As a nursing student, a time comes when you are assigned a concept analysis paper assignment. While it is a challenging paper, you will love writing it if done effectively. In this article, both for nurse students and professional nurses, we take you through how to write a concept analysis paper that scores an A.

This guide provides examples when appropriate to make it possible to create a concept analysis paper, even if it is your first time. It has been produced by skilled nursing writers who have written several concept analysis papers for our ever-widening nursing student consumer base.

Students who have ordered model concept analysis papers have noticed better performance and knowledge. The samples are written from scratch and hence are 100 percent plagiarism-free. They are also custom-written based on research, citation of recent scholarly sources, and depending on the directions.

We also collaborate with nurse educators to develop original, well-cited, and organized sample concept papers. Thus, as you read, know that the guide is produced by professionals in the nursing sector, notably nursing research.

At this point, we can only hope that this guide helps you make the best possible choices moving forward.

What is a concept analysis paper in Nursing?

Let’s start with the concept’s definition. Concepts are defined as the fundamental building pieces of the theory-building process. Concepts have distinguishing traits or properties that set them apart from other concepts. They are mental creations and attempts to organize our external stimuli meaningfully.

Concept analysis is the investigation of a concept’s structure and function. It is a systematic, thorough, and precise language exercise used to determine a concept’s distinguishing characteristics.

A concept analysis paper examines a nursing education, administration/management, or practice-related idea.

A concept analysis essay, assignment, or paper requires a literature evaluation about the study of the selected idea from many disciplines. The literature review aids in illuminating the significance of the selected concept.

Importance of concept analysis

We have defined concept analysis as the process of investigating, evaluating, and deconstructing an idea’s core components. It is used to:

  1. Differentiate a notion from related concepts.
  2. Determine a concept’s internal structure
  3. Clarifying vague concepts in a theory
  4. Clarifying overused, ambiguous, or confusing ideas frequently in nursing practice ensures uniformity of interpretation and application.
  5. Achieving a detailed operational definition that boosts the construct’s validity. Moreover, it assists the theorist or researcher construct hypotheses and assertions that reflect the links between concepts.
  6. Construct research instruments, measurement instruments, or interview guides before the actual investigation.
  7. Developing a uniform nursing practice language
  8. Nursing terminology that has become catchphrases and lost its meaning must be clarified.
  9. Instrument for nursing language advancement
  10. 10. helpful for creating sound mental habits

How long is a concept analysis paper?

In most instances, a concept analysis paper might range from eight to twenty pages. However, most students who have requested help with creating concept analysis papers from our website have requested papers between 10 and 15 pages in length. The length of the document excludes the title page, the list of references, and the appendices.

Most professors prefer students to develop idea analysis papers in three steps. Typically, the first assignment is a two-page concept selection paper. Following this, the instructor will provide feedback on the concept.

The second is an overview of the concept analysis, which comprises the introduction and literature review. Here, the student employs scholarly, peer-reviewed nursing literature formatted in APA style. The framework for your concept analysis paper accounts for a chunk or percentage of your overall mark. Some educators treat the concept proposal and concept analysis paper outline as the same document.

The second section analyzes the idea draft, which is an extended version of the concept paper. It is a rough or preliminary draft that is nearly a complete APA-formatted paper. The final paper is worth the greatest percentage of your idea analysis paper’s total mark.

Tips on how to write a nursing concept analysis paper

1. Select a concept

You must exercise utmost caution while selecting a concept. It is essential to select a topic that interests you, relates to your profession, has concerned you for a long time, or fits your area of expertise.

During concept selection, consider the area of interest or subject matter.

  • Select an idea that is essential to your requirements.
  • Choose a concept around which all else hinges. Next, select a crucial concept for the next stage of your investigation. Examine the concept’s significance, context, bounds, and relevance to your task, a process known as concept isolation.
  • Select a concept you can effectively manage.
  • Avoid terms that can only be explained by example.
  • Focus on an essential nursing administration/management, education, or practice idea
  • Avoid umbrella phrases because they encompass multiple meanings and complicate your analysis.
  • Remember that selecting an undiscovered idea may be an opportunity for inquiry or a linguistic trap.
  • From nursing research investigations, inadequate theories, and nursing practice, it is possible to produce uncharted notions.
  • Analyzing uncharted concepts increases one’s knowledge and capacity for thought. Be extremely vigilant when dealing with them, as it is simple to lose track of them.
  • Consult with your lecturer or teacher before selecting a topic.

