Academic Writing Skills 09.30 Most people become a manager because they are good at what they do but being a manager is a completely different job. Your success depends on not only how well you do in your own job but on how well you get things done through other people. Pick a card and a colour and say why.

Workshop Objectives By the end of this workshop, you will: be able to explain how to structure a piece of academic writing understand how to write in third person be able to undertake literature searches to find the most relevant and up-to-date academic resources be able to reference sources correctly both in text and in a reference list 2

What is academic writing? It keeps to the point There is no humour It isn’t ‘flowery’ Description plays only a small part It looks thoroughly at a subject It accurately defines things It analyses situations, looking at many sides of an argument Group shout out first – what do you think makes academic writing different to business and creative writing (e.g. writing stories)? Then go through points on the slide.

Common Features of Academic Writing Use literature sources - don’t just state your personal opinion. Use studies, books, journal articles, seminal pieces, etc. to support your arguments Follow a set structure – group similar points together rather than dotting them about throughout the whole assignment Write in 3rd person – when referring to yourself, your views, thoughts and opinions you should write in 3rd person, e.g. the author feels that, it is the opinion of the author that … Discuss the differences between first, second, third person and why academic writing requires us to use 3rd person. Exercise – write a couple of paragraphs about a topic of your choice, e.g. holiday, tv programme, film, work scenario, using 3rd person. Workshop facilitator to then check that this has been done correctly and offer feedback to the group on observations.

Common Features of Academic Writing Follow a line of argument fully – tackle one line of reasoning at a time and fully, so that your assignment flows well from one point to the next Compare and contrast – you may be asked to compare and contrast a number of theories or techniques and discuss the merits of each against the other (strengths and weaknesses) Remain emotionally neutral – take care not use emotive words or phrases. You will be required to comment objectively and dispassionately on the topics in your assignments.

6 step process Analyse the question Research and record information Organise and plan Write an outline plan and first draft Work on your first draft Final drafts

Analysing the Question All assignments contain a central question which has to be answered. Your main task is to apply what you know to answer this central question. It is NOT about showing how much you know. Focus on the title before you start researching and writing Read the question a few times to fully understand what you are being asked. Keep it in front of you so that you can keep checking that you are truly focused on the title when writing. It is important before you start writing to focus on the title to make sure that you are clear of what is expected of you. Show the marker what you know about the subject in question not how much you know about the topic as a whole. Think hard about what the question is asking you so that you can choose relevant reading materials – you need to show your ability to select material relevant to the subject. If you don’t answer the question, you may not get any marks at all. You should aim to use the title in your introduction and then throughout the assignment to keep you focused and make sure that you are not going off track. There should be a clear link from the title, to the introduction through to the conclusion. Exercise – what do you think the titles you’ve been given are asking? What would you include an assignment based on these titles?

Analysing the Question Analyse Examine in close detail; identify important points and chief features. Comment on Identify key issues & give reactions based on what you have read. Avoid personal opinion. Compare Show how 2 or more things are similar. Indicate the relevance or consequences of these similarities. Critically evaluate Weigh arguments for an against something, assessing the strength of the evidence on both sides. Use criteria (methodological and/or conceptual) to guide your assessment of which theories, models or items are preferable. Describe Give the main characteristics or features of something. Define Give the exact meaning of. Where relevant show that you understand why the definition may be problematic.

Analysing the Question Discuss Write about the most important aspects of (inc. criticisms); give arguments for and against; consider the implications of. Evaluate Assess the worth, importance or usefulness of something using evidence. There will probably be cases to make both ‘for’ & ‘against’. Examine Put the subject ‘under the microscope’; focus in detail & critically evaluate. Explain Make clear why something happens or why it is the way it is. Justify Give evidence which supports and argument/idea; show why a decision or conclusions were made; consider possible objections. Outline Give only the main points, showing the main structure. To what extent Consider how far something is true or contributes to a final outcome. Also consider ways in which the proposition is not true (the answer is usually somewhere between ‘completely’ and ‘not at all’).

Step 2 – Research & record information Use relevant sources from reading lists Visit University Library Undertake literature searches e.g. NWAS Library Information Service, university electronic journals/books

Literature Searches Good research needs to be placed in the context of existing – usually articles published in peer reviewed journals Literature searching requires that you find other relevant published research – this means searching databases such as CINAHL, EMBASE and MEDLINE Access to databases is provided through NHS Evidence or your University. You will need an NHS Athens Account and a University provided User Name or Password if you are attending a University Matt Holland to talk about this and LIS.

Literature Searches You will find all the information you need either from your University Library or from Matt Holland, NWAS Librarian For more information look at the NWAS Library guides located here http://www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/nwas-library-and-information-service/guides

Step 3 – Organise and plan What do you do when you ‘plan’ your assignments? How much time do you spend planning? 5 minutes to discuss in small groups, then feedback. People will sometimes say: Make sure workspace is clean and clutter free. Get all the materials that I need, e.g. pens, pencils, paper, cup of tea! All of these points are just procrastination. Get on with it and stop stalling!

