Transcript Slide 1

Social Work Writing
Workshop
September 4, 2008
Dr. Susan Eggman
Building on the work of
Dr. Teiahsha Bankhead
Why have a writing workshop for MSW students?
 To underscore the importance of writing
 Pause to think about writing style,
techniques, process, quality of outcome
 Requested by practice community
 Grade inflation can allow for poor writing
Writing as a tool to social justice
 Finding your voice
 Learning how to use literature to support
your ideas
 Remaining open to having your ideas
changed or challenged based on data
 A powerful vehicle for transformation
What is a literature review?
 It can be different things to different people
at different times
 It can stand alone
 It can be part of a larger paper
 It can be something you do out of curiosity
Why is writing a literature review often
viewed as difficult or mysterious?
 There is not one way to complete it
 There is no formula
 You may approach it from many different angles
 How it is organized depends upon the content, main
points and argument of the piece
 Often not taught to undergraduates, but expected of
graduate students
What does a literature review do?
 Provides background to a problem & explains the
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relationship between previous & current studies
Places research in historical & theoretical context
Identifies risk factors, problems, current trends &
debates in field
Gives direction to the project (recent work cited)
Allows author to contribute new knowledge by analysis
and synthesis of primary works
Requires use of libraries – subscriptions & limitations of
web – (interlibrary loan, reference librarian)
Depends on search methods – synonyms & key words –
relevant article subject headings – use in subsequent
searches
What do we hope to accomplish in
the literature review?
 Formal systematic search of
 Determine what has been
the literature
 Mental work – cognitive
processing
 Generate useful knowledge Make a contribution to
knowledge by analyzing and
synthesizing existing work
 Gain knowledge
written about a topic
 Clearly present and critique
existing findings
 Build on existing findings &
point out why and how your
paper adds a unique
perspective
 Goal – to constantly refine and
develop and evolve the
research community’s body of
knowledge in any given area
Plagiarism
 The word “plagiarize” is defined by
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as: “to steal
and pass off (the ideas or words of
another) as one’s own: use (another’s
production) without crediting the source; to
commit literary theft: present as new and
original an idea or product derived from an
existing source” (2006).
Steps to Completing
Writing Assignments
 Choose a topic
 Narrow the topic
 Research the topic
 Reading related manuscripts
 Organize your literature
 Group themed findings together
 Analyze & critique the findings
 Conceptualize the paper
 Plan the main points & thrust of the paper
 What is your central argument and how do you prove
it?
What is the assignment?
 Clarify the purpose and scope.
 Number of references?
 Number of pages?
 APA
Example of Writing Criteria
 Effective use of knowledge: the integration of concepts, theories,
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models, and information from readings, lectures, and class
discussions is used in a way that demonstrates internalization.
Appropriate inclusion of personal points of view along with rationale,
logic, and examples: generalization of ideas, observations,
concepts, and experiences are carefully supported with empirical
data, conceptual work generated by authors, practitioners, or
researchers, and/or original thoughts.
Organization: thesis in introduction, smooth relationship between
ideas and between paragraphs, clear overall structure, and
integrative concluding section. Careful planning is evident in the
organization.
Clarity: syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Sentences and
paragraphs are clear, unified, and coherent.
References in appropriate format (use of APA format).
Problem Statement
 What is the difficult situation, item,
relationship or issue for which more
knowledge is needed?
 What do you know about it?
 How can we know more?
 Provide a roadmap to your literature review
Narrowing your research topic…
Sharpen the question
 Is the question about who,
what where, why or when?
 Explanatory or descriptive?
 What are the variables or
factors under consideration?
 Be specific, relevant &
reasonable for the field?
Targeting the population
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Activity or practice
Gender
Age
Race/ethnicity
Region
Program/agency
Sexual orientation
Ability/disability
Illness
A framework
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Decide on a topic
Begin your search
Narrow your topic
Search
Conceptualize
Assess the literature
Organize
Synthesize
Summarize
Critically analyzing the literature
 What is the research problem addressed in this article? Is the
design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) appropriate for the
question?
What are the variables in this study? How are they
operationally defined? Are these definitions sensible and
appropriate?
