Writing for different purposes

What might these be?

• Academic essay writing – needs to be objective

and referenced to meet the criteria

• Report writing – needs to be in the right format

to gain attention and be understood

• Reflective writing – can be used both in

academic writing and in personal diaries or

portfolios

• Record keeping - legal document needs to be

clear in order to safeguard patients or clients.

Planning

• Make sure you attend a session to introduce you

to the library.

• Understand how to use electronic databases

such as Cinahl or Swetswise.

• Look for current materials, classic texts can be

used to give a historical perspective but should

not be discussed as if they are current. An

example might be referring to NMC publications

rather than the UKCC ones.

Academic essay writing

• Decide on your topic or article at the earliest possible stage. Seek guidance from your elearning Tutor if you choose your own article.

• Take account of assignment guidelines and do not get sidetracked by issues that you personally find interesting but are not relevant to the assignment.

• Consider using a mind map to link issues and think of posting the map and outline to your tutor.

The language used

• Think about links between paragraphs but also how you relate the literature to the topic and develop your arguments.

• Use effective linking words eg,

• Jones (2007) argues that/states that/ suggests that/proposes that/indicates that

• The third person is most often used. It makes the tone more objective and less chatty.

Think about your work so far

• Does it have a logical introduction, main body and conclusion?

• Do you clearly signpost in your introduction the issues to be discussed and which article is being summarised.

• Does each paragraph specifically discuss an issue related to the assignment plan.

• Do the issues discussed match the assessment criteria.

Does it make sense?

• Does the conclusion summarise your findings or does it merely repeat the issues that you looked at in the main body of the essay?

• Have you got the structure right. In this instance, do you provide a summary of the article, outline how you researched your topic and consider the implications for your future practice?

Conclusion

• Many students forget about the conclusion as

they believe that there is no need to go over

points already made but although new points

should not be introduced there is an opportunity

for the student to critically discuss what they

have found and to say what they personally feel.

• A good ending should be a tying up of the main

points and can use phrases such as “this article

has demonstrated “or “the evidence clearly

suggests….”

References, appendices and

bibliography

• An appendix can be used to give information on a table or diagram or it could be a mind map for this course.

• Use Harvard referencing system and look it up if you are unsure.

• Concentrate on getting a good number of references in your reference list a bibliography is not always necessary.

• Proof read your work and read it aloud – does it make sense!

Report writing

• Reports are usually written for a specific reason

and are usually shorter than an academic essay.

They are often for a specific audience – so it

must grab their attention.

• Style is clear and straightforward with use of

bullet points. Tables and diagrams are often

included. Recommendations are usually

included.

Key factors in report writing

Why do I need to know about

report writing?

• Patient safety involves a form of report writing.

• Staff are encouraged to report ‘no harm’ events

and ‘near miss’ events.

• Language in any kind of report needs to be

factual and clear.

• At some stage you may be asked to write a

report on the effectiveness of a treatment or

piece of equipment or make the case for

changing an accepted practice to a new one.

Writing in practice – NMC 2005• Records should be

• Factual, consistent and accurate.

• Written as soon as possible after the event has occurred providing current information on the patient’s condition.

• Written clearly in a manner that cannot be erased.

• Written so that alterations or additions are dated, timed and signed allowing the original entry to still be read clearly.

• Accurately dated, timed and signed with the signature printed alongside the first entry.

• Free of abbreviations,

jargon, meaningless

phrases, irrelevant

speculation and offensive

subjective statements.

• Readable on photocopies.

• Written when possible with

the involvement of the

patient or carer.

• Written in terms that the

patient can understand.

• Identify problems and the

action taken to rectify them.

• Provide clear evidence of the

care planned, the decisions

made, the care delivered and

the information shared.

Key principles of record keeping –

NMC 2005• Patients have the right of access to records held

about them.

• Each practitioner’s contribution should be seen as of equal importance.

• You have a duty to protect the confidentiality of the patient record.

• You need to assume that the entries you make in a patient record will be scrutinised at some point.

• Good record keeping helps to protect the welfare of patients.

Writing reflectively

• You will need to do this in a structured way in

academic essays perhaps using a models such

as Gibbs’ or John’s.

• You might also like to keep a personal reflective

diary in which you can write subjectively about

your experiences as a student.

• You will need to reflect on practice in your

portfolio linking it to the courses you have been

studying.

Writing as an aid to reflection

• Writing provides an objectivity in relation to an initial learning experience.

• Clarify the initial experience by removing it from subjective feeling that can obscure it.

• A way of distancing oneself from the experience and drawing out potential learning.

• Captures the initial event without it being lost.

The nature of reflection

• Reflection: a cycle of paying deliberate analytical attention to one’s own actions in relation to intentions - as if from an external observer’s perspective - for the purpose of expanding one’s options and making decisions about improved ways of acting in the future, or in the midst of the action itself. (Kottkamp:1990:183)