The-Scholarship-of-Writing-in-Nursing-Education-1st-Canadian-Edition-1722453215.pdf

The Scholarship of Writing in Nursing Education: 1st Canadian Edition The Scholarship of Writing in Nursing Education: 1st Canadian Edition JENNIFER LAPUM; OONA ST-AMANT; MICHELLE HUGHES; ANDY TAN; ARINA BOGDAN; FRANCES DIMARANAN; RACHEL FRANTZKE; AND NADA SAVICEVIC The Scholarship of Writing in Nursing Education: 1st Canadian Edition Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Lapum; Oona St-Amant; Michelle Hughes; Andy Tan; Arina Bogdan; Frances Dimaranan; Rachel Frantzke; and Nada Savicevic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. This open access textbook is intended to guide best practices in the journey of scholarly writing in the context of the nursing profession. This resource is designed for students in undergraduate nursing programs and may also be useful for students in other health- related post-secondary programs, graduate students, and healthcare providers. The project is supported and funded by the Ryerson University Library OER Grant. Preface | 1 About the Authors Jennifer Lapum, PhD, MN, BScN, RN, Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Oona St-Amant, PhD, MN, BScN, RN, Assistant Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Michelle Hughes, MEd, BScN, RN, Professor, School of Community and Health Studies, Centennial College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Andy Tan, BScN, RN, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Arina Bogdan, BScN, RN, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Frances Dimaranan, BScN student, Toronto Metropolitan, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Rachel Frantzke, BScN student, Toronto Metropolitan, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Nada Savicevic, MA Interactive Design, MArch, BScEng, Educational Developer, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Contact person Dr. Jennifer L. Lapum [email protected] @7024thpatient Toronto, Ontario 2 | About the Authors Toronto Metropolitan University Note to Teachers Using this Resource We encourage you to use this resource and would love to hear if you have integrated some or all of it into your curriculum. If you are using it in your course, please consider notifying Dr. Lapum and include the course/program and the number of students. About the Authors | 3 Advisory Committee and Consultants Faculty Advisory Committee Sheilagh Callahan, MScN, BScN, RN, Professor, Sally Horsfall Eaton School of Nursing, George Brown College Corinne Hart, PhD, MHSc, BScN, RN, Associate Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University Audrey Kenmir, MN, BScN, RN, Professor, School of Community and Health Studies, Centennial College Janet O’Connell, MAEd, BN, RN, Professor, School of Community and Health Studies, Centennial College Nancy Purdy, PhD, MScN, BScN, RN, Associate Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University Daria Romaniuk, PhD, MN, BN, RN, Associate Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University Subashini Sivaramalingam, MS, BScN, RN, Professor, Sally Horsfall Eaton School of Nursing, George Brown College Student Advisory Committee NOTE: Although all committee members were students during the time of production, some have graduated since its publication. Calvin He, BScN student, Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Ryerson University Kayla Henry, BScN, RN Cindy Lu, BScN student, Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Ryerson University 4 | Advisory Committee and Consultants Calvin Lui, BScN student, Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Ryerson University Dana Maclean, BScN student, Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Ryerson University Rezwana Rahman, BScN, RN, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON. Jamie Spiegel, BScN student, Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Ryerson University La-Tisha Williams, BScN student, Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Ryerson University Artist Arina Bogdan, BScN, RN Librarian and Accessibility Support Ann Ludbrook, Copyright and Scholarly Engagement Librarian, Ryerson University Sally Wilson, Web Services Librarian, Ryerson University Other Experts Kerry McNamara, M.Ed., MFA, Composition Instructor, Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, VA Advisory Committee and Consultants | 5 Customization This textbook is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) license, which means that you are free to: SHARE – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format ADAPT – remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the Following Terms Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. Notice: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation. No warranties are given: The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material. 6 | Customization Attribution Some of the content for this textbook was adapted from the following open educational resources: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ Writing for Success 1st Canadian Edition by Tara Horkoff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/ Write Here, Right Now by Dr. Paul Chafe and Aaron Tucker with chapters from Dr. Kari Maaren, Dr. Martha Adante, Val Lem, Trina Grover and Kelly Dermody, under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Download this book for free at: https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/writehere/ For information about what was used and/or changed in this adaptation, refer to the statement at the bottom of each page where applicable. Content that is not taken from the above OER should include the following attribution statement: The Scholarship of Writing in Nursing Education (1st Canadian edition) by Jennifer L. Lapum, Oona St-Amant, Michelle Hughes, Andy Tan, Arina Bogdan, Frances Dimaranan, Rachel Frantzke and Nada Savicevic. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Download this book for free at: https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/scholarlywriting/ Customization | 7 Level of Organization and Learning Outcomes Level of Organization Chapter 1 – Introduction Chapter 2 – Reading and Comprehension Chapter 3 – Information Literacy Chapter 4 – Types of Writing Chapter 5 – The Fundamentals of Writing Chapter 6 – The Writing Process and Pre-writing Chapter 7 – Drafting and Writing a Paper Chapter 8 – Revising and Editing a Paper Chapter 9 – Academic Integrity and Style Rules (APA 6th edition) Chapter 10 – Academic Integrity and Style Rules (APA 7th edition) **NOTE: chapter 9 and 10 are the same except one is based on the 6th edition and one is based on the 7th edition of APA Learning Outcomes By the end of this book, you will be able to: Recognize the importance of writing in the nursing profession. 8 | Level of Organization and Learning Outcomes Recognize the unique quality of the writing approaches used in the nursing profession. Apply critical reading skills when reviewing literature. Analyze competencies related to scholarly writing in nursing. Differentiate the types of writing in post-secondary nursing programs. Demonstrate reflexivity in writing. Demonstrate critical appraisal of literature and writing. Demonstrate academic integrity in the scholarship of writing in nursing. Demonstrate writing skills for nursing scholarship. Level of Organization and Learning Outcomes | 9 10 | Level of Organization and Learning Outcomes CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1: Introduction | 11 12 | Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1 Learning Objectives By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: Define scholarly writing. Identify the relevance of scholarly writing to nursing. Identify post-secondary writing expectations. Chapter 1 Learning Objectives | 13 Purpose and Audience of this Book The purpose of this textbook is to facilitate your capacity for scholarly writing. No one is born a good writer: writing is a journey that takes skill and practice. Part of this journey involves learning to read and understand scholarly writing, becoming information literate, understanding the nature and types of scholarly writing, and developing your ability to engage in the writing process. 14 | Purpose and Audience of this Book Figure 1.1: The journey of scholarly writing This textbook is written for students in university-level nursing programs. It may also be useful for students in other health-related programs, graduate students, or healthcare providers. It is designed and co-authored by students for students. It is written in second person and in a conversational tone because the authors want to Purpose and Audience of this Book | 15 engage and immerse you, the reader, in the journey to becoming a scholarly writer. However, please note that these styles are not generally used in scholarly writing. You will also notice that gender- inclusive language is used throughout. For example, the terms “they” and “their” are used purposefully as both singular and plural pronouns. See Audio Podcast 1.1 that provides an introduction about what to expect by one of the book’s authors. One or more interactive elements has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view them online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=101#oembed-1 Audio Podcast 1.1: Introduction to textbook [2:41] Helpful Features Student Tips with helpful information that will guide your writing. Important phrases are bolded in the text. Some unfamiliar and complex terms are bolded in blue; hover your cursor over the word and click on it for a definition. These terms are also included in a glossary at the end of the book. Audio podcasts from learners and experts about their journey to becoming a writer. Images and videos to help you connect with the content in a visual way. Activities to help you evaluate your knowledge. 