Writing by Designto Craft a Scholarly Paper

Fran Racher, RN, PhDSchool of Health Studies

MPN OrientationSeptember, 2011

Outline

A. Setting the stage

B. Preparing the content

C. Establishing the writing style

D. Managing the grammar

E. Applying APA

F. References

A. Setting the stage

Purpose of the paper, related goals

Literature and information sources

Data management, reference database tools

Logistics – timeline, length, resources

Reflection, discussion, collection of ideas

Plan for review and evaluation, know criteria

B. Preparing the content

Purpose – Outline – Headings

Introduction

Body of paper

key ideas

expansion of key ideas – points to support key ideas, build argument, or state position

use of theory

description and critical analysis

Conclusion

C. Establishing the writing style

Style preferences Position of writer, objective stance, first person

Use of quotes, citations generally preferred

Gender neutrality – pluralize to remedy

Past tense for author citations – stated, recommended

Labelling – person first then disability

Use of tables and figures – explained in text too

Consistency plan

Spelling, capitals, hyphenated words

D. Managing the grammar

Clarity and precision of ideas Choice of words – slang, opinion,, anthropomorphism, absolute

language, subjects, action verbs, feel…, no contractions Pronouns – singular/plural agreement in number, use of this or

these, editorial we Age – 18-24, 18 to 24 years of age; elderly not a noun Comparison – faster ….. than? Dangling modifiers (p. 81)

Punctuation – semicolon used to connect 2 related clauses s a conjunction (but, and)

Sentence structure Use of that and which, (p. 83) Parallel series (p. 86)

Common grammatical problems

Singular/pluralThe nurse assists their clients… (pluralize to avoid)

Nurses assist their clients…

Use of ‘It is’ and ‘There are’ sentences There are aspects of art and science in nursing…

Aspects of art and science are in nursing…

Dangling prepositions, dangling modifiers How does the client know who they can depend on?

One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas.

Use of that and which,

The cards that worked well in the first experiment were not useful in the second experiment. [Only those cards that worked well in the first experiment were not useful in the second; prefer that.] restrictive

The cards, which worked well in the first experiment, were not useful in the second experiment. [The second experiment was not appropriate for the cards.] nonrestrictive

(American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 83)

Parallel series

The participants were told to make themselves comfortable, to read the instructions, and that they should ask about anything they did not understand.

The participants were told to make themselves comfortable, to read the instructions and to ask about anything they did not understand.

(American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 86)

Prevalent writing errors

Poor organization and continuity

Lack of sufficient support for claims with citations/references

Syntax, grammar, and punctuation problems

Lack of connection between sections

Lack of use of theory

Weak introduction and/ or conclusion

E. Applying APA Serif font, 12 point, 1” margins, double space, indent paragraphs

½”, page numbers top left all pages – pg 228-229 Figures to express numbers 10 and above and words to express

numbers below 10 – pg 111 Two spaces after periods; one after colons/semicolons – pg 87-88 Title page – running head (<50), in header, pagination – pg 229 Headings – pg 62 Citations – pg 174 (single authors, multiple authors) Tables – pg 128 and figures – pg 150 Seriation (a), (b), (c) – pg 63-64 Parallel construction – pg 84-86 Reference list – pg 180, examples Chapter 7 Reconcile citations and reference list (spelling, dates)

Creating the List of References

Order of references – pg 181 Reference components – pg 183 Electronic sources and locator info – pg 187 Examples by type of work – pg 198

chapter of a book – pg 202 and 203 edited book – pg 204 electronic throughout

Personal communication – pg 179

F. References

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Lambie, G. W., Sias, S. M., Davis, K. M., Lawson, G., & Akos, P. (2008). A scholarly writing resource for counselor educators and their students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86(4), 18-25.