MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric
Threaded Discussion:
Assignment Guidelines with Scoring Rubric
Purpose:
The purpose of required threaded discussions is an interactive dialogue among instructors and students to assist the student in organizing, integrating, applying and critically appraising one’s knowledge regarding the nursing profession and selected area of practice. Scholarly information obtained from current sources as well as professional communication is required. Application of information to professional experiences promotes the analysis and use of principles, knowledge and information learned and related to real-life professional situations. Interactive dialogue among instructors and peers foster the development of a learning community as ideas, perspectives and knowledge is shared.
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Due Date: First initial posting to the required threaded discussion topic is due by Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT. Peer and instructor responses are due by Sunday 11:59 pm MT. All posts for week 8 are due by the close of class on Saturday 11:59 pm MT. Please note that the late assignment policy does not apply to the threaded discussions.
Total Points Possible: Varies with course, please see specific course syllabus. These guidelines are for a required threaded discussion worth 50 points. Please note that week 8 will be worth only 25 points.
Description of the Assignment
- Initial posting: This is defined to be the initial post in which the student responds to the
required threaded discussion topic. The first posting by a student within the required
discussion area is considered to be the initial posting and will be evaluated using the rubric
criteria. Scholarship in communication is expected. Required scholarly source(s) provide
specific information that thoroughly address the required topic. For the initial posting,
one scholarly source must be presented. The scholarly source must be an outside
The initial posting must occur before Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT. Initial postings must be at a minimum of 300 words. References do not apply toward word count. ONLY in Week 8, the initial posting must be a minimum of 200 words with a scholarly reference. It remains due by Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.
- Peer responses: As part of the threaded discussion requirements, the student must
The peer response must occur on a separate day from the initial posting and instructor response (see below). This peer response must occur before Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. This response does not require a scholarly reference unless information is paraphrased and/or direct quotes are used, then APA guidelines apply. Peer responses must be a minimum of 150 words. References do not apply toward word count.
- Instructor response: The student must respond to an instructor’s follow-up questions. The
instructor’s question may be directed to the student or may be a question directed to another
student in the section. The response must be comprehensive and scholarly in nature. Instructor
responses must be a minimum of 150 words. References do not apply toward word count.
The response to the instructor must occur on a day different from the initial post and a day
different from the peer response. Responses to the instructor must occur before Sunday, 11:59
pm MT.
- For week 8 only: Students are expected to post a peer response or an instructor post but are not
required to do both. These posts must be a minimum of 100 words. References do not apply
toward word count. The peer or instructor response must be on a different day than the initial
post and must occur before Saturday, 11:59 pm MT due to the shorter week.
Posting Requirements:
- The initial posting must be provided before Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.
- The initial posting must have at least one scholarly outside source that is cited within the
posting and referenced. Required course textbooks, assigned readings and lesson information
are not considered to be outside scholarly sources.
- Initial posting must be a minimum of 300 words; peer responses and instructor responses a
minimum 150 words.
- The peer responses and instructor responses must be provided before Sunday, 11:59 pm MT.
- All postings are substantive and relate to the graded threaded discussion topic.
- Only one small quote (15 words or less) within the entire initial posting is accepted.
- Postings must occur on 3 separate days.
- For week 8 only: the required postings are amended due to the shorter week. Two posts are
required. One initial post and either a peer response or an instructor response. Initial post must
be a minimum of 200 words and the peer or instructor response must be a minimum of 100
words. Both posts are required to be on two separate days. All posts must be made by
Saturday, 11:59 pm MT.
Criteria for Content
- Scholarliness: In this category, the student will conduct a search of the current databases and locate valid, relevant, and reliable information for the required topic. Each reference must be scholarly.
- Application of Course Knowledge: In this category, the student demonstrates the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge, and information learned in the course lesson and outside readings. This information is then applied to a real-life professional situation as an example.
- Participation Requirement: One initial posting, one peer response and one instructor response (for a total of 3 posts for the week) are required on 3 separate days.
- Participation Deadline: The student must provide a substantive response to the graded threaded discussion topic. This must be posted by Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT of each week. Peer and instructor responses must be posted by Sunday, 11:59 pm MT.
- For week 8 only: the required postings are amended due to the shorter week. Two posts are One initial post and either a peer response or an instructor response. Initial post must be a minimum of 200 words and the peer or instructor response must be a minimum of 100 words. Both posts are required to be on two separate days. All posts must be made by Saturday, 11:59 pm MT.
Criteria for Format and Special Instructions
- Instructor reserves the right to submit any threaded discussion posting to TurnItIn in order to verify the originality.
- When journals are used as the outside source of information, it is preferred that the journal be peer reviewed. The Chamberlain online librarian is very helpful in assisting you to find an article related to your topic. If you have questions concerning scholarly sources, please refer to the handout entitled “What is a scholarly source” located under “Course Resources” tab.
- Web sites vary in quality and scholarship. It is the responsibility of the student to determine the scholarly nature of the web site. If the instructor determines that the site failed to demonstrate scholarship, points maybe deducted. Students are cautioned to use care regarding .com sites. Some .com sites are excellent such as American Heart Association, but others are built by individuals and scholarliness is lacking. It is recommended that you check with your instructor before using a .com website as a reference.
