NURSING & MIDWIFERY

NURSING & MIDWIFERY 
Presentation of Assignments 
Assignments: Should be presented as a Microsoft Word document or a PDF file 
(never submitted via email or copied and pasted into MyLO). You should put 
your name and a page number in the header or footer area of the document. 
Word length: A ‘word’ is any word longer than one letter. Quotations, journal 
extracts, citations of sources and the reference list are not part of the word count. 
Numbers: Numbers up to and including ten are written in full. Over ten they are 
written as a numeral. Any number placed at the beginning of a sentence is 
written in full. 
Font: Times New Roman size 12 is preferred. Headings can be in a larger font or 
a different font. 
Line spacing: Within an essay the line spacing should be 1.5. There should be a 
double return between paragraphs (a blank line). Do not start sentences within a 
paragraph on a new line. Some people start paragraphs by indenting the first 
word. This has been customary in the past but is generally not used now in 
academic writing. 
Margins: You should allow a three to four cm margin on each side of the essay 
for lecturer comments. 
Headings: If headings are used, place in bold or italics, but do not underline. 
Reduce heading font size or provide another style for sub headings. 
Short direct quotes: If a direct quote is approximately three lines or less it 
should be placed in the body of the paragraph in single quotation marks. Quotes 
within quotes are placed in double quotation marks. 
Long direct quotes: Quotes and journal entries over three lines should stand 
alone. They are presented as a new paragraph, indented on both sides and put in 
single spacing. They are not put in quotation marks. There should also be a lead 
sentence to the quotation. For example: 
Hickman (ref) states that a problem with the issue is: 
Nurses communicate in a  
Reference list: Start on a new page. List authors alphabetically. See Harvard 
Author‐Date guide for details. Use ragged right (left aligned), single line spacing 
for the reference list. 
S Brennan, K Walkem, June 2010 
Last updated: 22 October 2013