Professional Writing

1
Professional Writing

• Strategies for
• Nursing Students

Created by Pam Selby, Editor, UF College of
Nursing (Rev. 12/18/08)
2
What is Professional Writing?

• Memo
• To Nursing Students
• From Pam Selby
• Date August 8, 2008
• Re What Is A Memo?
• A memo is a brief document that members within an
  organization use to exchange information. When
  writing a memo, consider the following
• needs of your colleagues,
• bullets to summarize main points,
• order of information/priorities, and
• clear deadlines/timelines, meeting
• locations, responses needed, etc.
• Writing good memos can help you practice
  summarizing and prioritizing information. In a
  situation in which your intended reader may be
  flooded daily with memos, spice it up with color
  or clip art to get the readers attention.

Literature Cited American Psychiatric Association
(2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders (4th ed., text revision).
Washington, DC Author.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 4 LIST OF TABLES. 6
LIST OF FIGURES 7 ABSTRACT 8
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 9 2 MATERIALS
AND METHODS 13 Subjects. 15 Age
Range. 19 Inclusion
Criteria 21 Method used to correlate
age range and inclusion criteria 23 Overview of
the correlation between age range and inclusion
criteria. 24 Overall Methodology.. 25
3
The Writing Process

• Pre-write Brainstorm, cluster ideas, narrow
  focus, form thesis/explore purpose, target
  audience who will benefit from your information,
  draft outline.
• Write Rough sections, multiple drafts, (allow
  gel time between drafts).
• Revise Review with mission of altering and
  improving the entire text, section by section, to
  meet competencies of professional writing (Slide
  26). It helps to have another person read it to
  spot inconsistencies, confusing terminology,
  acronyms not spelled out initially, vague or
  unclear areas.
• Edit Review for audience/style appropriateness,
  main title, format, headings/subheadings, flow,
  and grammar.
• Proofread Examine final manuscript to spot
  errors. Use a spellchecker and grammar checker.
  It helps to have another person also proofread
  it!

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Prewriting Strategy 1 Get Rid of Writers
Block!

• Start earlier.
• Use food for brain fuel.
• Rest.
• Breathe, stretch, breathe.
• Make the commitment (QUIET private place you
  habitually
• use for writing activities and be sure to turn
  off phone)!
• Use brainstorming and prewriting strategies.
• Tell a friend your main idea/purpose (in 3 or 4
  sentences.)
• Start in the middle.
• Write a rough draft (write fast) of any section
  or paragraph.

See Writers Block at http//owl.english.purdue.e
du/handouts/general/gl_block.html and
http//www.writing-world.com/basics/block2.shtml
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Prewriting Strategy 2 Choosing and Narrowing A
Focus

• Pick something you are interested in, not
  something just because there may be lots of
  information on it.
• Use an inquiry process to narrow your search
• What's your initial position on the topic?
• What assumptions do you have about the topic?
• What aspect of the topic might you be interested
  in discovering?
• Why is topic relevant/interesting/important to
  nursing?
• For whom is the topic most important and why?
  (audience)
• What information will you present that benefits
  your targeted audience?

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Strategy 3 Using a Focus Wheel to Narrow Topic
1.
4.
2.
3.
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Examples of Theses or Research Foci

• Examples of thesis statements
• "One step nurses can take to close this
  communication gap and assume a leadership
  position in health care is to promote
  English-Spanish bilingualism."
• Barcelona de Mendoza, V. (2002). A World View at
  Home The Need for Bilingualism in the United
  States Electronic version. Journal of
  Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 31,
  129.
• "The paradigms for the nursing profession are
  receding, shifting and evolving without
  commitment from the nurses who are at the
  bedside."
• Van Sell, S.L. (2002, April - June). Nursing
  Receding and Evolving Paradigms. ICUs and
  Nursing Web Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2002,
  from http//www.nursing.gr/selleditorial.pdf
• "If our profession is to survive, we must foster
  the academic life as a viable career option for
  nurses and work to better align the goals of
  expert clinical care with expert teaching and
  knowledge generation."
• Lowe, N.K. (2002). How shall they learn without a
  teacher Electronic version. Journal of
  Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 31,
  391.

