DNP Scholarly Project Deliverables

The DNP Scholarly Project includes three distinct phases; the project proposal, project implementation/evaluation, and completion of project deliverables. Each phase has specific required deliverables that students must complete for the project and as a requirement for graduation.

A copy of the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist should be downloaded by the student and maintained to track progress through the project.



A. Proposal Deliverables

The DNP Scholarly Project Proposal is developed over a period of multiple quarters and finalized in the NUR 7995 DNP Project Proposal course. The proposal is a document that informs the agency about the project’s intent and process and serves as a guide for the student during the implementation period. Students develop drafts of project proposal components as part of prior course work (see Project Development Courses).

i. Proposal

The proposal should contain the following elements in the written report (see DNP Scholarly Project Proposal Rubric for more details):

Title page and Table of Contents, List of Tables,

List of Figures

  1. Introduction
    1. Background and Significance
    2. Problem Statement
    3. Clinical Question
    4. Review of Literature
    5. Organizational Assessment
    6. Purpose of Project
  2. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
  3. Methodology
    1. Setting
    2. Participants
    3. Recruitment strategies
    4. Intervention and Data Collection
    5. Measures/Instruments/Tools
  4. Analysis
  5. Sustainability Plan
  6. Implications for Practice

References

Appendix

ii. Proposal Presentation

Students will formally present their DNP Scholarly Project Proposal to faculty and students in the School of Health Sciences.  The purpose of the proposal presentation is to obtain faculty feedback on the proposed project. Students are expected to consider incorporating faculty input into the final proposal before submitting final draft.

Required criteria for the proposal presentation will include the following:

  • Title slide
  • Background/Significance
  • Problem Statement & Clinical Question
  • Summary of Review of Literature
  • Organizational Assessment
  • Purpose of Project
  • Conceptual/Theoretical Framework
  • Methods
  • Evaluation/Analysis Plan
  • Sustainability Plan
  • Implications for Practice
  • References

iii. Institutional Review Board Application and Approval Document

Students must submit an IRB application to their DNP Course faculty and Chair for approval prior to submitting to the IRB Committee. Submit the IRB approval document with the application to Canvas prior to implementing the DNP Scholarly Project.

B. Project Implementation/Evaluation Deliverables

Implementation and evaluation of DNP Scholarly Projects is entirely dependent on the individual project.  Students should work with their agency mentor and faculty chair to establish what deliverables are appropriate.




C. Project Deliverables

 All students must complete the following deliverables. There may be other deliverables requested by the agency as outlined in the DNP Scholarly Project Agreement.


i. Project Report

A final DNP Scholarly Project Report will be completed and submitted to the agency along with an electronic format uploaded to the SPU Library Digital Commons. This report serves as written documentation of the completion of the Scholarly Project.

The following is an example of the Final DNP Scholarly Project Report format and can vary depending on the type of project. Students will review guidelines with their chair and ensure everyone on the project team understands the extent and detail needed under each topic.

Title page

Title
Name
A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice
Seattle Pacific University, School of Health Sciences
Year

Executive Summary
(See criteria for Executive Summary in ii.)

Table of Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

1) Introduction

Background and Significance
Problem Statement/Clinical Question
Review of Literature
Organization Assessment
Purpose of the Project

2) Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

3) Methodology

Setting
Participants
Recruitment Strategies
Intervention and Data Collection
Measures/Instruments/Tools
IRB

4) Analysis

5) Discussion

6) Limitations

7) Sustainability Plan

8) Implications for Practice

9) Conclusion

References

Appendix A

ii. Executive Summary

The executive summary provides an overview of the project. It is a condensed version of the report, usually around 2-pages in length. It includes:

  • Title
  • Background and Significance
  • Problem and Purpose Statements
  • Methods
  • Results/Outcomes
  • Sustainability
  • Implications
  • References

iii. Digital Poster & Presentation

Students will present their DNP Scholarly Projects to the DNP Scholarly Project Team and other stakeholders and guests at the beginning of Autumn quarter during Scholarship Day. This will take the form of a digital poster presentation of project findings as well as a concise oral presentation to the DNP Project team. The time allotted for the presentation is 15 minutes with 10 minutes for questions and answers.

All students are encouraged to use the SHS SPU Power Point Poster Template. Students opting to use a different layout should discuss with their faculty chair. Formatting must follow the guidelines listed below.

Formatting must include:

  • The SPU logo
  • Arial (minimum size 44) or Calibri (minimum size 48) font
  • File name of (first initial)(last name) (digital poster) (year of presentation) (example: fnightingale digital poster 2019)
  • All the following elements:
    • Title
    • Background and Significance
    • Problem and Purpose Statements
    • Methods
    • Results/Outcomes
    • Sustainability
    • Implications
    • References

iv. Journal Article Manuscript

Students will develop a faculty-approved manuscript ready for publication in a peer-reviewed professional journal. Submitting the manuscript for publication is not a graduation requirement.

Students will select an appropriate scholarly journal of their choice and develop a manuscript following the author guidelines as outlined by the selected journal.  The focus of the article does not need to follow the DNP Scholarly Project Report format; students may select a different trajectory for the journal article manuscript such as an integrative review of the literature, state of the science, theory paper, methods paper, project summary, etc.

If the student and Chair decide to submit to a journal for publication, authorship should be listed with the following considerations.

  • DNP student will be listed as the first author.
  • DNP Scholarly Project Chair will assist the student to determine listing of authors.
  • According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors guidelines, “Authorship credit should be based on 1)substantial contributions to the conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published, and 4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.”  (Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

    to http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html).

  • Each person listed as an author should meet all criteria, and all who qualify should be listed as authors.


School of Health Sciences, Seattle Pacific University