Choose a notion that is essential to your research program or will further theoretical progress in your area of expertise or interest. Avoid petty ideas that contribute little to the advancement of knowledge.

2. Determine the purpose of the analysis

In most circumstances, the goal of the analysis will be determined by the assignment prompt from class. This step helps you determine where to focus and what to anticipate in the final product. You are merely questioning why this analysis is being conducted.

Understand the rationale behind your concept analysis assignment. This procedure helps you identify the concept’s defining characteristics and its applications. During this early stage, you also differentiate between the concept’s usage in everyday language and scientific language. Lastly, you create a preliminary operational definition, a research instrument or approach, or an extension of an existing theory.

3. Explore all the uses of the concept.

You can utilize dictionaries, coworkers, available literature, and thesaurus to determine as many applications of your chosen notion as possible. You shouldn’t restrict yourself to a single aspect of the subject. Instead, investigate every aspect of the subject outside of nursing and medical literature. Consider your concept’s implicit and explicit applications. This area requires the application of research skills and extensive reading.

Consider the common and scientific applications of your concept, and refine the components of the concept that you will include in your analysis. For instance, do you want to analyze only the characteristics that apply to scientific research, or do you want to consider all aspects?

When all aspects of idea usage are considered, richer meanings result, it should be your current inclination.

4. Conduct a Literature Review

As you investigate the concept’s applications, you should research literature supporting or validating your ultimate choice of defining characteristics.

The literature review also provides a foundation of evidence for the concept analysis. Consider, if you are discussing coping, its applications in psychology, mental health, and other non-mentioned fields.

Concentrate on literature from disciplines other than nursing, such as clinical sociology, community psychology, nursing technology, geriatrics, law, and social work. The literature review may be directly relevant to nursing research or incorporate information or evidence from other fields.

5. Identify the characteristics of the concept

In this step, you should determine your chosen concept’s essential components or distinguishing characteristics. Afterward, display the cluster of attributes connected with the notion.

Take notes on the often occurring qualities. The defining qualities are the criteria used to infer the concept’s meaning and absence of meaning.

6. Identify the model case

Here is where you begin using cases to develop your analysis model.

A model case illustrates how the concept is applied or utilized, displaying its distinguishing characteristics. A model case should have the essential properties of the concept, its defining criteria, and at least one of its antecedents and effects.

It is the perfect illustration of the concept. It is a pure exemplar or prototypical instance. Model cases might be taken from the literature or created by you. They may or may not be nursing examples, depending on your perspective.

Case studies in nursing assist you in understanding the concept, but they can confuse your objectivity regarding its meaning. Also, remember that case development for some concepts is easier than others.

If you are familiar with a notion, you can begin your study with the model case. You are certain of the concept’s occurrences. You can compare your experience to the concept’s defining characteristics. Perform a comparative reflection as you compose your concept analysis paper. As you compose the model case, strive to be as paradigmatic as possible.

7. Identify the alternative/additional cases such as borderline, contrary, invented, and illegitimate cases.

You must also analyze other situations when developing your concept analysis model. Due to the overlapping nature of the concept’s defining characteristics with those of similar ideas, it may be challenging to disentangle them.

Examining situations that are not similar to the idea but are analogous to it or contradictory to it aids in making better judgments regarding the most appropriate defining qualities.

These supplementary or alternate scenarios assist you in determining what qualifies as a distinguishing characteristic for your notion and what does not. The cases may be borderline, linked, fabricated, contradictory, and invalid.

Borderline cases are instances or examples that possess the majority but not all of the defining characteristics of the notion. For instance, borderline cases may share most or all diagnostic characteristics but differ in one, such as frequency and length.

These instances contradict the investigated idea in some manner. Nonetheless, the situations help you understand why the model is consistent, which clarifies your understanding of the defining characteristics of the notion in question.

Linked cases are notions related to the concept of choice that lacks all of its defining characteristics. They resemble the concept being investigated. They are also associated with the fundamental idea. Examining related situations helps comprehend how the examined concept fits into the network of concepts surrounding it. You can use conflict, achievement, adaptation, or challenging situations to illustrate coping.

Contrast Cases are clear instances of the opposite of the notion—contradictory examples aid in expressing something that is not the concept. In the context of pregnancy, a contrary situation may entail a woman ignorant of a disguised pregnancy. As she is uninformed of the antecedents, the woman comes to a hospital shortly before giving birth.

