How to plan your writing

Workshop plan and learning intentions At the end of the session ALL learners will feel more confident about: Understanding your assignment Generating ideas for writing Writing a draft assignment Structuring ideas in coherent paragraphs Composing a clear introduction and conclusion

Understanding your assignment To produce a good piece of writing you need to: Carefully plan the content based on type of format e.g. essay, report etc. Cover all that is required from the title in a logical order.

Starting point. What does the title mean? Your first task is to understand what the title means: You need to interpret the academic keywords used in the title.

Task 1: Interpreting the question: what are the assessment verbs or task phrases for each assignment title? Compare and contrast Twitter and Facebook. To what extent does privately funded education threaten state funded education? What are the ways that gastroenteric disease can be treated in the first week after infection? Justify the following position: substantial damage is done to human rights through the use of tax havens. Using Belch and Belch’s position, (2012), evaluate how important situation analysis is in the development of a promotional strategy. Look at the handout (Task 1, p1-2) of the main words used in essay and exam titles for extra examples.

Planning techniques There are THREE recommended techniques to generate ideas to get started on a plan: Brainstorming Mind-mapping Linear plan

Task 2: generating ideas Instructions: Generate ideas for the following question, using the technique you chose. ‘Should the voting age be lowered to 16? Discuss.’  In groups, brainstorm to generate ideas From the ideas you generate, develop a mind map (Look at the task 2 – Mind mapping section in the handout, pp. 4-5.) Finally, try to organise your ideas into a logical order, and produce a linear plan

Mind map

Task 2: Linear plan

From planning to drafting Having a clear plan or assignment outline will: Save you time Help ensure you answer the question Help you decide what to read Help you organise your ideas and cover any assessment criteria Make it easier for your lecturer to read!

Task 3: Drafting Exercise: in your small groups discuss how you might go about drafting your essay. What is drafting? What steps do you think are involved in the drafting process?

Drafting: the process The rough draft Working document (better) Penultimate draft (even better) The final proof (what you hand in)

Paragraphing (a short quiz) What is a paragraph? What should good paragraphs contain? How long should they be?

A short video on paragraphing

Developing a paragraph Write a topic sentence, linking to the previous paragraph and introducing the specific point of this paragraph (S) Expand this with more information e.g. examples, quotations, definitions, explanations (E) Compare/ contrast/ examine opposing ideas/ give reasons/causes etc (E) Evaluate the evidence (E) Add a viewpoint/ draw a conclusion Link to the next paragraph

Task 4: put the parts back in order Another area that has received attention is the content and presentation of handover information. Wills (1994, p. 36) observes that “an unprofessional approach has been noted among some nurses, with derogatory comments about patients or their families”. A B A number of problems associated with the traditional routines of handover practices have been identified. C Thus, many serious problems have been identified in traditional handover practices which may reflect on the professional standing of nurses in this profession. Lastly, there is the issue of what information nurses actually pass on during the handover. It appears that: Nurses frequently report on their own activities over the shift rather than providing patient centred information. Information obtained from discussions with relatives is rarely relayed onto other nursing staff, and of the patient information reported, most is described from a medical perspective rather than focusing on the discussion of nursing related information. (Professional Nurse, 1997, p. 637) D Baldwin and McGinnis (1994, pp. 61-64) find that many handovers are unnecessarily lengthy which means that there is an unacceptable period of time during each shift when nurses are not available in the ward or unit. E

Task 4: put the parts back in order A number of problems associated with the traditional routines of handover practices have been identified. Baldwin and McGinnis (1994, pp. 61-64) find that many handovers are unnecessarily lengthy which means that there is an unacceptable period of time during each shift when nurses are not available in the ward or unit. E Another area that has received attention is the content and presentation of handover information. Wills (1994, p. 36) observes that “an unprofessional approach has been noted among some nurses, with derogatory comments about patients or their families”. A Lastly, there is the issue of what information nurses actually pass on during the handover. It appears that: Nurses frequently report on their own activities over the shift rather than providing patient centred information. Information obtained from discussions with relatives is rarely relayed onto other nursing staff, and of the patient information reported, most is described from a medical perspective rather than focusing on the discussion of nursing related information. (Professional Nurse, 1997, p. 637) D Thus, many serious problems have been identified in traditional handover practices which may reflect on the professional standing of nurses in this profession. C

Structuring your assignment A clear structure will include: Introduction Main body of your argument/writing Conclusion Your tutor may get an overview of your work by reading the introduction and conclusion first.

Introduction Use the introduction to explain what your written work is going to do. Your introduction should: make your reader want to read on explain how you interpret the title identify the issues you are going to explore provide a brief outline of how you plan to deal with each of these issues, and in what order your introduction should be about one-tenth of the total essay

Introduction elements Some key elements to include: Background information Hypothesis or topic Scope Outline

Introduction exercise

Conclusion Should contain no new material. Should summarise your argument, briefly recap on your main themes, and clearly state and make recommendations on your general conclusions. Make clear why your conclusions are important or significant. In the last sentence, sum up your argument very briefly and make a clear link back to the title. Your conclusion should be about one-tenth of the total essay.

Conclusion elements Some key elements to include: Opening sentence Summary of key ideas Recommendations, predictions and opinion Round off

Conclusion exercise

Skills for the workplace At university: How to plan your writing In the workplace: Understanding what is expected from a task – analysing a question or request How to generate ideas using brainstorms, mind maps etc – workload planning, office/ward re-organisations Planning your writing – evidence based reports, incident reports, case/patient notes Drafting and writing in a clear and well structured style – making yourself understood What other skills will you need for employment?

Other academic skills workshops How to make notes from your reading and lectures Reading effectively to understand a report, taking useful notes at meetings How to put your reading into your writing How to summarise and synthesis multiple sources How to reference and avoid plagiarism Acknowledging the words of another company, or institution, that you use in a policy document How to get started with critical writing & How to improve your critical writing Writing a report, writing reflectively for continued professional development

Workshops on a range of academic skills Further help Library online workbooks Ask a Librarian Workshops on a range of academic skills Study skills webpages