Percentage of Time Spent Writing

Assignment Structure Title Introduction Main argument Conclusion References Appendices Title - Every title contains an actual or implied question. The whole of your assignment must focus on the title & address that question. Intro - Explain clearly what the assignment is going to do i.e. ‘signpost the reader’, what do you plan to cover – think about the order in which you will cover the topics too. Identify the issues that you are going to explore Give a brief outline of how you will deal with each issue & in which order Main argument - Paragraph 1: covers the first thing your intro said you would address: the first sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph subsequent sections develop the topic including relevant examples, details, evidence, quotations, references. Lead up to next paragraph. Conclusion - The conclusion contains NO new material. summarise your argument & main themes. state general conclusions & make clear why important/significant. last sentence: sum up your argument very briefly, linking it back to the title. References - List all the books/journal articles. etc you have referred to in your writing. The format for referencing will differ dependent on the institution you are studying at, e.g. Harvard, APA. Appendices – Include all of the appendices that you have referred to in your assignment (if relevant). Each one should be labelled separately (usually with a number or roman numerals) in the order that they appear in the text.

Initial Planning Create a spider diagram to identify key points Place key points in separate circles Add the detail using trigger words to create mind map Highlight links and repetition – this will help you to group your content into relevant sections Decide what key points you want to discuss in your introduction Undertake additional literature research

Initial Planning 1 1 A 2 B 2 3 Academic Writing 1 1 C 2 D 3 2

Step 4 - Outline Plan and 1st Draft Select a sequence and number the details in a logical order. Create an outline by converting your cluster into an ordered vertical list. This may even become your contents page at a later stage. 1 3 A – Introduction: 1 – 2 – 3 – B – Section 1: C – Section 2: 1 A 2 B 2 Academic Writing 2 3 D C 1 1 2

Write 1st Draft Use your vertical list as your guide and start writing. True drafting is where you start typing and carry on typing. Don’t re-read the sentence you’ve just written. Don’t check your spelling or grammar at this point. Don’t cross anything out Just type! It would be beneficial to you if you sent your outline through to a tutor for comment and guidance. This will ensure that you are heading in the right direction.

Step 5 – Work on 1st draft This is the stage where you will edit your work: Correct spelling, punctuation and grammar errors Change sentence/paragraph structure Make sure that the whole assignment flows logically form one paragraph to the next. If not, change it. Add/delete information as necessary TIP: reading aloud will help you to spot places where your writing is not fluent

Step 6 – Final Draft Again, check your spelling, punctuation and grammar Ask someone to proof read your work for you Make sure you have referenced all academic work and that you have done this correctly

How to reference … using the Harvard Referencing System or the Name/Date system There are two parts to referencing, citing in text and the bibliography at the end of your piece of work Citing in text – use the name of the author of the piece of work you are referring to and the date of publication (Holland 2011) At the end of a piece of work list your references in alphabetical order by author using your University Harvard Style or the NWAS Harvard style Matt Holland to talk about referencing and give out examples – ask participants to complete a referencing exercise to check knowledge in this area.

How to reference Your reference will look something like this Book - Holland, M. 2011. Referencing is easier than it looks. Harvard Press: Liverpool. Article - Holland, M. 2011. Referencing in research – a look at the evidence. Journal of Very Advanced Referencing. 56 (1), 1-30. For a guide to referencing and links to all the referencing styles used by Universities in the North West see Citing references – a guide for students

Plagiarism Copying word-for-word from a published text without indicating it’s source. Passing off the ideas/work of someone else as your own – this can include writing something in your own words without acknowledging the original source of the idea/work. Remember, to reference every source that you take information from and use in your assignment.

How to get good marks DO: Always make sure you have answered the question Prepare Use up-to-date sources (usually within the last 10-15 years) Develop a clear & logical structure Ensure your introduction is focussed, concise & directional Go beyond mere description, critique the work of others & back up points with evidence Check spelling, punctuation & grammar Do not rely on spell checker (give out spell checker handout), it will not pick up words that are spelled correctly but used in the wrong context, e.g. to, too, two; were, where; their, there, they’re; of, have. Get someone with a good – excellent command of English to proof read your work prior to submission.

How to get good marks DON’T: Waffle - check sentence construction & don’t fill an essay with irrelevant information Over-rely upon direct quotations: keep to a minimum, the majority should be written in your own words Rush Plagiarise - make sure you have perfect referencing!

Further Tips Distinguish fact from opinion Be objective rather than emotional Avoid sweeping claims or statements – you should be able to support everything you write with evidence Avoid using colloquialisms Remember to keep saving your work on your PC so that you don’t lose it Set the language to UK English not US English

Formatting Times New Roman or Arial font Size 12 Double lined spacing Always include a cover sheet detailing your name (or ID number), module number, assignment title, date of submission Check if you have to declare the word count

Questions?