Invented Cases are cases that contain concepts outside of our personal experience. They resemble science fiction prose. When exploring familiar ideas such as love, they are useful. Not all concepts require fabricated examples. If a concept is clear and the model case and other cases can be used to evaluate the concept without confusion or ambiguity, then there is no need for a made-up case. You only do them for enjoyment.

Lastly, an illegitimate case illustrates the concept word employed incorrectly or out of context. For instance, the terms covering and protection are inappropriate in the context of coping. The illegitimate cases are essential when you encounter a meaning radically different from all others. You may have one or two distinguishing characteristics, but most of the characteristics do not relate to the concept. Attachment, for instance, can refer to joining garment components with a sewing machine that carries simply touch as a defining property and no other attributes.

 8. Identify the antecedents and consequences.

After identifying the additional or alternate situations, proceed to the causes and effects. Unfortunately, most students frequently disregard these two processes, resulting in lower grades.

The concept’s antecedents and effects provide vital insight into its social surroundings. In addition, you can use the information to refine your distinguishing characteristics. However, antecedents refer to the events or occurrences that must occur before the occurrence of the concept. Therefore, antecedents cannot be a concept’s defining characteristics.

Role conflict, the rigidity of time and place, the quantity of activity prescribed by particular roles, role accumulation, and which role expectations must be satisfied might be antecedents of role strain.

The antecedents of attachment might involve both external and internal factors. Antecedents of pregnancy include fertility, ovulation, conception, gestation time, etc.

Consequences are the events or occurrences that must occur due to the occurrence of the notion. They are the results of your selected concept. Spirituality’s consequences include religion, religiosity, creativity, tranquility, trust, self-transcendence, meaning in life, and health, among others.

Antecedents help in finding the assumptions underpinning the topic under analysis.

9. Define the empirical referents

Concept analysis concludes with the identification of empirical referents for defining qualities. How can the concept of its existence be measured in actual situations?

The empirical referents are the categories or classes of actual phenomena that establish the existence or presence of a concept. Kissing, for instance, is an empirical reference point for the concept of affection. The ability to solve a problem in a stressful environment may be an empirical antecedent of coping.

In many instances, defining qualities and actual referents are identical. However, there are times when a term and its defining characteristics are abstract. In this instance, you must specify empirical referents.

Please note that empirical references are not measuring instruments for concepts. Instead, they serve to identify or quantify the defining characteristics.

As they are linked to the concept’s theoretical foundation, empirical references are useful in instrument creation. In addition, they contribute to the instrument’s construct and content validity.

The empirical referents also provide clinicians with a distinct, observable occurrence that can be used to determine the presence of a notion about specific patients.

Format of a Concept Analysis Paper Nursing

Introduction

The goal of your work is communicated in the document’s introduction. You will capture your professor’s or teacher’s attention by stating your paper’s focus. Introduce your pain concept analysis paper with a compelling hook.

You should then provide context for idea analysis. Here, you can describe concept analysis based on the relevant literature and discuss its importance in nursing education.

Ensure you define the term concept and explain its applicability to nursing research, education, practice, or administration.

Review of Literature

Typically, this is the most significant portion of your paper. It is where you identify the chosen concept’s applications. If you have selected the notions of care, compassion, system-based practice, or love, you must begin by providing a dictionary definition of your concept. You can also describe it using non-academic or non-scholarly sources. Check out the sample concept analysis paper written by students at Metropolitan State University.

Examine the nursing literature relevant to your topic or concept. Then, you should review two additional areas: psychology, law, and biology.

Each piece of literature utilized in the literature review section must be a scholarly journal article or a peer-reviewed textbook. First, compose a summary of each source and then connect them to facilitate synthesis or analysis.

For instance, if you are discussing compassion as a concept, you will need to research literature from nursing and two other fields, such as social work or psychology. Verify that your sources were published within the last five years for relevance and currency. However, when referencing a classic literary work such as a nursing theory or theorists, such as Peplau’s theory of interpersonal interactions or Jean Watson’s theory of human caring, you may utilize older classic literary works.

Once you have the articles, compose a comprehensive summary of the sources. You can compare and contrast findings, bolster the thesis of one author or oppose it with another author, or use the data creatively to describe concepts linked to the subject. You can document common findings, recognize similar themes, and synthesize the findings. A literature review in nursing is neither a list nor a summary of a certain topic.

Defining Attributes

Under defining attributes, you list the attributes that define your notion. This constitutes the essence of your concept analysis. However, you must first determine the cluster of traits usually linked with the notion that provides a broad understanding of the concept.