16 | Purpose and Audience of this Book Chapter summaries along with “Your Writing Journey” boxes at the end of each chapter writing. The textbook has a self-directed format and provides an interactive and engaging way for you to learn about and develop capacity in scholarly writing in the nursing context. You can review the full textbook or advance to sections that you have identified as areas you want to work on. This textbook is best viewed online in the “Read Book” format available through Pressbooks. The Read Book format enables all accessible multimedia content. You can also download a PDF to read offline. Figure 1.2: View this textbook online Purpose and Audience of this Book | 17 Introduction to Scholarly Writing When you first enter university, you may be unfamiliar with scholarly writing. This genre of writing is associated with post- secondary education and many academic fields including nursing. When learning to write in a scholarly way, it is important to consider both the content of your writing (what you write) and the presentation of your ideas (how you write). Figure 1.3: Scholarly writing Fundamentals of Scholarly Writing include: Presentation of ideas in clear, succinct, accurate, and congruent ways. Incorporation of your original thought and a critical lens. Credible evidence to support your thoughts. Attention to structure, paragraph construction, grammar, 18 | Introduction to Scholarly Writing language, tone, voice, audience, etc.—all of these are addressed in future chapters. Scholarly writing is completely different from conversations or other types of writing. When you speak, send a text, or write in a diary, you use informal language. For example, a phone text typically lacks attention to structure and grammar, is short and conversational in tone, and may include acronyms, symbols, and emojis. These non-scholarly formats often use colloquial phrasing—familiar, everyday, slang terms. More to come on that in Chapter 5. Some of you are enrolled or may choose to enroll in a writing course; if so, this book will complement your learning. The fundamentals of scholarly writing are expanded on in each chapter of this book. Introduction to Scholarly Writing | 19 Relevance of Scholarly Writing to the Nursing Profession Scholarly writing is a form of communication and a necessary skill that is important to the nurse’s role as a clinician, professional, a leader, a scholar, an educator, and an advocate. As a student, developing skills in scholarly writing will help prepare you for your nursing role. Types of scholarly writing that you may be involved in as a nurse are: Social awareness and advocacy campaigns in which you share knowledge and bring awareness to an issue or a new policy. Educating and influencing people and communities. The power of writing provides a means for nurses to state their position and influence others. Nurses are involved in crafting policy ideas to influence stakeholders and government bodies on public health issues. Best practice guidelines, standards of practice, and policies and procedures to inform nursing practice. Research grants and manuscripts for publication. Reflective practice, which is a professional expectation for nurses to demonstrate their commitment to life-long learning and continuing competence by reflecting on their practice (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2018). Nurses may engage in scholarly writing in ways that differ from other disciplines. For example: As noted above, nurses engage in many forms of scholarly writing, so you should be prepared to tailor the style of writing 20 | Relevance of Scholarly Writing to the Nursing Profession to your audience and your objectives. In nursing and other health-related fields, you must incorporate evidence to support your statements. It is important that you draw from scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed journals, as opposed to magazines or books. You need to be clear and concise, with a logical flow in your writing from point A to B. Scholarly writing allows you develop your capacity as a communicator, a skill that transcends domains of professional and personal life. References College of Nurses of Ontario (2018, October). QA Program. Retrieved from https://www.cno.org/en/myqa/ Relevance of Scholarly Writing to the Nursing Profession | 21 Post-secondary Expectations In the post-secondary nursing environment, academic expectations differ from what you may have experienced in high school, see Table 1.1. You are expected to do more work, and managing your workload may be challenging. This book teaches you strategies for managing your time while reading and writing effectively. Along with the quantity of work, the quality of your work also changes. It is not enough to understand and summarize course material. You are expected to engage seriously with new ideas by reflecting on them, analyzing them, critiquing them, making connections, drawing conclusions, and finding new ways of thinking about a given subject. Table 1.1: Expectations for high-school versus post-secondary nursing programs. 22 | Post-secondary Expectations Post-secondary nursing High-school programs programs Some reading assignments may Reading assignments are moderately be very long. You are expected to long. Teachers may set aside some come to class and lab having class time for reading and reviewing completed the readings and ready the material in depth. to engage in discussion and practice skills. Teachers often provide study guides Reviewing for exams is primarily and other aids to help you prepare your responsibility. for exams. Your grade may depend on just a Your grade is determined by your few major assessments. These performance on a wide variety of assessments may include a assessments, including minor and combination of writing major assignments. Not all assignments and multiple-choice assessments are writing-based. tests as well as other types of evaluations. You are expected to engage in Writing assignments include many types of writing, including personal writing and creative reflective writing, summary and writing in addition to expository synthesis writing, and critical and writing. analytic writing. Depending on the course, you The structure and format of writing may be asked to master new assignments is generally stable over forms of writing and follow the high-school years. standards within the profession of nursing and other related fields. Teachers often go out of their way Teachers expect you to be to identify and try to help students proactive and take steps to help who are performing poorly on yourself. If you are struggling exams, missing classes, not turning with your course work, make an in assignments, or just struggling appointment with your teacher or with the course. Often, teachers give another support person, such as a students many ‘second chances.’ learning strategist or counsellor. Sounds like a lot? Remember, it is a journey to developing your Post-secondary Expectations | 23 ability as a scholarly writer. Engaging with this textbook is a great first step. Attribution statement This page was remixed with our own original content and adapted from: Writing for Success 1st Canadian Edition by Tara Horkoff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/ 24 | Post-secondary Expectations Chapter Summary This chapter has provided a brief introduction to scholarly writing and its importance to the nursing profession. You will recognize that becoming a scholarly writer is a journey that evolves over the course of your post-secondary nursing program and your career as a nurse. You may be at the beginning of this journey or partway through it; either way, this textbook will help you along your journey. In future chapters, you will further explore how to enhance your scholarly writing ability by reading and writing. Your Writing Journey By this time, you have reflected on your writing experience to date and how you have traditionally approached writing assignments. This chapter has explored the culture built around writing for scholarship in nursing. While you may have some experience writing formally or creatively, it is advantageous to learn early on in your post- secondary career how to write for scholarship. Are you a last-minute writer or do you agonize over every sentence? This self-analysis will help you identify your current style in relation to what is needed to write in nursing. Chapter Summary | 25 26 | Chapter Summary CHAPTER 2: READING AND COMPREHENSION Chapter 2: Reading and Comprehension | 27 28 | Chapter 2: Reading and Comprehension Chapter 2 Learning Objectives By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: Identify effective reading skills. Recognize distractions that hinder the reading process. Identify techniques to critically summarize your readings. Chapter 2 Learning Objectives | 29 Overview: Reading and Comprehension Now that you have been briefly introduced to scholarly writing, it is important to reflect on your own reading and comprehension skills—these skills are important to develop in order to advance your scholarly writing capacity. Comprehension is an important part of reading so that you understand and grasp the key ideas. Many strategies are available to help you read so that you optimize your comprehension. Some strategies involve taking certain steps before you start reading a text. Others involve taking notes and learning to read critically. In this chapter, you will learn about these strategies and how to critique a text and reflect and summarize as part of your journey to grasping the ideas. Let’s begin! 