Live Webinar Update: Full Schedule for December!
December is a busy time of year for many of our Walden University students, which is why we've added a few extra Live Webinar Sessions to our schedule for the month. As you continue to build your scholarly writing skills, these hour-long sessions are a great way to learn about a writing concept, practice that concept, and interact with a global group of like-minded audience members.So check out our offerings below. If any of these sessions pique your interest, click the link to learn more and register now!
Webinar Calendar
The Walden University Writing Center produces a live webinar each and every week. Walden University students are encouraged to participate and practice their scholarly writing skills with one of our instructors or editors.
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Writing Instructor by Day, Doctoral Student by Night
During the day, I’m your usual mild-mannered writing
instructor. I review papers, chat with students, and complete other projects to help Walden University
students achieve their writing
goals. In the evening, however, I become a Walden student with my own
writing goals. I’m working toward a PhD in Education at Walden, so I experience
Walden course assignments as a writing instructor and as a student. However, even
as a writing instructor at Walden, there are times when I’m confused by
assignment instructions or unsure about how to begin writing or organize my
ideas. In these cases, the strategy I share below for tackling course
assignments has helped me to clarify my assignment instructions and start
writing.
The first step in my approach to completing Walden
assignments is to fully understand the assignment. To do this, I copy and paste
the assignment instructions into a separate Word document. This helps me to separate
the assignment from the rest of the coursework on the main course page and
focus only on the assignment elements. After I have copied and pasted the
assignment prompt into a new Word document, I then highlight all of the action
words in the assignment prompt that point to something I have to do within the
assignment.
For example, my highlighted prompt might look like this:
- In a 3-5 page paper, evaluate the importance of Learning Communities in your instructional setting. Analyze obstacles that may prevent the development of Learning Communities. Finally, offer suggestions to combat these obstacles and create strong Learning Communities.
After highlighting my prompt, I now understand that I’m
going to have to evaluate, analyze, and offer suggestions about Learning
Communities in my assignment.
The second step in my strategy is to open a new Word
document that I save and name according to the assignment instructions. This
new Word document will become the space where I complete the assignment. As a
tip for this portion of the strategy, I recommend keeping a blank course template in your doctoral program document folder. I usually
duplicate or copy the blank course template and then rename it to match the
current assignment I’m working on. At this point in the process, I now have a
better understanding of what the assignment requires, and I have a blank
template ready for my ideas.
The third step in my writing process is to organize the
blank template to better suit the assignment that I’m working on. Basically, I alter
the template heading levels to match the assignment prompt. By filling out the
cover page and the heading levels to match the assignment prompts, I create an outline
of the paper that will help me to stay on topic as I draft the assignment and
keep the length to 3-5 pages. After I finish creating the outline for the
headings, I will add each part of the prompt into its appropriate section. For
example, my outline for the above prompt might look like this:
The Importance of Learning Communities
- Here is where I will briefly introduce Learning Communities and what they look like in my instructional setting. I’ll end with a thesis statement that contains my overall argument about Learning Communities.
Evaluation of Learning Communities
- In a 3-5 page paper, evaluate the importance of Learning Communities in your instructional setting.
Analysis of Obstacles
- Analyze obstacles that may prevent the development of
Learning Communities.
Learning Community Suggestions
- Finally, offer suggestions to combat these obstacles and create strong Learning Communities.
Conclusion
- This is where I’ll wrap up my ideas about Learning Communities. I’ll summarize my overall argument about Learning Communities and then show how this information about Learning Communities can be helpful in the future. Showing the importance of the topic or discussing future application of the information are both solid choices when crafting a conclusion.
References
- Here is where I will add references to the course learning resources or to other scholarly articles that will help me make my argument about Learning Communities.
Now that I have an outline for the course assignment, I’m
almost ready to begin writing!
