Turning your Presentation into a Manuscript Ruth H. Nawotniak MS, C-TAGME Training Program Administrator UB SUNY

Something you know Evaluations Recruitment 2010 New Coordinators Presentation

Steps 85% of the work done Thought through topic Organized Topic Major talking points bulleted Short catch phrases used for prompting

Steps Create first draft Just write! Join bullets together to create sentences Consider writing one paragraph per slide

Steps Review first draft Did points flow from one to the other? Reorganize? Re-word? – Word-smithing becomes important Expand your talking points with the same verbiage as if you were presenting Flesh out points with references? Examples? If you ask why, then you need more information Review of the first draft becomes your 2nd Draft Just write!

Steps Do as many drafts as needed. You are the only person who matters during this process Eventually you will tell yourself – I can’t think of anything else I want to say.

Steps Review to consolidate your writing How can you be more concise – use less words? How can you be more precise – be clearer? Introduction - Does it set the background for the purpose for writing? Conclusion – Does it wrap up what you want to say and does it speak to the purpose? Do you have the major parts of an academic paper?

Steps Do you know who your audience is? Are you writing for them? Are acronyms spelled out the first time they are used? Can everyone understand your references? Example: not all programs have a blue service, but all programs have a pediatric surgery rotation

Steps Spell check – a tool, not a cure Don’t rely on spell check – you need to proofread Watch for homonyms: their, there and they’re are all correct spellings, but are different words with different meanings used and sued are common typographical errors, but would not be picked up with spell check

Steps Grammar Check Kill as many adverbs as you can. What does “regularly” mean? What about “frequently”? Watch split infinitives (the to form of a verb: to see, to do, etc) Ex. We want to regularly review our evaluations – We want to review our evaluations once a month. Parallel construction: When listing, use the same verb tense. Ex. Managing data, analyzing reports, prepare summaries – common error - mixes mix verb and noun forms of the initial words

Steps Grammar Check Use active voice 90% of the time. Use passive voice sparingly. Active: The program director wrote the PIF Passive: The PIF was written by the program director. Active voice strengthens the writing Watch for Incomplete sentences Watch for Run-on Sentences Use lists and bullets when clarity is needed

Next - Seek feedback Listen to the feedback! Consider the feedback and address the concerns. It will improve your work. Fresh eyes have a different perspective than yours Fresh eyes will pick up inconsistencies Fresh eyes will pick up on phrases or statements that need clarifying Fresh eyes will pick up on spelling and grammatical errors Find the right venue for submission

Informational Writing Academic Writing Studies / research Literature references Statistical analysis Formal structure Informational Writing Problem to be solved; topic to be taught Scenario centered May have literature references

Structure Introduction Purpose (Hypothesis or Question in a research paper) Methods Discussion Limitations (Research paper) Conclusion

Submission Know the guidelines of the publishing venue Follow those guidelines Anticipate editorial board comments and suggestions Re-write as necessary Value the process Don’t give up