These are the properties of the notion you may uncover as you learn more about it or write your literature review. It is a list of defining or distinguishing qualities similar to differential diagnosis in medicine. They aid in identifying a particular phenomenon that you may distinguish from a related one.

For the best analysis, focus on distinguishing characteristics that distinguish the concept from other related concepts.

Definition of the Concept

Under this part, write the concept’s definition that incorporates all its defining characteristics. Your definition should be expressed in a narrative or one or two-paragraph manner.

Cases

Ensure you have examples of the appropriate case types for idea analysis: model, borderline, contradictory, fabricated, and illegitimate.

Ensure that you explain why you choose a case study or why it satisfies the criteria. For example, while writing a model case, start by stating what it is according to nursing literature, followed by the model case and the reasons why it satisfies the criteria for a model case.

In each of the six scenarios of a concept analysis paper, you must be very particular and adhere to the example above.

Model Case

The model case is a real-world illustration of the concept’s application. It may contain the essential characteristics of the concept. To illustrate the notion, you should mention the precise distinguishing characteristics of the model case.

The model case aids in ensuring that you possess the proper defining attributes.

  1. Include all distinguishing qualities or attributes.
  2. Include all defining characteristics.
  3. Include at least one cause and effect
  4. Consider that if this is not an illustration, then nothing is.

Borderline Case

In borderline circumstances, some but not all defining characteristics of the chosen idea are present. Ensure that each borderline situation has a defining characteristic identified and enclosed in parenthesis.

Begin by clarifying the meaning of the borderline case, then contextualize your argument.

  • Do not include the distinguishing features.
  • It may be an illustrative application of the concept.
  • Include the preceding causes and subsequent effects.

In the context of the concept of pregnancy, this may involve dealing with a concealed or ectopic pregnancy that a woman is ignorant of, as well as the implications and antecedents associated with this.

Related Case

The related cases are examples that are only related to the concept but do not have the defining qualities. Although the linked examples may contain the concept’s defining qualities, they may also have other attributes that are typically confused with the concept’s defining features.

Related cases illustrate concepts similar to the central concept yet distinct from it when explored in-depth or in detail. Often, a detailed investigation clarifies what counts as defining characteristics of the concept being analyzed and what does not.

They should have unique names and be identified by those names in the study so that you can make sound conclusions. You may also provide context for the surrounding concepts.

Contrary Case

The opposing examples lack any of the concept’s distinguishing characteristics.

Invented Case

Write a case based on the original explanation provided.

Regarding the concept of coping, this could be a fictional example. Imagine traveling to another world. When a person arrives, their physiology changes. They begin to display superhuman abilities. For example, they consume rocks to survive. This is a plausible fabricated example of coping.

Illegitimate Case

Write an illegitimate as per the explanation we gave initially.

Antecedents and Consequences

In this section, antecedents are the necessary events that occur before the concept occurs. In contrast, the term ‘consequences’ refers to the occurrences or results that follow the occurrence or realization of an idea.

They cannot be identical. Moreover, they are not the concept itself. Instead, they are events that occur before and after the concept’s actualization, respectively.

Empirical Referents

You specify how your notion is measured under empirical referents. Consequently, it is essential to seek out two study resources on the idea. These should primarily be based on primary research.

Describe the concept’s definition according to the researcher and the instrument’s purpose and structure. You can also describe a study in which the instrument was utilized, including the samples, objective, procedures, and key findings. If you had anticipated it, this knowledge would typically come from the literature review part.

Summary

This is the second-to-last section of the paper before the bibliography. If you include an appendix in your concept analysis paper, it becomes the third-last section.

In this part, provide a summary of the paper. Avoid providing additional details. There is no sequel; therefore, do not create suspense for your readers. Use signal words that indicate the conclusion to your paper.

Concept Analysis Paper Template

When assigned a 10-15 page concept analysis assignment, you can format the pages and word count according to the following template. We assume that by this time

  • Introduction (200 words)
  • Literature Review (1000 words)
  • Definition of Attributes (300 words)
  • Definition of the Concept (300 words)
  • Model Case (200 words)
  • Additional/Alternative Cases (1000 words)
    • Borderline case
    • Related Case
    • Contrary Case
    • Illegitimate case
    • Invented Case
  • Antecedents and Consequences (300 words)
  • Empirical Referents (300 words)
  • Conclusion/Summary (200 words)

Concept analysis paper examples

In most instances, nursing students compose a concept analysis paper based on their field of specialty. If a student intends to become a family nurse practitioner (FNP), for instance, they will select a topic such as family support.