30 | Overview: Reading and Comprehension Reading Effectively Every time you read, you’re exposed to someone else’s ideas and their style of writing: word choice, vocabulary, knowledge base, use of language, etc. Reading can make you a better writer. Think about what makes a piece of writing compelling, engaging, believable, and rigorous versus dull, unconvincing, sloppy, and mediocre. Many good writers say they became better writers by reading other peoples’ work: they try to write like those they respect and avoid making the mistakes of others. Reading effectively involves understanding, evaluating, and reflecting on a text. These skills are important because various types of literature inform nursing practice – this is what you will learn to refer to as evidence-informed nursing. So, how do you become a better reader? First, accept that becoming a good reader is a journey. Some of you have loved to read from childhood – keep it up. Some of you have avoided reading and dread reading assignments. Don’t worry – this textbook will help. There is hope, and it starts right here! P.S. keep reading. Second, try to read different things: books, magazines, blogs, and peer-reviewed journals. Try reading things that are a little challenging for you. In nursing, you are expected to read many different types of text such as narratives, reflections, research articles, theory-based articles, and book chapters, so exposing yourself to a variety of texts is important. Third, learn and practice the skills of reading critically and reflecting – these will be explained later in this chapter. Fourth, have a primary goal in mind with your reading, and then break it down into numerous simple tasks or chunks of reading. It will seem less overwhelming and it will help you stay focused. Fifth, keep reading. Every day. The more you read and the more effectively you read, the easier it’ll be, the less time it will take, and Reading Effectively | 31 the more you’ll enjoy the experience. See Table 2.1 for more skills related to effective reading, which will be discussed in detail later. Table 2.1: Effective reading skills Start by creating an optimal setting for reading: Setting pick a good time and place without distractions. Pre-reading Engage in pre-reading strategies, such as skimming strategies the text, before reading the text in full. Read material efficiently: pick up a piece of material, engage actively with it, and finish. And Efficiency yes, you can finish it in a reasonable amount of time and still have time to YouTube a favourite clip of yours before bed! Annotate written texts (in other words, write directly on the texts) or take notes about the main Annotate points as you read. By doing this, you enter into a discussion with the text. Research or investigate content/concepts you Research don’t fully understand. Work to discover the central meaning of the piece and ask yourself: What is the author’s point? What Discover is the text trying to say? How does the author create and build this meaning? Reflect on what the text means to you, internalizing the meaning: How are you responding to this text? Reflect Why are you responding this way? What does this information mean to you? Activities: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: 32 | Reading Effectively https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=113#h5p-1 Attribution statement Content from this page was re-organized into a table, remixed with our own original content, and adapted from: (with editorial changes) The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ Reading Effectively | 33 Best Place and Time for Reading Stop for a moment and think about yourself and the act of reading. Whether you read headlines or social media posts on a smartphone, or love to settle in with the Sunday paper, or devour stacks of hard- copy books, or read only when forced to, what does reading look like for you? Check out some of the following tips as you figure out what works best for you: Consider your ideal spot for reading. Is it a favourite chair in your living room? Your bed? A coffee shop? The cool green grass in a local park? The library? What’s your favorite time of day for reading? Try and find when you study best – and then make use of that time. Do you read best in silence? Or do you like to have music playing, be around other people, or have some other sort of active distraction? Do you prefer hard-copy (printed) books, e-books, or audiobooks? 34 | Best Place and Time for Reading Figure 2.1: Best place and time to read: What works best for you? Student Tip Develop a Routine Once you’ve found the perfect setting and time, use it. Develop a routine of reading and studying at about the same time and in the same place as much as you can. Doing this helps the activity become a habit, and once that happens, it will be even easier – and more effective. Best Place and Time for Reading | 35 Attribution statement This chapter is an adaptation of: (with editorial changes) The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ 36 | Best Place and Time for Reading The Distracted Reader So, you have found the best place and the best time for you to do your reading, but “Oh no!” you become consumed with the YouTube clip showing goats yelling “Ahhh!” … and then, of course, you decide to check up on your friends’ social media pages and some memes to cheer you up. It happens to everyone. Technology and social media are great, but these mediums can also be so distracting from your studies! On top of that, you may also have commitments that pull you in multiple directions including pets, work, family, and friends. You can’t eliminate distractions completely, but you can think about how you can best minimize the distractions that are most distracting for you. Listen to the Audio Podcast 2.1 by a past nursing student from Toronto Metropolitan University about strategies that she uses to minimize distractions while reading. One or more interactive elements has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view them online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=117#oembed-1 Audio Podcast 2.1: Minimizing distractions [2:59] Transcript for audio podcast 2.1 at bottom of page. The Distracted Reader | 37 Student Tip Minimize Distractions Put your smartphone in another room or turn it off (yes seriously, really, do it!). Close all social media pages. Find a location where you won’t be interrupted, such as the library or a coffee shop. You might find reading on the train or bus works for you if you have a long commute. Give yourself timed breaks: enjoy your break however you wish, but remove all distractions when your break is done so you can refocus. Self-control Apps Need help with self-control? Many computer and phone apps can help you minimize distractions. You just need to find the ones that work for you. Talk to your peers and try some out. See Table 2.2 for some common apps that your peers talk about. Table 2.2: Self-control Apps 38 | The Distracted Reader Waste No Time is a popular one because you can personalize everything: You can personalize the websites you want to block and allow. You can edit the time range: define work hours and how much time you want to allow yourself to visit the blocked sites during work hours and outside of work hours. Just Focus can help with self-control, and is easily disabled by pressing a button You can easily add websites you want to block. If you visit the blocked site, you receive an inspiring quote to motivate you to finish your work. Be Focused – Focus Timer (only available on Apple products) This does not block any websites, but it allows you to customize how long you want to work and sets up breaks. This helps with knowing how much time you have focused on a task. These small actions can improve your reading and help you finish faster so you can continue to snap your friends on Snapchat (don’t forget to add the dog filter!) or edit some artsy photos for your Instagram. _____________________________________ Transcript for audio podcast 2.1 at bottom of page. Chapter 2, the distracted reader. There are many distractions, such as smartphones or music, that arise when it is time for you to meet each course’s content. Here are a few strategies to minimize distractions, whether you are using an online or a hard copy textbook. Number one. You can either turn off your phone, put it on do not disturb, or place it in another room. Your smartphones can be your number one distraction. It holds your favorite apps, your contacts, your favorite music playlist. Thus, once you see the screen light up and messages or notifications, you pick it up right The Distracted Reader | 39 away. So by turning it off when you pick it up you will not see anything by putting it on Do not disturb, you will not get distracted when the screen lights up, and by placing it another room you will not be tempted to pick it up and check your notifications. Number 2. You can use apps such as be Be Focused or Waste No Time to minimize distractions. Be Focused is a free app that uses the Pomodoro technique, it uses a timer to break down tasks into 25 minute intervals. You will start with 25 minutes, then a 5 minute break, and repeats for 4 times. After that you will be rewarded with a 15 minute break. Using this technique will help you work efficiently. Taking a frequent break, will boost your motivation and keep you creative. Waste No Time is a free app that can be downloaded via Google chrome extensions. It allows you to focus on your work for a period of time with limited Internet access. But you can customize which websites you want to block, such as Facebook or Youtube. However, you can select a predetermined time on each website, for example, between 9 to 5 Pm, you select a predetermined time of 30 minutes for Facebook. Once you use it for 30 minutes, it will block you from the