My final step before writing is to begin reading the course
resources for the assignment. You might be wondering why I don’t read the
learning resources before creating an outline for an assignment. While this may
not work for you, I find it helpful to understand the assignment before I begin
the readings for the week. That way, I know what I’m looking for as I read the
scholarly articles and resources. If I find quotes or ideas that I think would
be helpful in my assignment, I add them to the appropriate section in my
outline with an APA-formatted in-text citation and then add that source to my reference list as I go. This
way, once I finish reading the course resources, I have an outline ready, and I
also have scholarly support for my ideas in the appropriate sections.
Once I finish adding in any necessary paraphrased source
material during my reading of the learning resources, I’m ready to begin
writing! I can then begin crafting paragraphs around my source material, using the
MEAL plan to add
topic sentences, evidence, analysis, and lead outs that will help readers
understand my overall argument about Learning Communities.
Although my strategy may not suit everyone, I encourage you
to try it out and see what you think. Please feel free to sound off in the
comments with any strategies you find helpful in completing Walden
coursework—we’d love for you to share your tips for tackling assignments!
Katherine McKinney is a writing instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. She received an M.A. in English from Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at Walden. Katherine's goal as an instructor is to show students that the best writing results from practice, and she aims to provide feedback and resources that will guide students through the invention, composition, and revision process.
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Happy Thanksgiving from the Walden University Writing Center!
The Walden University Writing Center is closed November 22-23, 2018 to allow our staff to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families. We look forward to seeing you again on Monday, November 26!
Even when our Writing Center is closed, there are lots of resources available to you! Check out our website, webinar archive, interactive modules, and other posts here on our blog.
This Thanksgiving and every day, we in the Writing Center are grateful for you, our readers and students. Thank you for being part of this community!
The Walden University Writing Center supports writers at all stages of their degree programs and writing processes. Walden University students are encouraged to participate and practice their scholarly writing skills with one of our instructors or editors.
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APA Refresh: How Should I Refer To My Anonymous Research Participants?
For some of your work at Walden, you may need to conduct
surveys of your own participants. In these cases, you may be wondering—how
should I refer to these research participants who want to remain anonymous? Do
I need to cite them? Read on for some examples and APA tips on referring to the
participants in your research.
You can use a variety of techniques to refer to research
participants, and APA has some specific recommendations. According to the APAStyle Blog, these include but are not limited to: their roles, pseudonyms,
initials, case numbers, or letters of the alphabet. The APA Style Blog also
suggests that you can alter some characteristics to make participants less
distinguishable, leave out some information about the participant, or combine
participant statements into a composite participant. For more detailed
examples, see section 1.11 of your APA manual, but I’ve also listed a few
below.
Initials: CH stated that they “love writing and visiting the
Writing Center”.
Numerals/Case Numbers: According to participant 7, an online
student, “the Writing Center is the best.”
Composite Statement: Several survey participants indicated
that they enjoy and plan to visit the Writing Center again in the future.
You may notice here that none of these examples are
cited—this is to protect the anonymity of the participants and it is not
necessary to cite your own anonymous research participants. If a participant
would like to go on record, then you should use personal communication rules
for referring to and citing that participant in text.
Keep these rules and handy resources below in mind if you’re
conducting your own research and have anonymous participants.
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WriteCast Episode 54: Meet Your Reviewer: Tasha Sookochoff
In this episode of WriteCast, meet writing instructor Tasha Sookochoff. She joined the Walden Writing Center in September 2017, and now she gets to sit down with Kacy and Claire to talk about her own writing experiences as student, writer, and instructor. Tasha shares her approach to working with students on their papers, some of her favorite Walden Writing Center resources, and the one question she asks before finishing anything she writes.To download the episode to your computer, press the share button on the player above, then press the download button. Visit the Writing Center's WriteCast page for our episode archive and transcripts. Happy listening!
WriteCast: A Casual Conversation for Serious Writers is a monthly podcast written, produced, and published by staff in the Walden University Writing Center. Join us each month for a dialogue between two experienced and trained writing instructors. Possible episode topics will always be considered from listeners--share your questions and suggestions in the comments.