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Strategy 4 Targeting An Audience

• You will have at least two audiences (or intended
  readers) for a paper
• the person/group you
• want to inform/benefit
• your instructor/reviewer(s).

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Audience (contd)
Consider the relationship between you, your
research focus, and your audience. Are your
THESIS and PURPOSE in accord with the needs of
your AUDIENCE? Why/how is your paper relevant,
innovative, or important to clinical nursing or
nursing research?
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Audience (contd)

• It is every writers job to be
• clear, consistent, and honest with readers.
• Clarity define/describe/explain any areas that
  would otherwise be confusing, ambiguous, vague,
  or abrupt.
• Consistency ensure there are no illogical,
  incoherent, or incompatible elements in your
  proposal.
• Honesty make it easy for readers to find
  reference information acknowledge possible
  limitations (e.g., small sample size) and present
  detailed plans to overcome limitations should it
  be necessary.

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Prewriting Strategy 5 The Outline

• Living Document
• Reflects and preserves the written evolution of
  your writing process and content.
• Organizing Tool
• Cohesivenessshows whether each section
  includes the appropriate information.
• Guidehelps you stay on track with content by
  exposing gaps or problems with organization,
  development, and flow.

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Sample OutlineOutlines help you stay on track
with content by exposing gaps or problems with
organization, development, and flow.

• Introduction (no heading, unless instructor
  specifies½-1 page, double-spaced, and Includes
  your thesis statement or research focus/argument)
• Brief background of problem (stats)
• Purpose of research (how it will help resolve
  problem or contribute to knowledge base)
• Significance of research
• Does it fill a needed gap in knowledge base?
• Is the research timely or compelling (need it
  NOW)?
• Is it innovative in some way (new methodology?
  problem rarely studied? Applying old principle to
  new concept or using unique conceptual framework
  as a model through which to view the problem?)

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Sample Outline (contd)

• Literature Review (heading Level 1)
• Brief paragraph introducing sections to come
• Section 1 (brief history of the problem)
• Population(s) most affected (WHO)
• Concentration areas (WHERE)
• Definitions of special terms/acronyms (WHAT)
• Section 2 (to date, what has been done about it)
• Studies devoted to the problem and findings
• Synthesis of information most relevant to your
  topic

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Professional Writing Competencies

• Organization
• Development
• Flow

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Problems with Organization

• inconsistencies in terminology, facts,
• chronology, etc.
• sections or paragraphs with irrelevant, misplaced
  or ambiguous material.
• no clear relevance of ideas to each other and to
  the papers research focus/thesis and purpose.

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Problems with Development

• lack of rationales
• lack of definitions
• lack of examples
• lack of specific details
• poor integration of purpose/goals throughout
• lack of variety of rhetorical strategies
• faulty methodology
• poor use of professional sources

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Writing Strategy 6 Specific Detail Exercise

• Who? Where?
• What? When?
• How? Why?

Example 1. Exercise can improve physical
performance. Revision Evidence supports aerobic
and strength-training exercise programs to
improve instrumental activities of daily living
in older adults (Powers, Depp, Longe, 2001
Smythe, 2003 Thompson Burgess, 2006 Williams
et al., 2000).
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Problems with Flow

• hard to read
• lack of adequate transitions between and within
  sections to provide readers with visual cues for
  understanding relationships of ideas to each
  other
• faulty punctuation
• abrupt endings
• wordiness/repetition
• unclear language

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Competencies for Professional Writing
Thesis and Purpose  Organization Development Voice
and Readability Mechanics and Grammar Critical
Thinking
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Thesis and Purpose

• Thesis or research focus is clearly stated.
• Purpose is clear.
• Argument or goals are achieved overall.  

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Organization

• Sections are well delineated with descriptive
  headings and subheadings.
• Paragraphs have topic sentences, and all material
  within is relevant to topic sentence.
• Transitions are used to move reader along
  logically to the next section or next point.
• Relationships among ideas are made clear through
  use of adverbial or transitional cues that let
  reader know how ideas are connected.
• All sections demonstrate relevance to
  thesis/focus.
• Organization is coherent throughout and look is
  professional.

