Library Resources for DNP Students: The Executive Summary

1. Obtain permission from your faculty mentor to submit the final draft of your Executive Summary to the ScholarShip.

Submissions must have been approved by your mentor before they are submitted. Documents cannot be changed after submission. Changes that need to be made after submission require removal of the original submission and then resubmission. Make sure that you have met all requirements before you begin the submission process.

2. Redact or remove identifying information from your document.

Before uploading your document to the ScholarShip, you will need to redact or remove identifying information. This includes information such as site name, patient information, etc. Bear in mind that the ScholarShip is not HIPAA-compliant. It is a public repository that can be accessed by anyone regardless of affiliation with ECU. If you are not sure if a certain piece of information should be redacted or removed, consult with your faculty mentor.

• Redacting identifying information:
  • If you need to include the facsimile of a document that has identifying information that cannot be deleted (such as a scanned copy of a signed page), you may draw a black box around the signature to mask it.
  • NOTE: If you do this, you MUST upload your document as a PDF so that the box cannot be removed.
  • It is NOT recommended that you use black highlighting as an option to redact identifying information. On a Word document, black highlighting can be turned off. On a PDF, the text under black highlighting can be selected, copied, and pasted into a Word document, allowing readers to see the identifying information. For redaction, best practice is to draw a black box around the identifying information, then upload it as a PDF to ScholarShip.
• Removing identifying information: (<--this is Dr. H's preferred option!)
  • This is probably the easiest method to ensure that all private information is kept private. Simply remove identifying text by deleting it in the original Word document, then replace it with a bracketed descriptive statement. For instance, [clinic site] may be used if the name of the site must be kept private.
  • If you need to remove an entire page, such as an appended document, simply delete the content from that page and replace it with the following bracketed text at the top of your page: [Appendix A has been removed.]
  • If your list of references includes potential identifying information (such as the name of your clinic site), best practice is to delete that reference, then replace it with bracketed text, such as: [Reference has been removed due to identifying information.]

3. Save a copy of the final draft of your Executive Summary as a PDF, then begin the submission process in the ScholarShip.

1. Click on Submit to the ScholarShip and follow any prompts to sign in with your ECU credentials.
2. In the Collection dropdown menu, search for College of Nursing.
3. In the Item Type dropdown menu, select DNP Executive Summary.
4. Complete the form carefully.
   1. Type your name into the Author(s)/Creator(s) field.
   2. Ensure the title of your executive summary is different from your manuscript, but still related.
   3. The alternate title field may be left blank.
   4. Enter the current date for the date published or created.
   5. The citation field may be left blank (a citation will auto-generate from the system once approved).
   6. Select English (United States) for the language.
   7. Enter keywords one at a time, clicking on Add more after each one (in other words: do not enter keywords as a single string)
   8. Write a brief statement or abstract for the abstract/description field. The statement may be as simple as: This Executive Summary is a component of the DNP program.
   9. Additional Notes field may be left blank.
   10. Sponsors field may be left blank if grant funding has not been received for this project. If you received grant funding for your project, please add the full title of the funding body, as well as your award number/funding code.
   11. Write your faculty advisor's name without additional credentials (example: Doe, John).
   12. In the Degree dropdown, select D.N.P.
   13. In the Department dropdown, select Graduate Nursing Science.
   14. Select "No Embargo."
   15. Select "Open Access."
   16. Upload the final version of your Executive Summary PDF. You do not need to include a description if there is only one file. If you are uploading multiple files (for instance, your presentation), you should label each (for instance as: Executive Summary or as: Poster Presentation).
   17. Agree to the license for ECU to maintain this item in the institutional repository.
   18. Click Deposit.
       1. Note: You will NOT receive a confirmation e-mail from the ScholarShip after you have submitted. You will only receive a decision e-mail (regarding approval or rejection), as well as an e-mail from me.

4. Check your ECU e-mail regularly for follow-up from your liaison librarian.

Once you have submitted your Executive Summary, I will check the document for accuracy (to ensure that the correct document was submitted, that identifying information was redacted in some way, etc.). If there are changes to be made, I will e-mail you at your ECU e-mail address with instructions, and then your submission will be removed from the system. You will receive an e-mail indicating that your submission was rejected. Once you receive that confirmation e-mail, please make the recommended changes and resubmit.

If I review your submission and find no changes to be made, I will e-mail you at your ECU e-mail address to inform you that your submission has been approved for inclusion within the ScholarShip.

Please e-mail me at any time should you have any questions or concerns regarding this process.

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