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Can Social Change Start At the Sentence Level?
As a Walden student, the main focus of your academic work is
likely creating positive social change. Your scholarly research may be on finding
therapies for treating PTSD or addressing a lack of housing assistance in your
community. These goals may seem distant while you pour over research and
critically analyze texts. However, as you are taking notes, developing your
thesis, and synthesizing your sources, change can occur on a smaller, local
level. One by one, the sentences you write can in fact be a source for good. By using active, rather than passive voice in your research writing, you can create
positive social change one simple sentence at a time.
When active
voice is used, the subject becomes the focus of the sentence. This emphasis
on the subject clarifies who is performing the action, and therefore, agency is
given to the subject. Using the active voice can create clarity and concision
in your writing, but it can also be a tool for giving your subject power.
For example, let’s take a look at a sentence in passive
voice: “The connections between BMI and heart disease were analyzed.” Here, the
attention is on what comes first in the sentence, “the connections,” rather
than who analyzed the connections. In passive voice, the researchers themselves
would not be important. Instead, what the researchers analyzed would be
emphasized.
Now, look closely at a similar sentence that has been
revised for active voice: “The researchers analyzed the connections between BMI
and heart disease.” Because the researchers come first, and they are performing
the action, the focus of the sentence is on the researchers and their work. The
reader’s attention is drawn to the researchers, rather than the connections
they analyzed.
While active voice can be used to clarify, it can also be
used to give a subject power and control. By using active voice in the
following sentence, I demonstrate patients’ agency over their own healthcare: “Every
day, the patients share their mental health concerns with their social worker.”
In this sentence, the patients are in control of their health, as they share their
concerns. The patients are not standing by while doctors and social workers
engage around them.
In the following example, passive voice takes away the
agency of the patient: “Every day, the patient’s mental health concerns are
shared with their social worker.” In this sentence, it is unclear who is
sharing the patient’s health concerns with the social worker. Perhaps a doctor
or staff member is providing this information on behalf of the patient, but the
patient is no longer in control. These may be small differences between
sentences, but with active voice, it is clearly communicated to the reader that
the patient has agency in the situation.
Let’s look at another example. In the following sentence,
passive voice emphasizes the object, trauma: “By using cognitive behavioral and
psychodynamic therapies, the trauma was worked through by the patient.
Alternatively, you could use the active voice to emphasize
the patient’s ability to overcome their trauma: “By using cognitive behavioral
and psychodynamic therapies, the patient worked through their trauma.” Here,
the power or control the patient has over their trauma is the focus. By using
active voice, the patient’s agency is celebrated, rather than trauma itself
becoming the focus.
While active voice creates clarity and concision in your
writing, more importantly, it is a way of holding the microphone for those who
have been silenced. It can be the means through which you share the stories of
others and give them control over their own experiences. Perhaps the steps towards social change really
do start at the sentence level. Through the structure of a simple sentence, you
can begin to write the steps for change.
Tasha Sookochoff is a writing instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. Along with earning degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Stout and Depaul University, Tasha has written documentation for the U.S. House of Representatives that increases government transparency, blogged for DePaul University, copy-edited the Journal of Second Language Writing, tutored immigrants and refugees at literacy centers, and taught academic writing to college students.
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Thursday Thoughts: Top Ten APA Nuances
APA
,
Concise Writing
,
Expert Advice
,
Readers/Audience
,
Scholarly Writing
,
writing style
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Many people are familiar with APA format in terms of citations and reference list entries. However, there are other APA formatting rules which may seem arbitrary
but are in fact important. APA style is not just about building a writer’s credibility
through the effective use and integration of reputable sources. APA is also
about enhancing your readers’ understanding and respect for your work through format
clarity and using non-biased language.
If you would like to learn more about some of these other APA
nuances, check out our page on “Ten Common APA Nuances.” Whether you are a beginner in building your APA knowledge
or want a refresher, these top common nuances provide a nice, quick reference!
