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Writing for Publication Health Sciences Íde O’Sullivan Regional Writing Centre at UL www.ul.ie/rwc Outline Developing an academic writing and research output plan Developing an effective research and writing strategy Establishing peer relationships to support scholarship Regional Writing Centre 2 Reflection: Understanding academic writing Writers’ relationships with academic writing Writing likes and dislikes Positive/creative aspects of academic writing Struggles and fears Paradoxes and contradictions Barriers to effective and pleasurable writing The meaning and purpose of academic writing and research Regional Writing Centre 3 The paradoxes of academic writing (Murray and Moore 2006:7) The starting versus finishing paradox The originality versus convention paradox The logic versus emotion paradox The easy versus difficult paradox The public versus private paradox Regional Writing Centre 4 Developing an academic writing and research output plan Freewriting/Writing to prompts What writing for publication have you done, and what would you like to do in the short, medium and long term? Keep writing non-stop for 5 minutes. Write in sentences. Do not edit or censor your writing. Private writing -- no one will read it. Discuss what you have written in pairs. Regional Writing Centre 6 The Writing Consultation (Murray, Thow, Moore, and Murphy 2008) Potential Prioritise academic writing Stimulate writing practices Stimulate motivation Create time for writing Reconceptualise writing practices Foster change in writing practices Encourage peer support and collegiality Enhance writers’ motivation Developing an effective research and writing strategy My process: Strategies Cognitive Strategies Metacognitive Strategies Assessing my research/writing process Affective Strategies Social Strategies Regional Writing Centre 9 Effective research and writing Writing would be so much better for me if … Regional Writing Centre 10 Writing strategies Where and when do you write? How long does it take you to get started? What kind of avoidance tactics go on? Why are you not writing? Write about why you are having difficulty making advances in your paper “I don’t feel ready to write.” Writers’ block … Why write about why you are having difficulty? Regional Writing Centre 11 Writing strategies Getting unstuck Writing to prompts/freewriting (write anything) Set writing goals Write regularly Integrate writing into your thinking Break it down into a manageable process Don’t allow yourself to freeze up. When you are feeling overwhelmed… Satisfy yourself with small advances until you feel more confident and unstuck. Seek help. Talk to friends. Talk about how you feel, but talk about your ideas as well. Eat lots of chocolate. Regional Writing Centre 12 Sharing strategies Regional Writing Centre 13 Getting started Choose one of your short-term writing plans Lay an egg… (Phil Race) Regional Writing Centre 14 Writing an abstract Brown’s 8 questions (Murray 2005:108114) Framework to help you draft an abstract Allows you to see the paper as a whole and focus on the main points of the argument Written at an early stage in the writing process, it helps you maintain the main focus as you write the paper. Revise it as you go. Regional Writing Centre 15 Brown’s 8 questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Who are the intended readers? (3-5 names) What did you do? (50 words) Why did you do it? (50 words) What happened? (50 words) What do the results mean in theory? (50 words) What do the results mean in practice? (50 words) What is the key benefit for readers (25 words) What remains unresolved? (no word limit) Regional Writing Centre 16 Writing a ‘page 98 paper’ Early: to establish direction/focus Associate your project with the literature Distinguish your project from the literature Build on research question/hypothesis Focus reading/thinking Manageable writing task: 325 words To develop thinking about your thesis ? Late: to focus thinking as you draft conclusion and revise your introduction (Murray 2006: 105) Regional Writing Centre 17 Writing a ‘page 98 paper’ My research question is … (50 words) Researchers who have looked at this subject are … (50 words) They argue that … (25 words) Debate centres on the issue of … (25 words) There is work to be done on … (25 words) My research is closest to that of X in that … (50 words) My contribution will be … (50 words) (Murray 2006: 104) Regional Writing Centre 18 Establishing peer relationships to support scholarship Academic Literacy “ […] literacy is seen as a social practice rather than a set of cognitive skills to be learnt and assimilated. This approach takes account of the cultural and contextual components of writing and research practices” (Lea and Street 1996:2). Regional Writing Centre 20 Peer review Dialogue about writing Getting feedback on writing The “writing sandwich” (Murray 2005:85): writing, talking, writing Writing “buddies” (Murray and Moore 2006:102) “The Writing Consultation” (Murray, Thow, Moore and Murphy 2008) Writers’ groups Writers’ retreats Regional Writing Centre 21 Avenues to explore A writing for publication programme (Murray and Moore 2006 96-101)? Resources Moore, S. (ed.) (2009) Supporting Academic Writing Among Students and Academics, SEDA Special (24). London: SEDA. Brown, R. (1994/1995) ‘Write Right First Time’, Literati Club, Articles on Writing and Publishing, Special Issue for Authors and Editors. Elbow, P. (1973) Writing without Teachers. New York: Oxford University Press. Lea, M. and Street, B. (1996) ‘Academic literacies, Learning Matters, 3: 2-4. Leedy, P.D. and Ormond, J.E. (2005) Practical Research: Planning and Design, 8th edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Ballenger, B. (2006) The Curious Researcher: A Guide to Writing Research Papers, 5th edition. New York: Pearson Longman. Ebest, S.B., Alred, G., Brusaw, C.T. and Oliu, W.E. (2005) Writing from A to Z: The Easy-to-use Reference Handbook, 5th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Moore, S. (ed.) (2008) Supporting Academic Writing Among Students and Academics, SEDA Special (24). Moore, S. and Murphy, M. (2005) How to be a Student: 100 Great Ideas and Practical Hints for Students Everywhere. UK: Open University Press. Murray, R. (2005) Writing for Academic Journals. UK: Open University Press. Murray, R. (2006) How to Write a Thesis, 2nd edition. UK: Open University Press. Murray, R. and Moore, S. (2006) The Handbook of Academic Writing: A Fresh Approach. UK: Open University Press. Murray, R., Thow, M., Moore, S. and Murphy, M. (2008) ‘The writing consultation: developing academic writing practices‘, Journal of Further and Higher Education, vol. 32(2): 119-128. Regional Writing Centre 23