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Development

• Each point of thesis is clearly and adequately
  developed with a variety of rhetorical
  strategies facts, definitions, statistics,
  examples, relevant descriptive details,
  comparison/contrast, classification, analysis,
  analogy, synthesis.
• There is appropriate use of sources (relevant,
  recent, high quality), and vocabulary, quotes,
  and other supportive material that demonstrates
  evidence of professional writing.

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Voice and Readability

• Targeted audience can
• understand and follow ideas.
• Writers voice and tone indicate
• consideration for and
• appropriate appeal to audience.

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Mechanics and Grammar

• Writer uses correct punctuation, usage, and
  grammar.
• Sophistication is demonstrated by variety in
  sentence structure/length, a marked lack of
  repetition, and titles, headings, and subheadings
  that accurately portray section contents.
• Exposition is devoid of personal intrusion (e.g.,
  first person I, second person you) and
  maintains professional tone throughout.

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Critical Thinking

• Writer demonstrates strong evidence of critical
  analysis, synthesis across multiple sources,
  meaningful reflection, and appropriate ethical
  standards.

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Criteria for Professional Writing
Thesis/Purpose Thesis or research focus is
clearly stated, purpose is clear or obvious, and
argument or goals are achieved overall.
  Organization Sections are well delineated with
descriptive headings, paragraphs have topic
sentences, and all material within is relevant to
topic sentence transitions are used to move
reader along logically to the next section or
next point relationships among ideas are made
clear through use of adverbial or transitional
cues that let reader know how ideas are
connected all sections demonstrate relevance to
thesis/focus and look is professional.
Development Each point of thesis is clearly and
adequately developed with a variety of rhetorical
strategies facts, definitions, statistics,
examples, relevant descriptive details,
comparison/contrast, classification, analysis,
analogy, synthesis etc. There is appropriate use
of sources (relevant, recent, high quality), and
vocabulary, quotes, and other supportive material
demonstrates evidence of professional writing.
Voice and Readability Targeted audience can
understand and follow ideas, and writers voice
and tone indicate consideration for and
appropriate appeal to the targeted audience.
Mechanics and Grammar Writer uses correct
punctuation, usage, and grammar. Sophistication
is demonstrated by variety in sentence
structure/length, a marked lack of repetition,
and titles, headings, and subheadings that
accurately portray section contents. Unless
requested, exposition is devoid of personal
intrusion (e.g., first person I, second person
you) and maintains professional tone
throughout. Critical Thinking Writer
demonstrates strong evidence of critical
analysis, synthesis across multiple sources,
meaningful reflection, and appropriate ethical
standards.
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Strategy 7 Avoiding Writing in 2nd and 3rd Person

• Increasing one's 3rd person workload is taxing
  on both your 2nd person physical and mental
  health. Unless someone 3rd person is in a
  physically-intensive profession, your 2nd
  person body is wasting away while you 2nd
  person are working.
• Additionally, your 2nd person diet also suffers
  as you 2nd person spend more time at work. No
  longer do you 2nd person have the time to
  prepare healthy meals at home or even worse, we
  3rd person may not have time to eat at all.
• Excerpt from student paper,
  2007

