ACADEMIC WRITING

• Academic writing is a professional and disciplined way of presenting

information for consideration by professional nurses and other
professionals and scholars.
• Information and facts are present clearly for consideration by
professionals.
• Evidence is provided for the facts present in the academic article.
• The academic article often describes, evaluates, and critically analyses
issues related to the professions.
Academic writing
• Academic writing involves writing YOUR OWN IDEAS and support it by
the literature (journal articles).
• Academic writing involves comparing different ideas or information
form authors and researchers.
Academic writing
• There are two ways of writing your assignments:
1. You can read widely and jot down ideas and facts (note the
reference). Then use the fact to support your ideas.
2. You can write down all your ideas and then find support or evidence
from the literature.
Academic writing
• You can either use the first person or the third person style of writing
your assignment. However must use a consistent style of writing. NOT
at times use ‘I” and sometimes use the “author” or the “writer”.
• Reflective assignments should be written in the first person.
• EXAMPLES:
• As a first year student I doubt my ability to do the project. (FIRST
PERSON)
• As a first year student the author doubted her ability to do it. (THIRD
PERSON)
Assignments
• Your assignments often involves obtaining facts, ideas and
information from books, journals, clinical guidelines, research papers
etc..
• You need to critically analyze these information and apply it to your
own area of practice. Being critical should include positive and
negative aspects of a topic.
What is referencing.
• Referencing is providing information on the sources you have used to
obtain information.
• You should provide enough information so that anyone reading your
work can quickly and easily find the sources you have used.
• You need to reference your sources in the text of your assignments;
this is called in-text citation.
• This citation will link to the full references provided in the reference
list at the end of the assignment.
• The in-text citation and the reference list MUST MATCH.
Bibliography
• It is a full list of all material consulted in your research, including any
material that you have used for background reading but have not
directly cited in the main essay text.
• For your assignments you are required to provide a reference list and
not a bibliography.
• SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BIBLIOGRAPHY AND
REFERENCES ?
PLAGIARISM
• Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas without properly
acknowledging them.
• Presenting someone else’s idea as your own. (Not your original work).
• Copying information from any source without acknowledgement.
IN-TEXT CITATION
• This can be in the form of a direct quotation, summary or paraphrase
of the original text.
• Direct quotation is using exact words, phrases and sentences from a
source. You are advised NOT to use many direct quotes.
REFERENCING STYLES
• There are many different styles of referencing.
• Harvard system, APA system(American Psychological Association)
• Numeric system, etc.
HOW TO DO YOUR ASSIGNMENTS
1. Read and understand the assignment question.
2. Read the assessment guidelines.
3. Think of facts and information required to the assignments.
4. Down load journal articles from the net.
5. Degree level work requires wide reading.
6. You can use mind mapping to develop your ideas.
7. When you read, jot down the important points and note the
references.
IN-TEXT CITATIONS (examples)
• You want to state a fact by an author:
• - Williams (2005) found that…
•- “ -discovered that…
•- “ - revealed that…
• - notes that..
• - points out that…
• Perceptions or ideas of authors/writers:
• - John (2015) – describes…
• - Peter (2016 – identifies…
• As Peter (2016) sees it…
• John (2010) assumes…
• John (2010) takes it for granted that…
• William (2014) argues that..
• William (2018) suggests that…
• In Williams’s (2010) opinion..
• According to John (2015) that is the…
• Further support for this argument has come from John (2010) who
emphasized that…
• Additionally, one might consider the evidence presented by John
(2006), which reiterates the importance of…
• The evidence provided by John (2012) supports the issue.
Referencing in the text. (in-text citation)
• 1. Clinical posting is very stressful (John, 2009).
• 2. John (2009) argues that clinical posting is very stressful.
• 3. Clinical posting is stressful (Adam, 2011; John, 2009; Saunders,
2000)
• 4. Clinical posting is stressful (Adam & John, 2009).
• 5. Clinical posting is stressful (Collins, et al. 2006)
REFERENCE LIST
• According to APA system or Harvard system.
• No numbering, in Alphabetical order.
• Reference must match with the reference in the text.
Useful words
• Useful words and phrases that can assist you to explain similarities or
differences of ideas of writers.
• SIMILARITIES: Similarly, Agrees, In agreement, Concurs,
Complements, Additionally.
• DIFFERENCES: In contrast, Conversely, Alternatively, On the other
hand, However, Moreover, Whereas.