- Only one small quote (15 words or less) within the entire initial posting is acceptable. It is expected that the student will paraphrase the information when presenting information from a scholarly source. The scholarly source(s) for the paraphrased information must be cited using APA format. Do not include a number of small quotes even if they are just a few words as your instructor considers a quote to be a quote no matter its limited size.
| Category | Points for
Weeks 1 – 7 |
Points for
Week 8 ONLY |
% | Description |
| Scholarliness | 16 | 8 | 32 | Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic topics. |
| Application of Course Knowledge | 16 | 8 | 32 | Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge and information learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations. |
| Interactive Dialogue | 10 | 5 | 20 | Initial post should be a minimum of 300 words
The peer and instructor responses should be a minimum of 150 words each. Responses are substantive and relate to the graded threaded discussion topic. |
| Week 8 only:
Initial posts should be a minimum of 200 words. The peer or instructor response should be a minimum of 100 words. |
||||
| Grammar, Syntax, and APA | 8 | 4 | 16 | Students are expected to demonstrate proper grammar, syntax, and APA style of writing. Correct APA format is expected within the text of the assignment as well as the reference page(s). |
| Participation Requirements | 5 points deducted if not demonstrated | Initial, peer, and faculty postings were made on 3 separate days. | ||
| Week 8 only: Initial, and peer or faculty posts were made on 2 separate days. | ||||
| Participation Deadline | 5 points deducted if not demonstrated | The initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic is posted within the course no later than Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.
The peer and instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT
|
||
| Week 8 only:
Both initial posting and peer or instructor responses are to be posted no later than Saturday, 11:59 pm MT. |
||||
| TOTAL | 50 points | 25 points | 100 |
Grading Rubric Guidelines Week 1-7
| Performance Category | 100% or highest level of performance
100%
16 points |
Very good or high level of performance
88%
14 points |
Acceptable level of performance
81%
13 points |
Inadequate demonstration of expectations
68%
11 points
|
Deficient level of performance
56%
9 points
|
Failing level
of performance
55% or less
0 points |
|
| 16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points | ||
| Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic topics.
|
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in all of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three or more of the following elements
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts. · Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
|
| 16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points | ||
| Application of Course Knowledge
Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge and information learned in the outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations
|
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic. |
Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in the all of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from and scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three of the following elements
· Applies principles, knowledge and information and scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic. |
|
| 10 Points | 9 Points | 6 Points | 0 Points | ||||
| Interactive Dialogue
Initial post should be a minimum of 300 words (references do not count toward word count) The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each (references do not count toward word count) Responses are substantive and relate to the topic. |
Demonstrated all of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.
· The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion.
|
Demonstrated 3 of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.
· The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric. |
Demonstrated 2 of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.
· The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion.
|
Demonstrated 1 or less of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.
· The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion. |
|||
| 8 Points | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 4 Points | 0 Points | ||
| Grammar, Syntax, APA
Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition
· Error is defined to be a unique APA error. Same type of error is only counted as one error. |
The following was present:
· 0-3 errors in APA format
AND
· Responses have 0-3 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
AND
· Writing style is generally clear, focused on topic, and facilitates communication.
|
The following was present:
· 4-6 errors in APA format.
AND/OR
· Responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
AND/OR
· Writing style is somewhat focused on topic. |
The following was present:
· 7-9 errors in APA format.
AND/OR
· Responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
AND/OR
· Writing style is slightly focused on topic making discussion difficult to understand. |
The following was
present:
· 10- 12 errors in APA format
AND/OR
· Responses have 8-9 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
AND/OR
· Writing style is not focused on topic, making discussion difficult to understand.
|
The following was
present:
· 13 – 15 errors in APA format
AND/OR
· Responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric
AND/OR
· Writing style is not focused on topic, making discussion difficult to understand.
AND/OR
· The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor.
|
The following was present:
· 16 to greater errors in APA format.
AND/OR
· Responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
AND/OR
· Writing style does not facilitate communication
|
|
| 0 Points Lost | 5 Points Lost | ||||||
| Participation Requirements
|
Demonstrated the following:
· Initial, peer, and faculty postings were made on 3 separate days
|
Failed to demonstrate the following:
· Initial, peer, and faculty postings were made on 3 separate days |
|||||
| 0 Points Lost | 5 Points Lost | ||||||
| Due Date Requirements | Demonstrated all of the following:
· The initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic is posted within the course no later than Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.
· A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |
Demonstrates one or less of the following.
· The initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic is posted within the course no later than Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.
· A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |
|||||
Grading Rubric Guidelines Week 8 ONLY
| Performance Category | 100% or highest level of performance
100% |
Very good or high level of performance
88% |
Acceptable level of performance
81% |
Inadequate demonstration of expectations
68% |
Deficient level of performance
56% |
Failing level
of performance 55% or less |
|
| 8 Points | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 4 Points | 0 Points | ||
| Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic topics.
|
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric |
Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in all of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three or more of the following elements
· Provides evidence of scholarly inquiry relevant to required TD topic(s).