Revised The combination of sedentary jobs and
increased workloads tax both physical and mental
health among employees. Except for those working
in physically-intensive professions, human bodies
waste away with inactivity. Nutrition also
suffers while more time is spent at work, since
people do not have time to prepare healthy meals
or worse, may not have time to eat at all.
Note This student writer introduced the aspect
of mental health but did not write anything
about it.
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Strategy 8 Organization Development
Original Literature Review There are only a few
studies that have examined the effects of
exercise in persons with schizophrenia. Most
studies used small sample sizes and lacked
randomization. Only one offered exercise for a
minimum of 16 weeks that is required to show
significant progress in previously sedentary
adults (Smith et al., 2000). A common problem was
difficulty motivating participants to adhere.
Dropout rates were high in four out of the six
studies. All studies examining psychiatric
outcomes found significant reductions in
depression and anxiety. Vreeland, et al. found
statistically significant mean weight loss and
body mass index (BMI) reductions in an exercise
group compared to the control group, but Ball
noted no significant weight or BMI changes
between exercisers and non-exercisers after 10
weeks (Vreeland et al., 2006 Ball et al., 2004).
All but one study found exercise associated
with significant physical or psychological
improvements. Excerpt from
student paper, 2004
Revised Effects of Exercise in Persons with
Schizophrenia A Literature Review (added
title) A scant number of studies have examined
the effects of exercise in persons with
schizophrenia three focusing on psychiatric
outcomes and two on physical (Bell, 2007 Jones
Yi, 1990 Smith et al., 1979 Smith, 2000a
Vreeland, 2006). All studies examining
psychiatric outcomes found significant reductions
in depression and anxiety. Vreeland, et al.
(2006) found statistically significant mean
weight loss and body mass index (BMI) reductions
in an exercise group compared to non-exercising
matched controls. Bell and colleagues (2007),
however, noted no significant weight or BMI
changes between exercisers and non-exercisers
after 10 weeks. Most studies in this modest
body of literature used small sample sizes and
lacked randomization. Only one offered exercise
for the minimum 16 weeks required to demonstrate
significant gains in previously sedentary adults
(Smith, 2000a). Despite this, exercise was
associated with significant increases in physical
or psychological health in all but one study
(Jones Yi, 1990). A common problem was
difficulty motivating participants to adhere.
Dropout rates
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Strategy 9 Titles and Headings for Unity

• Using the title as a unifying strategy
• One trick professional writers use to unify a
  work is extracting a title from an essential
  piece in the papers final summary/conclusion or
  a main section. Look for a phrase in these areas
  that really captures the papers main idea or
  argument (thesis) and turn it into a title.
• (If submitting a paper for publication, be sure
  to check the journals Author Guidelines in terms
  of title, abstract, and article length.)
• Using headings to provide visual cues for
  readers
• Write the content of the section first. Then
  extract the essential argument/message/topic from
  it and use it as a heading.
• (Remember, drafting is a recursive
  processcrafting your headings like this can help
  you go back and re-do your outline to see how
  well the pieces are coming together.)

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Strategy 10 Writing an Abstract

• Components of An Abstract
• In a paragraph of approximately 100 to 200 words,
  an abstract may convey some or all of the
  following
• description of a main problem/issue, prevalence,
• and population(s) most affected (topic).
• focused statement of authors opinion or aims
• regarding problem/issue (purpose).
• description of what has been done to resolve
• problem/issue and/or what new information was
• learned (findings).
• relevance of findings to targeted audience and to
• nursing research/practice as a whole
  (conclusions).
• Implications for further research or call for
  action
• (recommendations).

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Retrieved (and revised) on December 18, 2008,
from http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/65
6/01/

• An effective abstract
• uses one or more well-developed paragraphs,
  which are unified,
• coherent, concise, and able to stand
  alone.
• uses an introduction-body-conclusion structure
  in which
• the parts of the report are discussed in
  order purpose, findings,
• conclusions, recommendations.
• follows strictly the chronology of the report.
• provides logical connections between material
  included.
• adds no new information but simply summarizes
  the
• report.
• is intelligible to a wide audience.

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Theories, Models, and Hypotheses

• How do you write about theories, models, and
  hypotheses? For some great examples, check out
  the following web sites
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/
  reportW/bodytheories.html
• http//bemyers.ifas.ufl.edu/Courses/AEE5301/Lesson
  20Plan20Library/Heather20Carr/Scientific20Meth
  od20Flowchart.doc
• For a review of the Scientific Method, see
  http//bemyers.ifas.ufl.edu/Courses/AEE5301/Lesson
  20Plan20Library/Heather20Carr/Scientific20Meth
  od20PP.ppt

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Strategy 11 Literature Review (as part of a
study or project) Retrieved August 25, 2007,
from http//www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.
1111/j.1466-2435.2004.00231.x See Also Fink, A.
conducting research literature reviewsfrom the
Internet to paper. Access at http//uf.catalog.fc
la.edu/uf.jsp?NttconductingaliteraturereviewI
0N20SDL2T33C7FJR69FH65UXXV8L65SDDXQ3AIGR6V47E
7E9X99AVC2NtkKeywordVDNty1top

• Are relevant previous studies described?
• Are references current (or seminal studies
  included)?
• Is the literature review organized to demonstrate
  the progressive development of ideas through
  previous research?
• Is a theoretical knowledge base developed for the
  problem and purpose?
• Does the literature review provide rationale and
  direction for the study?
• Is a clear, concise summary presented of the
  current empirical knowledge (data produced by
  experiment or observation) in the area of the
  study?
• Is a clear concise summary presented of the
  current theoretical knowledge in the area of
  study?