site which will leave you time to focus on your readings. Waste No Time helps you manage the time that you spend on the Internet and increases your productivity. Check out these apps. Number 3, set small and manageable goals. Our brain does not usually retain its efficiency for long periods of time. So small goals will allow you to finish quicker, allowing you to be consistently productive. These 3 strategies will help you minimize distractions from your reading. Try them out. 40 | The Distracted Reader Learning Preferences Over the course of your program, you will use a variety of learning styles. It is useful to think about your preferences for certain learning styles, but also be open to all learning styles so that you can become a better reader and better writer. Do you prefer reading text, looking at images, listening to a lecture, and/or engaging in an activity? Most people have one or two styles of learning that they prefer and help them make sense of new information. Sometimes your learning style is influenced by what you are learning. You will most likely draw upon many learning styles during your studies, but it is important to consider how you best learn and think about how you can apply this to read and write efficiently and effectively. See Figure 2.2 for a visual depiction of common learning styles. Learning Preferences | 41 Figure 2.2: Learning styles Figuring out your learning style preferences To figure out what learning styles you prefer, think about how you best learn something in your day-to-day life. For example, how did you first learn to drive a car? If you don’t have your license yet, imagine learning to drive a car. What might best work for you? See Table 2.3 to help you identify your learning style preferences and how this relates to your nursing education. But really, don’t limit yourself to one style. Table 2.3: Types of learner in the context of nursing 42 | Learning Preferences Type of learner Relation to nursing You might be a If you are a visual learner, you should refer to or visual learner create visual formats while you are reading. During if…you begin by your nursing courses, you may want to draw tables, reading the driver’s images, and diagrams as you study. You might also handbook so you engage in notetaking in visual ways, such as can figure out the highlighting key points and circling and/or rules of the road, underlining words. In the laboratory setting, you paying attention to will most likely learn best when observing the images so that demonstrations by your instructor or observing a you know what all nursing skill being performed (such as how to give of the road signs a medication to a client). mean. Do you think this is how you would best learn? You might be a As a verbal learner, you will probably start learning verbal learner by reading and notetaking. However, you will really if…you read the advance your learning by engaging in discussion whole book (might with your peers and your instructors in nursing even read it out lectures and labs. This kind of discussion allows loud) and then ask you to verbally process and make sense of the questions and information. Therefore, you might benefit from engage in participating in study groups. discussion with a person about how to drive like an expert. Does this capture how you learn best? You might be an You will want to take advantage of attending all of auditory learner your class lectures because as an auditory learner, if…you listen to you learn best by listening. It is always more podcasts about effective to do your reading first, and then use how to drive or ask lectures to further make sense of and understand your parents (or the key learning concepts. You will also have some someone else who opportunities (albeit limited) to listen to nursing is a good driver) to books. Usually, this happens in a course where explain the rules of books or online modules are accessed online and the road and how have built-in audio or video components. Another to work a car. Of example is listening to podcasts. course, don’t ask your parents if they are not good drivers! Is this how you best learn? Learning Preferences | 43 You might be a As a kinesthetic learner, you will probably love kinesthetic courses that have lab components and clinical learner if…you get placements because you will have the opportunity inside the car and to engage in the physical practice of skills, such as try to figure out handwashing, bed-making, taking vital signs, etc. what the buttons Kinesthetic learners tend to learn best through and gadgets hands-on practice as opposed to sitting and mean/do and if listening in a lecture. As you are reading, think you start by driving about ways to keep your hands moving: in a parking lot highlighting key information, taking notes, and with an expert designing your own study aids including key beside you. Does nursing tips or flashcards related to specific this sound like the activities. For example, in year two, you might want way you best to create medication cards identifying the learn? therapeutic use of medications and adverse effects. Activities: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=206#h5p-2 An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=206#h5p-3 44 | Learning Preferences An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=206#h5p-4 Learning Preferences | 45 Types of Texts You Are Expected to Read In university nursing programs, much of your time will be spent interacting with texts of all types, lengths, and delivery methods. In academic terms, text refers to anything that conveys a set of meanings to the person who examines and/or creates it. You might have thought that texts were limited to written materials such as articles, books, magazines, and newspapers. Those items are indeed texts – but so are movies, paintings, television shows, songs, political cartoons, online materials, advertisements, maps, works of art, and even rooms full of people. If you can observe something, explore it, find layers of meaning in it, and draw information and conclusions from it, you are observing a text. As a student in a university nursing program, the most common types of text that you are exposed to are peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and grey literature. Check out Table 2.4. Table 2.4: Types of nursing texts 46 | Types of Texts You Are Expected to Read Type Relevance Peer-reviewed journal articles. Articles in These journal articles are these types of journals have undergone a typically the best types of rigorous and usually anonymous peer text used to support your review, meaning that experts in the field scholarly writing, as these have reviewed the manuscript for quality. sources are considered to Articles can be classified as primary or be of high quality. secondary. Primary articles are considered Oftentimes, you are the original source of material; these required to use primary sources usually include research articles and sources. sometimes personal reflections. Secondary articles include literature that refers to the original source material; these usually include review articles that focus on multiple studies. Books are hard-copy or electronic Use of books to support resources that are often used in courses as your scholarly writing required reading material. Some books are tends to be inferior to a peer-reviewed, but most are not. Most peer-reviewed journal books are considered secondary sources. article because books are secondary sources, and sometimes the quality and current relevance are questionable. However, there are times when books are considered a seminal text and provides a detailed description of a concept or theory. Grey literature includes various types of This type of literature is text that are produced outside of academic sometimes used in channels. Examples include governmental scholarly writing, documents, speeches, policies, blogs, particularly when websites, and newsletters. Most would discipline-specific categorize World Health Organization knowledge and statistics Guidelines, College of Nurses Standards of are necessary. Practice, and Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario Best Practice Guidelines as grey literature. These types of texts may go through a version of peer review, but it is typically not anonymous. Types of Texts You Are Expected to Read | 47 Activity: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=208#h5p-5 Attribution statement This page was remixed with our own original content. The introductory paragraphs are adapted from: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ 48 | Types of Texts You Are Expected to Read Pre-reading Strategies You should start with pre-reading before you do an in-depth read of the text. Pre-reading will give you an overall picture of what to expect and what the author wants you to know at the end of the reading. Before you begin, develop a clear purpose for your reading. Consider the purpose within the overall context of the course and concepts discussed in class. Keep in mind, how does this reading relate to any writing you may need to do for an assignment? Figure 2.3: Pre-reading strategies Consider these steps in pre-reading: Start by considering the title. A good title will inform you Pre-reading Strategies | 49 about the text’s content and what’s coming up. Look at the authors’ names. Have you heard of the authors? Do you know anything about them? In year one, you probably won’t be familiar with many authors in the nursing field, but over time, you will get a sense of common and credible authors. If you don’t know the author, check out whether they are from a reputable institution. You can always Google them to look for more details. If available, read the abstract. The abstract provides a brief summary of the text and