· Presents specific information from scholarly sources to develop a comprehensive presentation of facts.
· Uses at least one outside scholarly reference that is relevant, less than 5 years old (use of older references requires instructor permission) and reliable for the required topic.*
· Uses in-text citation and full reference at end of posting when presenting another person’s thoughts as quotes or paraphrase of information. |
|
| 8 Points | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 4 Points | 0 Points | ||
| Application of Course Knowledge –
Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge and information learned in the outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations
|
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic. |
Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in the all of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from and scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
· Applies principles, knowledge and information from scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned from scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic.
|
Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three of the following elements
· Applies principles, knowledge and information and scholarly resources to the required topic.
· Applies facts, principles or concepts learned scholarly resources to a professional experience.
· Application of information is comprehensive and specific to the required topic. |
|
| 5 Points | 4 Points | 2 Points | 0 Points | ||||
| Interactive Dialogue
For Week 8 only:
Initial post should be a minimum of 200 words (references do not count toward word count) The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 100 words each (references do not count toward word count) Responses are substantive and relate to the topic. |
Demonstrated all of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 200 words.
· The peer or instructor responses must be a minimum of 100 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion.
|
Demonstrated 3 of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 200 words.
· The peer or instructor responses must be a minimum of 100 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion. |
Demonstrated 2 of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 200 words.
· The peer or instructor responses must be a minimum of 100 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion. |
Demonstrated 1 or less of the following:
· Initial post must be a minimum of 200 words.
· The peer or instructor responses must be a minimum of 100 words each.
· Responses are substantive.
· Responses are related to the topic of discussion. |
|||
| 4 Points | 3 Points | 2 Points | 0 Points | ||||
| Grammar, Syntax, APA
Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition · Error is defined to be a unique APA error. Same type of error is only counted as one error. |
The following was present:
· 0-4 errors in APA format
AND
· Responses have 0-4 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
AND
· Writing style is generally clear, focused on topic, and facilitates communication.
|
The following was present:
· 5-9 errors in APA format.
AND/OR
· Responses have 5-9 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
AND/OR
· Writing style is slightly focused on topic making discussion difficult to understand. |
The following was
present:
· 10- 13 errors in APA format
AND/OR
· Responses have 10-13 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
AND/OR
· Writing style is not focused on topic, making discussion difficult to understand.
|
MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric | The following was present:
· 14 to greater errors in APA format.
AND/OR
· Responses have more than 14 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.
AND/OR
· Writing style does not facilitate communication
|
||
| 0 Points Lost | 5 Points Lost | ||||||
| Participation Requirements
|
For Week 8 ONLY:
Demonstrated the following: · Initial, and peer or faculty postings were made on 2 separate days
|
Failed to demonstrate the following:
· Initial, and peer or faculty postings were made on 2 separate days
|
|||||
| 0 Points Lost | 5 Points Lost | ||||||
| Due Date Requirements
|
For Week 8 ONLY:
Demonstrated all of the following:
· The initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic is posted within the course no later than Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.
· A minimum of one peer or one instructor response is to be posted within the course no later than Saturday, 11:59 pm MT.
|
Demonstrates one or less of the following.
· The initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic is posted within the course no later than Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.
· A minimum of one peer or one instructor response is to be posted within the course no later than Saturday, 11:59 pm MT.
|
|||||
NOTE: To receive credit for a week’s discussion, students may begin posting no earlier than the Sunday immediately before each week opens. Unless otherwise specified, access to most weeks begins on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. MT, and that week’s assignments are due by the next Sunday by 11:59 pm MT. Week 8 opens at 12:01 a.m. MT Sunday and closes at 11:59 pm MT Saturday. All discussion requirements must be completed by 11:59 pm MT Saturday of the eighth week.
*Scholarly source: Per the APA Guidelines in Course Resources, only scholarly sources should be used in assignments and threaded discussions. These include peer reviewed publications, government reports, or sources written by a professional or scholar in the field. MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric Your textbook and lesson are not considered to be an outside scholarly source. For the discussions, reputable internet sources such as websites by government agencies (URL ends in .gov) and respected organizations (often ends in .org) can be counted as scholarly sources. The best outside scholarly source to use is a peer reviewed nursing journal. You are encouraged to use the Chamberlain library and search one of the available data bases for a peer reviewed journal article. The following sources should not be used: Wikipedia, Wikis, or blogs. These web sites are not considered scholarly as anyone can add to these. Please be aware that .com websites can vary in scholarship and quality. For example American Heart Association is a .com site with scholarship and quality. It is the responsibility of the student to determine the scholarship and quality of any .com site. Ask your instructor before using any site that you are unsure of. If the instructor determines that the site does not demonstrate scholarship or quality, points will be deducted for not using scholarly sources. Current outside scholarly sources are required for the initial posting. This is defined to be 5 years or less. Instructor permission must be obtained if using a source that is older than 5 years. MSN Core Discussion Guidelines and Rubric