Another student who aspires to become a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (MHNP) may select topics such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression, trauma-informed treatment, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among war veterans, etc. Similarly, a student majoring in geriatric nursing could select an age-related topic relevant to nursing practice, such as successful aging, aging in place, elder abuse in-home care settings, end-of-life care, etc.

Another student who is interested in women’s health can select concept analysis paper topics such as postpartum depression, postpartum scar tissue massage, exclusive breastfeeding, Restless legs syndrome during pregnancy, nutrition for pregnant women, UTI during pregnancy, postpartum nutritional supplements, Mommy brain, Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), postpartum stroke, Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), Vasospasms, Raynaud’s syndrome, Milk Bleb, Mastitis, or Perinatal maternal health;

If you do not wish to lean toward the practice side, you can examine nursing practice. For example, you can compose a concept analysis paper on nursing care.

This list of concepts can provide nursing concept analysis paper ideas. These are the most suitable topics for a concept analysis essay.

  1. Burnout
  2. Stress
  3. Autonomy
  4. Caregiver abuse
  5. Therapeutic touch
  6. Nursing care
  7. Nursing career
  8. Career development
  9. AIDS education
  10. Breathlessness
  11. Pregnancy
  12. Mental health
  13. Mental illness
  14. Stigmatization
  15. Health promotion programs
  16. Baccalaureate and associate degrees
  17. Widows and widowers
  18. Mutual help groups
  19. Decisional conflict
  20. Collaboration
  21. Empowerment
  22. Caring
  23. Love
  24. Hopelessness
  25. Health illiteracy
  26. Nursing productivity
  27. Nursing turnover
  28. Psychological acculturation
  29. Transcultural nursing
  30. Cultural competence
  31. Compassion
  32. Competence
  33. Joy and happiness
  34. Nursing workload
  35. Patient autonomy
  36. Resilient aging
  37. Culture-centered nursing care
  38. Family-centered nursing care
  39. Self-management
  40. Ethical competence
  41. Role transition
  42. Cancer survivor
  43. Food insecurity
  44. Nurse leadership
  45. Nurse-patient ratio
  46. Nurse-patient interaction
  47. Proactive behavior in midwifery
  48. Body image disturbance
  49. Concealed pregnancy
  50. Ectopic pregnancy

Tips and Hints when writing a Nursing Concept Analysis Paper

Here are some helpful writing tips for your concept analysis paper. Remember that nursing writing requires a scientific approach. Therefore, it must be analytical, organized, and well-structured. Use the following guidelines to obtain the highest possible mark for your work.

  1. Utilize reputable and scholarly sources.
  2. Use websites with prefixes such as.org and.edu with discretion.
  3. If a published work is a concept analysis paper example of your concept, you should only utilize it as a source of inspiration. It should be used solely to learn how to write a paper. If you copy word-for-word, you will be accused of plagiarism.
  4. When writing a paper, never utilize colloquial terms, informal language, or slang.
  5. Compose your paper on your terms
  6. Integrate appropriate in-text citations into your paper
  7. Avoid making broad generalizations without supporting data or evidence.
  8. In each section of your concept paper, you must define facts by the relevant literature and then explain or extrapolate them.
  9. You can specify the concept’s meaning, concept analysis, defining qualities, model cases, and borderline cases, among other terms.
  10. Ensure that your reference list is current.
  11. Cite any work that is not your own or that is common information.
  12. Use headers and subheadings to structure your paper correctly.
  13. If feasible, employ relevant transition words to ensure a smooth flow.
  14. Maintain a balance between the number of words in each sentence.
  15. Format your work using 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins.

Bottom Line

You now understand the steps of concept analysis to reach this point. You may effortlessly compose an essay, research paper, term paper, journal article, or white paper about concept analysis.

If you need help with writing your concept analysis paper, our nursing writing service can be of help. We have professional writers who are also registered, nurses. They comprehend how to compose nursing papers with no plagiarized content. Every essay is written from scratch. We custom-write nursing papers to ensure you fully comprehend the subject when reading sample papers.

Our nursing clientele has reported satisfaction with our service at a rate of 99 percent. First, we permit you to communicate with your assigned writer. You may select a preferred author. We also hold your privacy and confidentiality in the highest regard. You can rest assured that your paper will never appear online or anywhere else.

Otherwise, best of luck with your concept analysis paper.

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