is often found at the start of a journal article. Skim through the article, looking for headings or “pull-outs” (content that is pulled off to one side or highlighted in a box). Headings often give clues about the text’s content and can show you how the subject has been divided into sections. Look for images: photographs, charts, graphs, maps, or other illustrations. Images, and their captions, often provide valuable information about the topic. Most academic texts and essays follow a fairly similar structure, including beginning every paragraph with a strong, focused topic sentence, which is the main point. You can often get a quick understanding of a text by simply reading the first sentence in every paragraph. Some authors may use the second sentence as their topic sentence; if you notice this pattern, focus on reading the second sentence in each paragraph. Some people suggest reviewing the reference list so that you can get an understanding of the authors’ sources and identify any sources that could be more relevant. After working through the above suggestions, see if you can figure out the main purpose of a text simply by pre-reading. If the pre- reading has worked well, giving you clues to the text’s content, your actual in-depth reading will be easier and more effective. You will 50 | Pre-reading Strategies also begin reading with your curiosity already aroused, which is a great way to start! Activities: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=408#h5p-6 An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=408#h5p-7 Attribution statement This page was remixed with our own original content and adapted from: Pre-reading Strategies | 51 The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ 52 | Pre-reading Strategies Reading the Article in Full Now that your pre-reading is done, you have an overall sense of what to expect when you read the text in full. What’s involved in doing a close reading of the full text? Keep reading and you’ll find out. Close reading Close reading allows you to concentrate and make decisions about what is relevant and what is not. Its main purpose is to help ensure that you understand what you are reading and to help you store information in a logical and organized way, so that it is easier for you to recall the information when you need to. Close reading is a necessary strategy in university nursing programs for the following reasons: You can effectively summarize what you read by identifying the main concepts/points, key details, and their relationships with one another. You read as if you were going to be tested on it immediately upon completion, so recall is important. Your ability to answer essay questions improves because the concepts are more organized and understood rather than merely memorized. You become more confident because your understanding improves, which in turn increases your enjoyment. Reading the Article in Full | 53 Identify the main point Regardless of what type of text you are assigned to read, your primary comprehension goal is to identify the main point: the most important idea that the writer wants to communicate and usually states early on. Finding the main point gives you a framework to organize the details presented in the reading, and to relate the reading to concepts you have learned in class or through other reading assignments. After identifying the main point, you will find the supporting points, details, facts, and explanations that develop and clarify the main point. When the text is complex At the far end of the reading difficulty scale are journal articles and scholarly books. These types of text are common in nursing. Because these texts are aimed at a specialized, highly educated audience, the authors presume their readers are already familiar with the topic. The language and writing style is sophisticated and sometimes dense. In this context, it can be helpful to read slowly, and to pause and reread sections that you don’t understand. Also, have a dictionary nearby to look up unfamiliar words. In your nursing program, expect to come across a lot of new terminology. You might even create a list of unfamiliar terms to help you remember them the next time you encounter them. 54 | Reading the Article in Full Figure 2.4: Have a dictionary nearby Student Tip Pay Attention to Details Although identifying the main point is important, for some nursing readings you will also need to identify precise details and step-by-step processes. These detailed processes are important when learning about skills such as Reading the Article in Full | 55 how to do a physical assessment of a client’s skin or taking a health history related to a client’s immunization status. Attribution statement This page was remixed with our original content and with editorial changes, adapted from: Writing for Success 1st Canadian Edition by Tara Horkoff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/ 56 | Reading the Article in Full Notetaking The objective of notetaking is to help you enter a discussion with the text, make sense of the reading, and think about how it applies to your nursing practice. You can take notes in many ways when reading, such as annotating and dialectic notetaking—detailed on the next pages. These two methods of notetaking are done differently, but both help you achieve the same objective. Both methods involve identifying key points of the text and highlighting elements that did not make sense to you or that you have questions about. Notetaking | 57 Annotating Annotating involves physically adding notes to the text that you are reading. As a nursing student, you are expected to read all sorts of unfamiliar texts detailing thought-provoking, upsetting, interesting, and important information that will influence how you think and how you practice as a nurse. The level of detail in your notetaking may vary if you are reading and taking notes about the step-by- step process involved in handwashing for infection control purposes versus the importance of empathy in nursing. How you go about taking notes also depends on: The subject and the level of detail required. What works best for you. Whether you are reading a hard copy or an e-text. Writing in your textbooks or on articles as you read is a powerful strategy for engaging with a text and entering into a discussion with it. You might jot down questions and ideas as they come to you. You might highlight or underline important or key points, circle words you don’t understand, and use your own set of symbols to highlight portions that you feel are important. You might also use sticky notes to write down points or identify how the reading relates to your clinical practice. Capturing these ideas as they occur to you is important, because they may play a role not just in understanding the text better, but also in your assignments. If you don’t make notes as you go, today’s great observation will likely become tomorrow’s forgotten detail. Many people are more likely to remember something if they write it down. See Figure 2.5 for an example of an annotated text. 58 | Annotating Figure 2.5: Example of an annotated text Reading online Annotating in some way is still important if you are reading online. You can do this in a few ways: Take notes on paper. Use a digital text editor or PDF editor to highlight text and make notes. Another option is using: Hypothes.is – this tool allows you to annotate an online text. Depending on your preference, you can set it so that your annotations are private (only accessible to you) or public (anyone using this tool can read your comments). Annotating | 59 Figure 2.6: Hypothes.is Attribution statement This page was remixed with our original content and with editorial changes, adapted from: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ 60 | Annotating Dialectic Notetaking A dialectical approach to taking notes sounds much more complicated than it is. Dialectic just means a dialogue—a discussion between two (or more) voices trying to figure something out. Whenever you read new material, particularly material that is challenging in some way, it can be helpful to take dialectic notes to create clear spaces for organizing different sets of thoughts. Start by drawing a vertical line down the middle of a fresh sheet of paper to make two long columns—leave some space at the bottom of the page. Table 2.5 provides an overview of what you should put in the left and right column. It’s a good idea to leave space at the bottom of the page (or on the back) for additional notes about this piece or cite the source. Table 2.5: Dialectic note-taking Left column – main ideas R T This column is a straightforward representation of the main ideas in the text you are th reading. For example: What are the author’s main points in this section? What kind of support is the author using in this section? Other points of significant interest? Note the source and page number, if any, so that you can find and document this source later. You can directly quote these points, but write these down as you encounter them, not later. If you quote directly, use quotation marks. Dialectic Notetaking | 61 Also, take a look at Table 2.6 for an example of dialectic notetaking, which demonstrates how to document the main ideas of a text and your comments. Table 2.6: Example of dialectic note-taking Main ideas My comments will need to figure out where to place the main blood pressure (BP) methods: client’s arm (e.g., on a manual and automatic table) both arms (measurements should be how much pressure within 10 mm Hg) does “firm pressure” sitting position with feet flat on floor, involve? “bare arm at heart level” and resting I have had my BP taken for 5 minutes before measurement and the healthcare accurate cuff size based on the provider took it over person’s arm: “width of cuff 40% of the my clothing. How person’s arm circumference … length come? of cuff’s bladder is 80-100% of the talk with teacher person’s arm circumference” (see about how to video) pronounce palpate brachial artery firmly (2 cm “sphygmomanometer”? medially from bicep tendon and 2-3 cm >need to re-watch above antecubital fossa) video when I get a place cuff over bare arm with artery chance marker aligned with the artery does it hurt to have your BP taken? Source: Lapum, J., Verkuyl, M., Garcia, W., St-Amant, O., & Tan, A. st (2018). Vital sign measurement across the lifespan – 1 Canadian edition. Retrieved from: https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/ vitalsign/ Once you have this set of dialectic notes, there are several ways you can use them. For example: These notes can help you contribute to class discussion about 62 | Dialectic Notetaking this piece and the topics it addresses. Significant questions you encountered while reading are already written down and collected in one place so you don’t have to sift through the reading again to find them. Your observations and thoughts about the piece are already organized, which can help you see patterns and connections within those observations. Finding these connections can be a strong starting point for written assignments. If you are asked to respond to this piece in writing, these notes can serve as a reference point as you develop a draft. They can give you new ideas if you get stuck and help keep the original connections you saw when reading fresh in your mind as you respond more formally to that reading. Activities: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=218#h5p-8 An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=218#h5p-10 Dialectic Notetaking | 63 Attribution statement With editorial and formatting changes, content from this page was adapted from: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ 64 | Dialectic Notetaking Reading Critically Reading as a writer and reading critically are helpful when entering into a scholarly discussion with a text. It begins with learning to think critically. Check out the video below and consider: What new ideas were presented that will help you get more out of your assigned readings? Watch this video about Critical Thinking [7:38] “Reading as a writer” means approaching a text with a variety of tools that help prepare you to write about it. Tools can include reviewing related assignments or lectures prior to reading, specific notetaking methods while reading, and ways of thinking about and organizing the information after completing the reading. You will learn to read through the writer’s eyes, seeking to understand the deeper, interwoven meanings layered within a text. For example, how you read and the types of notes that you take will be influenced by whether you will be required to write a summary, or a critical analysis, or a personal reflection on a text after you read it. If your instructor asks you to write a personal reflection, it is important that you pay attention to how the text affects you as you read. Sometimes you need to have a more critical eye as you read. When critically reading, you should grapple with and immerse yourself into the text to fully interact with it. You might do some or all of the following: Analyze the structure of the piece. What kind of organization does it follow? Where is the thesis? What types of sentences and language are used? How are the paragraphs structured? Reading Critically | 65 Analyze the text itself, exploring its content and its use of rhetoric, i.e., how it uses language to make its message effective. Capture the text’s main points by summarizing its meaning. Critique the text to assess its quality, believability, and effectiveness. Reach conclusions (make inferences) about the text. Combine your own ideas with the textual analysis to synthesize new ideas and insights. Ask yourself how the text relates to what you are studying (or your clinical practice). The next section shows you how to critique a text. Attribution statement Content from this page was remixed with our original content and revised and adapted from: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ 66 | Reading Critically Critiquing a Text When you critique a text, you evaluate it, ask it questions. Some people think of critique as being negative or mean, but in the academic sense, doing a critique is not the least bit negative. Rather, it’s a constructive way to explore and understand the material you’re working with. The origin of the word means “to evaluate,” and through your critique, you engage in a deep evaluation of a text: when you critique a text, you interrogate it. Check out Figure 2.7, which illustrates reflective questions that you may ask yourself. For example, sometimes you want to consider the emotional impact of a text on your thinking. Figure 2.7: Interrogating the text When you critique, your own opinions and ideas become part of Critiquing a Text | 67 the textual analysis. You question the text, you argue with it, and you delve into it for deeper meanings. To get you started, see Table 2.7 for a few ideas to consider when critiquing a text. When you critique, bring in content from the text (textual evidence) to support your ideas while writing for assignments. Table 2.7: Critiquing a text 68 | Critiquing a Text Item Link to nursing Main point/summary The use of evidence, particularly Do the authors make their main research evidence, is important in point successfully? Is the point most types of scholarly writing in made consistently throughout the nursing and other health-related text, or does it wander at any disciplines. Evidence provides point? support for the claims made in What information does the writing. This is important author provide to support the considering that these claims may central idea? Making a list of each lead to potential practice and policy point will help you analyze. Hint: changes. Thus, you need to be each paragraph should address prepared to evaluate the quality of one key point, and all paragraphs evidence used. should relate to the text’s central idea. What kind of evidence does the author use? Is it based more on fact or opinion, and do you feel those choices are effective? Where does this evidence come from? Are the sources credible? Was evidence used correctly, without manipulation? Does the text’s flow make sense? Is the line of reasoning logical? Are there any gaps? Are there any spots where you feel the reasoning is flawed in some way? Are the authors’ statements clear? Is anything confusing? What worked well in the text? What was lacking or failed completely? Tone Jargon (e.g., complex medical Describe the tone in the piece. Is language) can be quite common in the text’s tone and language nursing and other health-related appropriate? Is it friendly? disciplines. Critiquing involves Authoritative? Does it lecture? Is it evaluating whether the source’s sarcastic? Do the authors use tone is appropriate for the simple language, or is it full of audience. Is the text written for a jargon? Does the language feel person with health-related positive or negative? expertise? Is the text written for a Identify aspects of the text that student? Is the text written for a create the tone; spend some time client? examining these and considering how and why they work. Critiquing a Text | 69 Emotion/objectivity The use of emotions and objectivity Do the authors appeal to your (or subjectivity) depends on the emotions? Do the authors use any purpose of the writing. For controversial words in the example, prompting the reader’s headline or the article? Do these emotion may be very important if affect your reading or your the authors are writing an editorial interest? for a newspaper about the lack of Are the authors objective, or do funding in pediatrics and mental they try to convince you to have a health. On the other hand, an certain opinion? Why do the objective viewpoint that highlights authors try to persuade you to the evidence may be important if adopt this viewpoint? If the the authors are writing a policy authors are biased, does this paper about needed funding in interfere with the way you read pediatrics for mental health and understand the text? Note resources. These decisions are that an author may be subjective, often based on the target audience. or unbiased, or unreasonable! Every type of writing and tone can be used for a specific purpose. By identifying these techniques and considering why the authors are using them, you will begin to understand more about the text. Your response is important to Response consider in nursing considering How did you respond to the that the text’s appeal and piece? Did you like it? Did it appeal believability will influence whether to you? Could you identify with it? you decide to include a source in Do you believe the authors? Do your own writing and whether the you accept their thoughts and source’s claim will influence your ideas? Why or why not? practice. Cultural context These social and cultural variables What is the cultural context* of are important in nursing the text? considering the diversity of clients, *Cultural context is a fancy way families, and practitioners. of asking who is affected by the ideas and who stands to lose or gain if the ideas take place. When you think about this, think of all kinds of social and cultural variables, including age, gender, occupation, education, race, ethnicity, religion, economic status, etc. 70 | Critiquing a Text Activities: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=222#h5p-11 An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=222#h5p-12 Attribution statement Content from this page was remixed with our original content, and with editorial and formatting