What APA nuances do you struggle with?
The Walden Writing Center provides writing resources
and support for all student writers including paper reviews, a podcast, live
chat, webinars, modules, and of course a blog.
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Set a Writing Goal to Level-Up in Graduate School
Graduate school is a lot of work. There’s always new content
to learn and new assignments to complete. When you’re constantly trying to stay
on top of your coursework or capstone project (not to mention all of your
responsibilities outside of school!), adding something else to your plate is
probably the last thing you feel like doing.
A graduate degree is about mastery of skills as well as
content, and one of those skills should be academic writing. You’ll likely do a
lot of writing here at Walden even if you never take a writing course. That’s
why setting a personal writing goal is a great way to help yourself build this
professional skill alongside your disciplinary knowledge.
Brainstorm your writing goal by thinking for a few minutes
about where you currently are as a writer and where you would like to be by the
end of this term or even your degree program. You can then use that
brainstorming to develop a SMART goal, a goal that is:
S–Specific: focused and specific; avoids generalizations and
abstractions
M–Measureable: you can track your progress and completion
A–Achievable: this goal is within your control; you have the
necessary resources for success
R–Relevant: this goal impacts your skills set and where you
want to be
T–Timely: this goal has a reasonable timeline and completion
date
I often see this goal when working with students on paper
reviews: I want to write at the graduate level. This is an admirable goal, and
one that makes sense for a writer working towards a graduate degree, but it’s
not a SMART goal. With a little bit of thinking, though, this student writer can
break this big, abstract goal down into several smaller goals that will be much
more manageable.
First, the student writer needs to figure out what “writing
at the graduate level” actually means. There’s a great overview in the archived
Writing at the Graduate Level webinar, which can be watched anytime. From
watching that webinar, the student writer will see graduate level writing broken into four components: argument and analysis,
paraphrasing, scholarly voice, and APA Style.
From there, it’s best to choose one area to focus on. Maybe
that’s an easy area to improve, maybe it’s an area that the student writer
thinks is really important, or maybe it’s the area where they feel least
confident. Even though the student is choosing only one area of focus right
now, they can always come back to the others later.
Many students struggle with APA Style when they start at
Walden, so let’s come up with an APA goal for our student writer. Something
such as I want to use APA Style perfectly is once again admirable, but not
SMART. Instead, let’s focus on just one element of APA Style: citation
frequency. Here is a more effective writing goal regarding citation frequency:
SMART Goal: My
faculty told me that I don’t cite my sources enough and could be penalized for
plagiarism. My writing goal is to cite frequently enough to prevent plagiarism.
This goal is specific because it deals with just one element of APA style,
measurable because the student writer can track progress, achievable because
there are lots of resources to learn about citation frequency, relevant because
if the student writer doesn’t cite sources properly there could be
consequences, and timely because they can reasonably achieve this goal within
the current term.
To achieve this goal, the student writer will want to start
by making sure they understand adequate citation frequency in APA style by
reviewing Writing Center resources such as the citation frequency webpage, the
archived recording of the How and When to Include APA Citations webinar, and
the Basic Citation Frequency module. They can then apply what they’ve learned
to their course papers. They can get feedback on whether they are citing
sources frequently enough by making a Writing Center paper review appointment
and letting the instructor know about their goal. They’ll also get feedback
from faculty when their papers are graded, which will allow them to evaluate
progress towards this goal.
Once the student writer feels they have mastered this goal, they
can go back to the other issues of APA Style or graduate level writing that
they’ve identified to narrow in on and work towards another goal. With this
kind of sustained effort, they’ll make some great strides towards becoming a
graduate-level writer by the time they graduate.
What are your writing goals? We would love to hear about
them in the comments or in your paper review appointment!
Cheryl Read is a Writing Instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. Her current not-so-manageable writing goal is to finish her doctoral dissertation. When she’s not helping student writers at Walden, Cheryl stays busy playing with her son and getting outside in Minnesota.
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