| Course | NU823 DNP Project Dissemination |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 5 |
| Paper type | Author guideline audit |
| Length | About 950 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU823 Unit 5
Twenty-Six Rows, Ten Failures, Four Versions: An Author Guideline Audit Checking a Foot Exam Quality Improvement Manuscript Against a Primary Care Diabetes Journal's Instructions for Authors, Rule by Rule
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU823: DNP Project Dissemination
Unit 5 Author Guideline Audit
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The manuscript and figures are composite; every limit and requirement is bracketed because journals revise their instructions, and only the student's reading on a stated date counts.
Method
The instructions for authors were read on the publisher's website on [date] and saved as a PDF so the audit could be checked against the version actually used. Each requirement was copied into the audit word for word in the working file; this sample gives each one in short form with its bracketed limit. Rows follow the order of the instructions: article type and length, title page, abstract, main text, references, tables and figures, required statements and supplementary material. Each row records the rule, where the draft stood, pass or fail, and the fix. Status is binary. A rule the draft nearly met is a failure until it is met, because a near miss on a word limit is still over the limit. The audit was done on the version of the manuscript that had already passed the course instructor's review, so content changes and format changes would not be mixed in one revision. A second reader, a classmate who had published before, checked ten rows chosen at random against the saved instructions and found no disagreement with the status recorded.
Article Type and Length
1. Article type: quality improvement report, as listed among the journal's article types. Draft: matched. Pass.
2. Main text length: no more than [3,500] words, excluding abstract, references, tables and figure legends. Draft: [4,140]. Fail. Fix: [640] words cut, mostly from the literature section and from a second description of the exam components that repeated the intervention section.
3. References: no more than [40]. Draft: [18]. Pass.
4. Tables and figures: no more than [4] combined. Draft: [5]. Fail. Fix: the training schedule table moved to supplementary material.
Title Page
5. Title of no more than [120] characters, no abbreviations. Draft: [96] characters, no abbreviations. Pass.
6. Full names, degrees and affiliations for each author. Draft: degrees missing. Fail. Fix: degrees added.
7. Corresponding author with full contact details. Draft: complete. Pass.
8. Word counts for abstract and main text on the title page. Draft: missing. Fail. Fix: added after the cut.
Abstract
9. Structured abstract with the headings required for this article type. Draft: used Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Fail. Fix: rewritten under the headings the instructions list for quality improvement reports.
10. Abstract length: no more than [250] words. Draft after rewrite: [238]. Pass.
The abstract failed on headings, not content, which is why the audit checks the form of each section separately from what it says.
Main Text
11. Reporting guideline: authors of quality improvement reports are asked to follow SQUIRE 2.0 and submit the checklist. Draft: followed; checklist attached with page and line numbers (Ogrinc et al., 2016). Pass.
12. Headings as specified for the article type. Draft: matched after the abstract rewrite. Pass.
13. Abbreviations defined at first use in the abstract and again in the text. Draft: one abbreviation undefined in the text. Fail. Fix: defined.
14. Units in the form the journal specifies. Draft: matched. Pass.
15. Statement of ethical review in the methods. Draft: present, with the review process named and the determination left in brackets for the student to confirm. Pass.
References
16. Reference style: the journal's numbered style, cited in order of appearance. Draft: APA 7 author-date. Fail. Fix: converted to numbered references; the APA version kept for the course submission, since the program requires APA 7 (American Psychological Association, 2020).
17. Journal names abbreviated as the instructions specify. Draft: full names. Fail. Fix: abbreviated in the journal version.
18. All references cited in the text and all citations listed. Draft: matched. Pass.
Tables and Figures
19. Each table with a title and numbered in order. Draft: table 2 untitled. Fail. Fix: titled.
20. Figures at no less than [300] dots per inch. Draft: run chart exported at [96]. Fail. Fix: re-exported from the analysis script at [300].
21. Figures legible in black and white. Draft: run chart readable in grayscale. Pass.
22. Tables as editable text, not images. Draft: editable. Pass.
Required Statements
23. Funding statement. Draft: present, stating no external funding. Pass.
24. Conflict of interest disclosure for each author, in the format the journal requires. Draft: present, using the form the journal names. Pass.
25. Author contributions. Draft: present. Pass.
26. Acknowledgments, with permission from those named. Draft: staff thanked by role, with no names. Pass.
The disclosure and authorship rows follow recommendations shared by many medical journals, which ask that each listed author meet authorship criteria and disclose relationships that could be seen as conflicts (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, 2024).
