NURS 500 Research Sample Papers, Week by Week

Liberty University · MSN · Nursing · Updated

NURS 500 is the research course every Liberty MSN student takes, and most of its points ride on one primary research proposal written in four weekly parts. The samples below follow a single proposed study from its research questions to its analysis plan, then critique a published caregiver education trial.

CourseNURS 500 Research (NURS500)
Credit hours3
ProgramMSN
Length8 Module/Weeks, online
Weeks with written work7 of 8
Samples on this site7 week sample papers
SourcesLiberty's 2026-2027 catalog and the published NURS 500 course guide
UpdatedOctober 2026

What NURS 500 covers

Liberty's MSN programs place NURS 500 early because every later track course assumes students can read a study and judge it. The course guide spreads the work across eight weeks: two discussion forums, four quizzes, a CITI human subjects certificate, a research article critique worth 200 points and a research proposal of 9 to 16 pages broken into four graded parts in Weeks 3 through 6.

The proposal is the spine of the course. Students choose a clinical question, write the background and research questions, review the literature, design the study down to sampling and IRB protection, and finish with measurement and statistics. Because each part builds on the last, a weak question in Week 3 shows up again in every later section.

Liberty's 2026-2027 catalog describes NURS 500 Research this way:
This course expands upon research knowledge acquired at the baccalaureate level and focuses on in-depth study of the research process, theory-based research, data collection and analysis methods, and application of nursing and related research findings to nursing practice. The importance of evidence-based practice is emphasized. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies are examined.

NURS 500 week by week, with the sample for each

WeekWritten work in the course guidePointsSample
Week 1Discussion Board Forum 1: thread of 500 or more words with 2 scholarly sources and a biblical integration, then two replies of 250 or more words50Read the Week 1 sample
Week 2Quiz 1 on the readings; no paper dueNo written paper this week
Week 3Research Proposal Part 1: background, significance and research questions100Read the Week 3 sample
Week 4Research Proposal Part 2: literature review (Quiz 2 also due)100Read the Week 4 sample
Week 5Research Proposal Part 3: setting, design, sampling, ethics and IRB, data collection (Quiz 3 also due)100Read the Week 5 sample
Week 6Research Proposal Part 4: measurement, analysis and outcomes (Quiz 4 also due)100Read the Week 6 sample
Week 7Research Article Critique of a provided article, 10 pages or fewer200Read the Week 7 sample
Week 8Discussion Board Forum 2, plus the CITI module certificate50Read the Week 8 sample

Where NURS 500 papers lose points

Points go missing when the research question and the hypotheses drift apart between parts, when the literature review summarizes studies one by one instead of comparing them, when the design section names a sample size with no power analysis behind it, and when the analysis plan picks a statistical test that does not match the level of measurement. In the critique, students lose points for retelling the article instead of judging its validity, and in the forums for a biblical integration that sits in a separate closing paragraph rather than informing the argument.

Using a NURS 500 sample well

Read the four proposal samples in order, since each one quotes and builds on the decisions made the week before. Then compare their structure with the headings in your own assignment instructions; your instructor's rubric always decides what each part must contain.

NURS 500 questions, answered

How long is the NURS 500 research proposal?

The course guide asks for a complete proposal of 9 to 16 pages in APA format with 10 to 15 references, submitted in four parts. Each part usually runs three to four pages before the reference list.

Do I have to collect data in NURS 500?

No. NURS 500 asks for a proposal for a primary study, not a completed study. You describe the setting, design, sample, instruments and analysis you would use, and the CITI training covers the ethics of doing it later.

What article do students critique in NURS 500 Week 7?

The guide says the critique is of a provided article, so your instructor chooses it. The sample here critiques a published nonrandomized trial of teach-back education for caregivers, a design common in nursing research.

Ask for a custom NURS 500 sample

Send the Module/Week, the instructions and the rubric from your Canvas course, and a writer in your field drafts a sample to them in 24 to 48 hours. The first custom sample is free.

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