What is the population of interest in this study? What is the
sampling frame? Are the subjects used in the study
representative of the population of interest?
What, if any, are the potential problems with the data
collection and analysis procedures used?
Does the research problem apply to diverse groups of people
and populations at risk? Were the methods used ethical and
sensitive to the inclusion of disenfranchised populations?
What conclusions does the author make on the basis of the
study? Does the author discuss implications for social work
practice? Are the conclusions and implications reasonable,
based on the findings of the study? Why or why not?
Common Pitfalls in Graduate Student Writing
 Poor conceptualization – piece
not thought through
 Taking on too much at once –
(i.e. you can do anything but
not everything at once)
 Poor organization, opening
sentence or thesis statement
 Too broad, too general and
lacking depth
 Formulaic writing
 Fragmented flow of ideas
 Colloquial vs. scholarly
language
 Poor use of references or poor
references
 Inaccurate or biased
assumptions used as facts
 Anxiety that stifles creativity
What do you mean by poor use of references?
 General
 Inaccurate
 Overuse of a single reference
 Overuse of direct quotes
 Use of ideas of author’s for which they
have not received credit
 Ideas inappropriately referenced
 Annotated bibliography
Examples of good and bad
 In one study, over 900,000 elders were found to have evidence of
physical abuse (author, year). Another study reported that
“perhaps millions of elders are suffering physical abuse” (author,
year, page number). The National Center for Elder Abuse indicates
that there were 6,000 cases of abuse annually including 4,000
physical, 1,500 financial, 400 emotional, and 100 sexual (year).
Instead, synthesize the multiple sources:
Over a million cases of elder abuse were reported to elder abuse
hotlines nationally in 2005, and the majority of abuse reported was
physical (author, year; author, year; author, year).
How do you know when a paper is in
good enough shape to turn it in?
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Well done
Integrated
Synthesized – use of multiple
authors referenced in a
sentence
Convincing
Appropriately critiques and
challenges existing works
Provides details
Lead the reader through a
logical sequence of ideas
Well organized, w/ref. to
begin., mid., end
Impeccable grammar
Makes sense
Poorly done
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Fragmented
Disjointed
Leaves gaps in argument
Encourages debate for which
there is no response
Assumes literature is
comprehensive and correct all
the time
General
Illogical presentation of ideas
Poor grammar
Doesn’t make sense
REFERENCES ARE YOUR
FRIENDS
 Take Care of your references
 ORGANZIE YOUR REFERENCES
EARLY AND OFTEN
Hierarchical Value of
Scholarly References
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Rated on objectivity
Scrutiny – levels of outside review
Originality – primary vs. secondary
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Peer reviewed journal articles – narrow and current
Government reports & documents – large & not user friendly
Chapters in edited book – secondary data
Researched manuscript – biased w/o peer review
Edited book – biased, secondary
Newspaper article – NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post –
conceptualization is narrow, not scholarly, reactionary
Books – lack peer review, secondary analysis
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Popular periodicals
Personal testimony
How do you best use
references?
1. Group common themes
2. Critique –
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Methods
Findings
Sample
Time period
Purpose
Assumptions
Gaps
3. Reduce / eliminate use of direct quotes
Examples of proper use of APA style
references in a sentence
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…(Cox, 2007).
…(Cox, 2007; Jones, 2003).
…(Cox, 2007, p. 126).
…(Cox, Om & Takaki, 2003)
then (Cox et al., 2003).
1. Single author
2. Two authors in a single
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sentence, alphabetical order
Direct quote, page number
List all authors first time
mentioned in an article. If
more than two, infuture refs.,
use first author, et al.)
Keys to Successful Writing in Graduate School
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Be critical of your own work
Leave enough time for the assignment
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Write and rewrite – walk away from
your work and reread it at a later time
to assess clarity, logic and perspective
Be careful of your optimism about ho
long writing takes
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Be organized and clearly articulate the
position for which you are advocating
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Make sure your positions are
grounded in data
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Let your clear vision be your guide
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Your ideas, beliefs and values may be
transformed in graduate school, so
expect this to be true as well for your
writing
You can get to “good enough” in your
writing but a piece of serious intellectual
work is never really finished