Change Log
Version 1 was the draft from Unit 4. Version 2 cut the main text and moved the training table. Version 3 rewrote the abstract, converted the references and added the title page items. Version 4 fixed the table title, the abbreviation and the figure resolution. Version 4 passes all [26] rows.
Where the Audit Stops
Passing every row means the manuscript meets the stated requirements; it does not mean the manuscript should be submitted now. Rules the instructions leave to editorial judgment, such as whether a single-site report is of sufficient interest, cannot be audited and are marked as such. Whether and when to submit is a decision for the student and any coauthors.
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. (2024). Recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals. https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf
Ogrinc, G., Davies, L., Goodman, D., Batalden, P., Davidoff, F., & Stevens, D. (2016). SQUIRE 2.0 (Standards for QUality Improvement Reporting Excellence): Revised publication guidelines from a detailed consensus process. BMJ Quality & Safety, 25(12), 986-992. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004411
The Purdue Global NU823 Unit 5 instructions
Unit 5 asks you to check your manuscript against the target journal's published instructions for authors. Most prompts want each requirement listed, the draft's status against it, a pass or fail, and the fix, plus a short note on where the rules came from. A table of 20 to 30 rows with a page of narrative is typical. Faculty expect rules to be taken from the journal's current instructions on a stated date, limits recorded exactly, and status kept strictly binary. Fixes should be specific enough that another reader could verify them. The audit is a readiness check, so it should end by separating meeting the rules from the decision to submit, which belongs to the authors.
Inside the NU823 Unit 5 example
A method note states where the instructions came from, the date they were read, that each rule was copied word for word in the working file, and that a second reader spot-checked ten rows. Rows are grouped as the instructions group them. Article type and length show the main text cut by 640 words and a table moved to supplementary material. Title page, abstract and main text rows follow, with the highlighted line on failing headings rather than content. Reference rows convert to numbered style while keeping an APA copy for the course. Tables, figures and required statements finish the rows, and a change log and a closing section on where the audit stops end the paper.
Reading the NU823 Unit 5 grading rubric
Guideline audits are usually marked on completeness, accuracy, specificity of fixes, and judgment about scope. Completeness earns credit when every requirement in the instructions appears as a row in the same order. Accuracy rewards audits that record limits exactly, date the reading and keep status binary so near misses count as failures. Specific fixes score well when they state what changed, by how much and in which version. Judgment points go to audits that mark editorial-discretion items as unauditable and that keep the course's own format requirements separate from the journal's. Presentation of the table and correct citation of the guideline and style manual account for the rest.
Common NU823 Unit 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Audits often fall short because rules are paraphrased from memory, which drifts from what the journal actually asks. Others use a partial category such as "almost met," which hides a near miss on a word limit. Some list failures without fixes, or give fixes so vague that no one can confirm them. A few convert references to the journal's style and forget that the course still requires APA. Work from a saved copy of the current instructions, record each limit exactly, mark every row pass or fail, describe each fix with its version, keep two reference versions where the course and journal differ, and end by noting that submission is your call.
Get an NU823 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
Send the author instructions for your target journal, or a link to them, plus your current manuscript and the Unit 5 prompt and rubric. Each rule in the audit you receive is quoted with the date read, marked pass or fail, and every fix is logged by draft version. Free for the first custom sample, within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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NU823 Unit 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NU823 Unit 5 sample paper?
The full NU823 Unit 5 author guideline audit sits on this page, with the method note, 26 rows grouped as the instructions group them, ten failures with fixes, a change log and the point where the audit stops, with three references. We can run the same audit on your own manuscript.
How many rows does the NU823 Unit 5 audit have?
Twenty-six, one per requirement in the journal's instructions, grouped under article type and length, title page, abstract, main text, references, tables and figures, and required statements. Ten fail on the first pass and all pass by version four.
Why is the audit's status pass or fail only?
A near miss on a rule is still a miss. A main text a few words over the limit or a figure just under the required resolution would be returned by the journal, so the audit treats both as failures until they are fixed.
What if the journal and my course require different reference styles?
Keep two versions. The sample converts references to the journal's numbered style for submission and keeps an APA 7 copy for the course, so neither requirement is broken to meet the other.
Does passing every row mean the manuscript should be submitted?
No. It means the stated requirements are met. Whether a single-site report interests the editors cannot be audited, and the decision to submit belongs to the student and any coauthors.