Writing by Design to Craft a Scholarly Paper Fran Racher, RN, PhD School of Health Studies MPN Orientation September, 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/plural The 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 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 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 Parallel construction – pg 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 (6 th 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),