooks, or current text books, anything that supports that the student has verified what they are saying, and not trying to make a statement that they are the only nurse in all of the US who has thought about their topic the way they are thinking! Why am I telling you all of this?

• It is important that each of us attempt to clarify to ourselves and others, how we put together the thoughts we share in writing; especially when that writing will receive accolades, or criticism in review by others, including college faculty.
• The statement that Indiana Weslyan asks students to make about plagarism is NOT just a statement to gloss over as if signing a HIPAA privacy form at a physician's office. Plagarism is a SERIOUS offense, that may cost far more than the benefit of not thinking things through, or than stealing another person's work and pretending to be the original author.
• Students inadvertantly plagarize, when they have been concentrating on what they are learning, and NOT on how they are learning it. So, student, be careful to cite every reference, so that the tangled position of defending oneself while attempting to accomplish and honorable task (a B.S.N. degree) does not become familiar.
• Unfortunately, SOME students, even at our university have chosen to try to beat the system by borrowing not just a citation or quotable quote or two, but entire documents, or pieces of documents, in order to save time and to try to meet criteria that they may feel inadequate to fufill. Nothing could be worth the pain that this action could cause. If a student is having trouble meeting a deadline, or thinking through their work adequately, in order to present an acceptable document, there is help available. Ask.

Remember to attach your Plagarism Policy Statement to every assignment