As this week’s readings emphasize, summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting are essential techniques for working with sources in academic writing. Mastering these techniques will not only help you avoid plagiarism but also generate stronger writing for research papers and many other kinds of writing.
For this concept worksheet, return to any discussion from a previous week in this class and find 2 posts from other learners that you admire or appreciate. Feel free to choose posts from a couple different past discussions.
In a document, provide the following:
The original post, followed by a full APA reference for the post. (See the tip below for how to do this.)
A short paragraph about the post that includes a summary, paraphrase, and quotation of the original.
Repeat the above for the 2nd post you chose.
Finally, write a paragraph evaluating the process of creating your summaries, paraphrases, and quotations.
Which is one of these is easiest for you? Why?
Which is most challenging? Why?
Which of these techniques do you think you’ll use most frequently in your Persuasive Research Paper for this class?
Tips for this assignment:
APA in-text citationsLinks to an external site. are always required for summaries, paraphrases, and quotations in formal writing. Next week we will study these in detail. This week, do your best to use correct APA in-text citations using the link above as a guide.
Here’s how to create a full APA Reference for an online discussion post:
Lastname, F. [username]. (Year, Month Date). Title of post [Online forum post]. Publisher. URL
Post with no title should be titled Untitled post.
For the publisher, use Nightingale College.
DISCUSSION POST I CHOSE
1. Experts: When discussing healthcare, seasoned medical professionals like doctors and nurses are typically referred to as experts. Medical professionals are trained to prescribe and supervise the use of medications, as well as to diagnose and treat medical conditions. Certain aspects of patient care, including as care coordination, patient education, intensive care, or emergency care, may be the focus of specialization for the nursing staff.
Technicians: Some examples of the kinds of technicians that could be encountered in a healthcare setting are medical technologists, medical laboratory technicians, and radiology technicians. To help with patient diagnosis and therapy, these people are responsible for performing diagnostic procedures and evaluative assessments.
Executives: In a healthcare context, roles such as nursing directors and hospital administrators may fall into the executive group. These individuals may be in charge of setting goals, creating policies, and managing the budget for the nursing staff.
Experts: When discussing healthcare, seasoned medical professionals like doctors and nurses are typically referred to as experts. Medical professionals are trained to prescribe and supervise the use of medications, as well as to diagnose and treat medical conditions. Certain aspects of patient care, including as care coordination, patient education, intensive care, or emergency care, may be the focus of specialization for the nursing staff.
Technicians: Some examples of the kinds of technicians that could be encountered in a healthcare setting are medical technologists, medical laboratory technicians, and radiology technicians. To help with patient diagnosis and therapy, these people are responsible for performing diagnostic procedures and evaluative assessments.
Executives: In a healthcare context, roles such as nursing directors and hospital administrators may fall into the executive group. These individuals may be in charge of setting goals, creating policies, and managing the budget for the nursing staff.
Non-experts: Patients and their families are considered non-specialists. To ensure that the patient receives the best care possible, it is imperative to give explanations that are concise and clear, as these audiences may not be well-versed in medical terminology.
In my experience as a nurse, the non-specialist audience is the easiest to engage with. Given that most patients and their families have a limited comprehension of medical ideas, it is imperative to deliver information in a clear and understandable manner. Because they could be more focused on budgets and policy-making than on providing actual patient care, I think the executive audience type is the hardest to interact with. They are therefore the hardest audience kind to interact with.
Making sure that all communications are truthful and transparent is one piece of advice or tactic for communicating effectively with the executive audience type. It is imperative that the facts be presented clearly, concisely, and without the use of adornment or hyperbole. Furthermore, it is imperative to elucidate and demonstrate the efficacy of a specific program or policy to enhance the probability of its favorable reception by the executive audience. It will be much easier to come to an agreement with the other side about the best course of action when the facts are communicated in an honest and transparent manner.
Reference:
American Nurses Association. (2020). Clinical Specialties. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/clinical-specialty-nursing/
2. Week 4: Discussion: The Ethics of Using Bias-Free Language
For communication to be effective, it must be moral to avoid turning off viewers. This means being aware of cultural norms and using language carefully. The American Psychological Association’s (APA) rules on bias-free language cover various topics, including age, disability, gender, and more. One set of rules that stands out is the one about writing about disability. It stresses the importance of using clear, polite language when talking about people with disabilities. People can use person-first language, like “a person with paraplegia,” or identity-first language, like “an autistic person,” based on what the community or individual wants. It also says to avoid words like “schizophrenics” that make people seem less human and instead use words like “people with schizophrenia” to show that you understand them as people. This guideline taught me how important it is to respect people’s choices and how words can affect respect and acceptance (American Psychological Association, 2022b).
When writing research papers, these rules are beneficial because they make sure that descriptions of participants are polite, accurate, and important. By following these rules, researchers can make sure they do not accidentally label or exclude people with disabilities. Maintaining the objectivity and clarity of their studies will help them keep their studies objective and clear. This precise language makes the study more accurate and open to everyone, and it ensures that a wider audience, including people with disabilities, can better understand and value it. Language that is respectful and includes everyone helps maintain the honesty and integrity of academic study (American Psychological Association, 2022b).
However, these rules are very important for professional conversations and healthcare settings, especially when it comes to nursing. To provide good care, nurses and other healthcare workers must talk to patients and coworkers with care and respect. Using the right words when talking about disabilities makes the setting more welcoming and helpful for patients, ensuring they feel respected and understood. To build trust and improve health results, this is a must. Being aware of language also helps healthcare workers better fight for patients’ rights and needs, creating an atmosphere of respect and understanding in healthcare settings (American Psychological Association, 2022a).
But these rules also make it harder to communicate in some ways. One big problem is keeping up with how people with disabilities’ tastes change over time since the language and words that are used can change. There may also be disagreements within a group about the best way to use language, which means that people who need to communicate must be careful and sensitive. Also, it can be hard to make sure that all team members and partners follow these rules in settings with a lot of different types of people and different fields of study. Even with these problems, following bias-free language rules is important for moral and successful communication because it promotes acceptance, respect, and understanding in many settings (American Psychological Association, 2022b).
References:
American Psychological Association. (2022a, July). Gender. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language/gender
American Psychological Association. (2022b, July). General principles for reducing bias. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language/general-principles