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Literature Review (as a type of paper)Retrieved
(and adapted) August 27, 2007, from
http//www.library.usyd.edu.au/libraries/nursing/l
iterature.html

• Before you start
• Have you broken down your research question into
  specific subject keywords?
• What category are you searching (Nursing gt Public
  Health gt Breastfeeding)?
• What aspect of the subject do you want to cover
  (Skin-to-skin contact for breastfeeding
  difficulties postbirth)?
• Searching the sources
• Have you found and searched the most relevant
  databases? CINAHL?  Evidence-based and Cochrane?
  
• Have you looked for books and book chapters about
  your research question?Have you checked Google
  Scholar?
• Analyzing your results
• Has your search been wide enough to find all the
  relevant material?Have you limited your search
  to exclude all the irrelevant items?Have you
  identified the key references among the material
  you have found?Have you included articles that
  support your perspective?Have you included
  articles contrary to your perspective?Have you
  worked out the strengths and weaknesses of each
  item in your literature review?

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Links to Literature Review Information

• http//education.ufl.edu/Courses/eme5054/Foundatio
  ns/Articles/LitReview.pdf
• http//www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html
• http//library.edgewood.edu/help/literature-review
  s.pdf
• http//www.lynchburg.edu/x3560.xml
• http//www.flinders.edu.au/SLC/Brochures/lit_revie
  w.pdf (U of Michigan)
• http//www.departments.dsu.edu/library/litreviews.
  htm
• http//www.library.usyd.edu.au/libraries/nursing/l
  iterature.html

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Links to Writing a Case Study (and samples)

• http//www.va.gov/oaa/teaching_tools/aca/Case_Facu
  lty_Guide2.doc
• http//www.nursingsociety.org/education/online_how
  to.pdf
• http//her.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/16/
  2/227
• http//medicus.marshall.edu/mainmenu.htm
• http//www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/5tools/5case/
  cocs.htm
• http//www.springerlink.com/content/dn0yqmgx6q9fap
  vg/fulltext.pdf
• Case Studies In Nursing Ethics By Sara T. Fry,
  Robert M. Veatch http//books.google.com/books?hl
  enlridBotJKlc24MkCoifndpgPR9dq22Fry22
  22CaseStudiesinNursingEthics22otslxn6_Ab
  VTYsigGIKE9lU5h5CZ7AEPiZsoz-b1k5wPPA7,M1
• For a free subscription to our publication
  Nursing Healthcare Directories on The Nurse
  Friendly Clinical Nursing Case Studies, please
  send a blank e-mail to clinicalnursingcases-subsc
  ribe_at_topica.com

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Links to Writing a Logical Argument

• The following sites provide everything from info
  on writing experimental reports, lit reviews and
  APA style to detailed instructions about how to
  write an argument and support your proofs or
  hypotheses logically
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/13
  /
• http//hedc.otago.ac.nz/hedc/sld/Study-Guides-and-
  Resources/Essay-Writing.html
• http//hedc.otago.ac.nz/hedc/sld/Study-Guides-and-
  Resources/Essay-Writing/rightParagraphs/00/documen
  t/Essay20Writing.doc
• http//www.smccd.net/accounts/skytlc/wrl/wradnurs
  e.htm
• http//www.nursing.unimelb.edu.au/current_students
  /notices/00writing_for_publication.pdf
• http//chhs.gmu.edu/writing/expos.html
• http//umanitoba.ca/faculties/nursing/media/Why-do
  -I-need-a-second-third-etc-draft.pdf (includes
  logical fallacies)
• http//ppn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/1/3/17
  2 (sample of published logical argument)
• http//www-distance.syr.edu/apa5th.html

38

• Please contact me
• with any
• questions or concerns
• at
• pcselby_at_ufl.edu