changes, content from this page was adapted from: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Critiquing a Text | 71 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ 72 | Critiquing a Text Reflecting and Summarizing Whenever you finish a bit of reading, it’s worth taking time to stop and reflect on it. Part of your reflection should involve concisely summarizing the main points. This summarizing will help you think about the content and what it means to you, and also help you remember the main points later so you can apply them in other reading and writing situations. Here are some ideas for post-reading reflection: Write in a personal reading journal—A good way to use journals is to write a quick summary of the reading immediately after you have finished. Capture the main points and explore any questions you had or any ideas that were raised. Write a one-minute paper—Take one minute to jot down a few sentences about something you learned or discovered while reading, or ask yourself a question about the reading and write an answer. If applicable, refer back to the learning objectives/outcomes at the start of the reading or related to the week’s content of the course the reading is related to. Document your reflections related to these objectives/outcomes. Many times, the purpose of your reading is to shift you into writing a paper or completing an assignment. Thus, you need to consider synthesizing the ideas in your summary and your other writing. “To synthesize” means to combine ideas to create a completely new idea. The new idea becomes the conclusion you have drawn from your reading. This is the true beauty of reading: it helps you weigh ideas, compare, judge, think, and explore – and then arrive at a moment that you hadn’t known before. You begin with a simple summary, work through analysis, evaluate using critique, and then move on to synthesis. Reflecting and Summarizing | 73 Student Tip Reflection It’s a good idea to reflect on the question: How do I want this reading to influence my thinking and practice as a nurse? This is an important question considering that you will often be reading about theoretical and empirical ideas related to nursing knowledge and practice. For example, you may read about how to develop therapeutic relationships with clients and families and/or how to communicate with clients who are aggressive. When you finish reading a text, think about this and document your reflections related to how your reading will guide your practice in the clinical setting. Activity: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=224#h5p-13 74 | Reflecting and Summarizing Attribution statement Content from this page was remixed with our original content, and with editorial changes, adapted from: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ Reflecting and Summarizing | 75 Troubleshooting Your Reading Sometimes reading may seem difficult, you might have trouble getting started, or other challenges will surface. Here are some troubleshooting ideas—click on the ones that apply to you and check out the suggestions. An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=226#h5p-9 Students are often reluctant to seek help. They feel like doing so marks them as slow, weak, or demanding. The truth is, every learner occasionally struggles. If you are sincerely trying to keep up with the course reading but feel like you are in over your head, seek help. A great first step is to seek clarification from your peers, because they can share their interpretations about the readings and together you can engage in further critical discussions about course content. Additional tips include speaking up in class, scheduling a meeting with your instructor, or accessing the learning resources offered at your university. 76 | Troubleshooting Your Reading Student Tip Are You Having Problems Reading? If you are, identify and work to manage these problems as early in the semester as you can. Instructors respect students who are proactive about their own learning. Most instructors will work hard to help students who make the effort to help themselves. Do not let things slide and then promise yourself, “I will do better next week.” When next week comes, the accumulated undone tasks will seem even more intimidating, and you will find it harder to get them done. Attribution statement Content for troubleshooting was edited and adapted from: The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/wrd/ Content for the Student Tip Box was revised and adapted from: Writing for Success 1st Canadian Edition by Tara Horkoff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- Troubleshooting Your Reading | 77 ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Download for free at: https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/ 78 | Troubleshooting Your Reading Chapter Summary Developing reading skills is the first step to advancing your scholarly writing capacity. This chapter has provided you with skills to develop your reading and comprehension. In nursing programs, you will be exposed to unfamiliar and complex terminology in your readings, so you will be engaging in a new type of reading. Consider how to be a critical reader and learn how to critique literature. Reading lots, reading daily, and reading from diverse sources will also help you advance your writing skills. Your Writing Journey Not sure where to start? Start by consulting what is already known on the topic. Academics often refer to the literature, meaning information already written by others. While you may be tempted to just start writing your assignment, it is always good idea to start by consulting what is already known – this will really pay off later! It will deepen your thinking and help you understand your topic in a more nuanced way. By learning to read and comprehend effectively, you will identify gaps in your understanding and ultimately this will be reflected in your writing. As you consult the literature, try to organize your thoughts by jotting down main insights or questions that emerge. Chapter Summary | 79 80 | Chapter Summary CHAPTER 3: INFORMATION LITERACY Chapter 3: Information Literacy | 81 82 | Chapter 3: Information Literacy Chapter 3 Learning Objectives By the end of this chapter, you will be able to: Describe information literacy. Identify search methods to research topics. Evaluate the quality of texts. Differentiate between various types of sources. Chapter 3 Learning Objectives | 83 Overview: Information Literacy You probably know the words “information” and “literacy,” but the term information literacy may be unfamiliar. Simply put, information literacy means having the skills to competently evaluate various types of knowledge. See Figure 3.1. Figure 3.1: Information Literacy Becoming information literate is a professional expectation. You are expected to “seek new information, knowledge and best practices for use in the provision of nursing care” (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2014, p. 7). Information literacy is an important skill because there are vast quantities and varying qualities of nursing and health-related information. At times, the information that you discover through literature searches may be contradictory. As a nurse, you need to determine whether the information you are reviewing is high quality, reliable, and relevant to your practice. Additionally, clients and their families will sometimes ask you about something they have heard about from friends, or found on the 84 | Overview: Information Literacy Web, or heard on the news. You need to know how to sift through information and critically evaluate it. Figure 3.2: Using information literacy skills You will use information literacy skills to evaluate the quality and relevance of information. Ultimately, information literacy is a combination of skills that involves: Recognizing when information is needed. Identifying relevant information. Searching and locating the information. Evaluating the information. In this chapter, you will learn how to become information literate! Overview: Information Literacy | 85 Reference CNO (2014). Entry-to-practice competencies for registered nurses. Retrieved from: https://www.cno.org/globalassets/docs/reg/ 41037_entrytopracitic_final.pdf 86 | Overview: Information Literacy Finding Texts Finding and using quality texts is an important component of information literacy and vital to nursing and other health-related practices. For example, if you are learning to take blood pressure, you should read a text authored by someone who has expertise in doing so and is familiar with the best evidence. This person might be someone with multiple degrees and expertise in nursing practice. If you are learning about how to best care for someone who is dying, you might want to read a text authored by an expert practitioner and researcher in this field. Texts that include and/or are authored by clients and families may provide personal narratives that inform your writing and practice. A starting point to finding quality texts is to physically or virtually visit the library and check out the library website and resources such as workshops that you can access. Finding Texts | 87 Figure 3.3: University bookshelves 88 | Finding Texts Researching the Topic Many written assignments in your nursing program will require you to research your topic before drafting and writing your paper. Although researching a topic is not the main focus of this book, here are a few ideas related to this stage of your journey to becoming a writer: Consult library resources—there are many workshops you can participate in and online resources such as research guides, information sheets, and tutorials that you can access on the library website. As an example, check out the Toronto Metropolitan University library resources: Research help guide or check out your own library research resources. Talk to librarians—they have a wealth of information about how to research topics. Librarians can teach you how to best use literature search tools such as databases and search engines that organize the information that you will be looking for throughout your nursing program. As part of your post- secondary education, you will have free access to these search engines and many articles and resources. Take a research course during your post-secondary nursing education that will further expose you to researching your topic. Think about your research journey as an ongoing and iterative process in which you move back and forth between the stages (see Figure 3.4). You begin by choosing a topic, then brainstorm relevant keywords to search in the databases, and then evaluate your resources. Now, you need to reflect on and develop skills in how to identify keywords and search databases. Researching the Topic | 89 90 | Researching the Topic Figure 3.4: “Research is an Ongoing Process” By UBC Learning Commons (learningcommons.ubc.ca). Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Retrieved from: https://learningcommons.ubc.ca/student-toolkits/library- research/# Tips to consider as you research Here are a few tips for you to consider as you are researching a topic, choosing keywords, and searching the various databases: Search specific peer-reviewed journals and review the issues and volumes of that journal. Become familiar with common databases to search for information related to a topic. In nursing, common databases include CINAHL, Medline, Proquest Nursing, and Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) Reviews. More information can be found at: Top Databases for Nursing. Decide on the keywords to search. For example, if you are writing a paper about nursing interventions related to helping patients manage stress, you might search keywords such as “stress management” with a related word such as “coping.” Check out this link to help you reflect on keywords to help you narrow your search to a specific concept. You can also look at the keywords used by the authors in the journal articles that you are reviewing. Researching the Topic | 91 Search Operators Search operators are tools to help you optimize your searches. Senior-level students will tell you that they wished they had known about this in year one. Figure 3.5: Senior student using search operators Search operators including Boolean operators (AND, OR, and NOT) as well as truncation and quotation marks are so important! See Table 3.1 for a description and examples on how to use these operators. For more information about conducting a more efficient and effective search with various search operators, check out the following film clip about Boolean operators, quotation marks, and the asterisk/star symbol. Online research: Tips for effective search strategies 92 | Search Operators [3:04] Table 3.1: Search operators Search Operators | 93 Operator Examples You might be interested in searching AND for articles about compassion in In capital letters, AND is nursing. You don’t just want to find used to combine terms so that articles related to nursing only or your search reveals sources compassion only. You can search that have both terms in it. nursing AND compassion to find sources that use both terms. You might be interested in searching OR for articles related to young people and In capital letters, OR is used you are aware that this term has many to combine more than one related words. You can search youth keyword that you are OR adolescents OR teenagers to find interested in, but both words sources that have at least one of these won’t necessarily be in the search terms, but don’t necessarily articles together. include all three search terms. You might be interested in dance NOT therapy, but not interested in certain In capital letters, NOT is types of dance. You can search “dance used to filter out certain therapy” NOT “hip hop” NOT keywords that you are not ballroom to find sources about all types interested in. of dance therapy except hip hop and ballroom. You might be interested in all sources Truncation related to nursing, but are aware that Use the asterisk/star at the there are many variations of this words. end of a word if you are You can search nurs* to find sources interested in variations of the using terms including nurse, nursing, word. and nurses. You can use quotation marks to find specific phrases. For example, if you are Quotation marks interested in chronic diseases Use quotation marks specifically and not just all diseases, surrounding phrasing to group then you should place quotation marks words together so that surrounding “chronic diseases” – this individual words are not found will ensure that other types of sources separately. related to chronic only or diseases only are excluded. You might also want to use parentheses (what you might refer to as round brackets) to group similar terms that you are searching. 94 | Search Operators Here is an example: (older OR elderly) AND (isolation OR loneliness) AND illness. See Figure 3.6 for an example of a search done using Boolean operators “and” and “or.” Figure 3.6: Search using Boolean operators Activities: Check Your Understanding An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=360#h5p-26 Search Operators | 95 An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=360#h5p-27 An interactive H5P element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ scholarlywriting/?p=360#h5p-28 96 | Search Operators Evaluating Quality Evaluating your sources is critical to the process of academic research. One common tool is called CRAAP. Yes, you read that correctly! The CRAAP test is an evaluation tool that helps you determine a source’s quality and provides you with a way to analyze your sources and determine if they are appropriate for your research. You will come across various versions of CRAAP, but for the purposes of this chapter, the acronym stands for: C: Currency R: Relevance A: Authority A: Accuracy P: Purpose/point of view Evaluating Quality | 97 Figure 3.7: Dissecting CRAAP Time to dissect CRAAP a bit more! 98 | Evaluating Quality The CRAAP test uses a series of questions that address specific evaluation criteria like the authority and purpose of the source. This test should be used for all of your sources. It is not intended to make you exclude any sources, but to help you analyze how to use them to support your own arguments. You will find that some sources are of such low quality that it wouldn’t be helpful to your argument if you used them. See Table 3.2. for an overview of the CRAAP test. Table 3.2: Overview of the CRAAP test Evaluating Quality | 99 Criteria Relation to nursing F i g u r e 3. 8 : S e a r c h o n h o w m a n 100 | Evaluating Quality y t i m e s a n a r t i c l What is considered current and how current does a resource have e to be? This is a complex question. Some say a current text was h written within five years, and some a say within ten years. If currency is not noted in your assignment s guidelines, ask your instructor. b Currency will vary based on the topic. There are evolutions in e knowledge that inform thinking e and practices based on the most current research. For example, if n you are exploring cannabis use in Canada, the currency of this c information is important because i so much has changed in the last few years. For this topic, you would t probably search for texts produced e within the last one or two years to C = Currency: The timeliness of ensure currency. d the information. Sometimes, you’ll also need to consider seminal literature. This When was the information published or posted? Based on this type of literature refers to a pivotal study or theoretical article that is date, will the material accurately foundational to a discipline. How reflect your topic? do you know if a text is seminal? Has the information been One clue is when you see the same revised or updated? article cited in the literature over Does your topic require current and over again. Frequency of the information, or will older sources work as well? citation usually indicates that an article has had a major influence. For example, Dr. Heather Laschinger’s nursing work on empowerment from the 1990s and early 2000s has been cited thousands of Evaluating Quality times. Although | 101 this work is older, it is considered seminal in this topic. To find out how many times an article has been cited, search the article title You should consider various factors when considering the relevance of your sources. Does the source align with the topic that you are studying? For example, if you are studying parents’ grieving experiences after their child dies, R = Relevance: The importance of your sources need to focus on this the information for your needs. topic. A source that documents Does the information relate to nurses’ grieving experiences after a your topic or answer your client dies is not relevant, as the question? relationships are quite different. Who is the intended audience? Also, if you are exploring the Is the information at an nurse’s role in medical assistance appropriate level (i.e., not too in dying, for example, it is elementary or advanced for your important to consider legislation in needs or audience)? the related country and province/ Have you looked at a variety of territory/state. For example, the sources before determining the nurse’s role in Ontario is different ones that you will use? than other locations. You will review sources from a wide variety of locations and written for a wide variety of audiences. You need to consider whether your reader will be

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