Module Transcripts:

Introduction to Scholarly Writing

Title: Introduction to Scholarly Writing

Audio: This module will introduce you to scholarly writing. After completing this module, 

• You will understand the elements specific to scholarly writing as a genre;
• Be able to identify how to successfully include the characteristics of scholarly writing;
• Be able to identify strong and weak elements of scholarly writing in other’s writing; and
• You will understand a successful scholarly writing process and resources to assist in your scholarly writing.

 

Title: Genres of Writing

Audio: Did you know that just like there are different genres of books, there are different genres of writing? In fact, scholarly writing is just one kind of writing. These different genres of writing follow different rules, and may look very different from one another. Scholarly writing, for example, follows different rules—and thus looks different—than, say, business writing. 

Why do different genres of writing look different? These differences are a result of changes in (a) audience; (b) purpose; and (c) venue. Click each reason genres of writing look different to learn more about how they affect writing.

 

Title: Genres of Writing

Audio: We can’t forget about the people that are involved in genres of writing: the writer and the reader. First, let’s look at how writers embrace expectations in scholarly writing. 

Writers use genre expectations to make decisions in their writing. If you’re writing a paper for a Walden class, you’ll make different choices about argument, sources, tone, and format than if you’re writing a newspaper article. Click each genre expectation to learn more.

 

Title: Genres of Writing

Audio: Next, let’s look at the expectations readers have of writing. 

Readers bring their own preconceived notions and expectations to writing depending on genre. These include assumptions about time, formality, and bias. Click each genre expectation to learn more.

Title: Genres of Writing

Audio: What do these differences in audience, purpose, and venue look like in practice? Here’s one example of opinion writing—something you might find in a blog or magazine. Click throughout the sample to learn more about the genre.

 

Title: Genres of Writing

Audio: Now here’s an example of scholarly writing. This writing follows different genre expectations than the opinion writing. Click throughout the sample of scholarly writing to learn more about this genre.

 

Title: Knowledge Checks

Audio: Time to test what you’ve learned! You’ve learned that different genres of writing have different expectations. You’ve also explored the kind of expectations both readers and writers have in different genres of writing. Click Continue to begin!

 

Title: Scholarly Writing at Walden University

Audio: Not only are you expected to learn scholarly writing, you’re expected to learn scholarly writing at Walden University. What do I mean by this? Different academic disciplines often expect different types of scholarly writing. So, in your past education you might have engaged in scholarly writing, but in a different kind of scholarly writing. For many students, this might be MLA or Chicago styles of scholarly writing. MLA and Chicago styles are related to APA, but they have slightly different expectations. Walden University expects social science scholarly writing following APA style, so if you’re used to using either of these styles, adjusting to APA style might still require some time and practice. 

Click each type of style to learn more about when it is used in academia. 

 

Title: A Closer Look at Scholarly Writing

Audio: Of course, your main concern at Walden is to learn about scholarly writing, since this is the genre of writing you’ll use in your classes. This is the type of writing your faculty will expect to see, and it’s the kind of writing we use in academia, so you’ll also see a lot of scholarly writing in the journal articles and books you read.

Scholarly writing can go by many names, including academic, formal, research, or classroom writing. They all refer to this same type of scholarly writing, which has these four main characteristics: strong, argument; reliable and peer-reviewed sources; formal tone; and consistent format and citations. 

Click each characteristic to learn more.

 

Title: A Closer Look at Scholarly Writing

Audio: What do these characteristics look like in practice? Click each characteristic to see examples in the scholarly writing sample.

 

Title: A Closer Look at Scholarly Writing

Audio: Here’s another sample of scholarly writing. Click each characteristic to see examples in this second scholarly writing sample. 

 

Title: Knowledge Checks

Audio: Writers incorporate particular characteristics into scholarly writing. Next show your understanding of these characteristics in additional knowledge check questions!

 

Title: Recap: What Is Scholarly Writing?

Audio: Remember: Different genres of writing come with different writer requirements and reader expectations. Additionally, scholarly writing has four main characteristics: (1) central argument; (2) reliable and peer-reviewed sources; (3) clear and formal tone; and (4) consistent format and citations.

Title: Strong Argument

Audio: A strong argument is usually represented by a thesis statement or research question in scholarly writing. A thesis statement or a research question is an essential element of creating an argument, but there are other components as well. These include explaining your ideas through analysis and synthesis; incorporating consistent logic; and developing appropriate scope. 

Click each element of a strong argument to learn more.

 

Title: Strong Argument: Tips

Audio: It’s also important to avoid bias to create a strong argument in your scholarly writing. Bias can appear in scholarly writing through generalizations, lack of evidence, assumptions the author makes about their subject matter and readers, and unclear or insensitive wording.

Click each of our tips for avoiding bias to learn more.

 

Title: Strong Argument: Tips

Audio: A strong argument also incorporates supporting evidence. Include evidence to support your ideas, showing how your ideas are informed by the research. Click each of our tips for incorporating supporting evidence to learn more.

 

Title: Reliable & Peer-Reviewed Sources

Audio: You will need to rely on reliable and peer-reviewed sources as the evidence in your scholarly writing. Reliable sources are trusted sources in your field. Peer-reviewed sources go through “a specific scholarly review process to try to ensure the accuracy and reliability” of those sources. 

However, keep in mind that a reliable source often changes depending on (a) what type of assignment you’re writing and (b) your field. If you are ever unsure about whether a source is reliable and should be used in your scholarly writing, be sure to check with the Library and your faculty. 

 

Title: Reliable & Peer-Reviewed Sources

Audio: Journal articles, books, and websites are the most common types of sources students use in their scholarly writing. Click each type of source for an overview of how it may or may not be reliable or peer-reviewed. We’ll explore the Library’s specific information about reliable and peer-reviewed sources next. 

 

Title: Reliable & Peer-Reviewed Sources

Audio: Now that you’ve learned what reliable and peer-reviewed sources are—and why they are important—now learn how to use reliable and peer-reviewed sources in your scholarly writing. Click each of our tips for choosing sources to learn more.

 

Title: Clear & Formal Tone

Audio: A scholarly tone is something you’ll develop as you become more and more familiar with scholarly writing. Each writer’s scholarly voice is different, which means we often focus more on what to avoid doing in your scholarly tone than what you should do. Generally, though, your scholarly voice should be clearand direct, while also formal. You want your reader to be able to easily understand what you’re saying, while also avoiding common characteristics of everyday speech. 

 

Title: Clear & Formal Tone

Audio: A scholarly tone is made up of many different elements. Click each element of developing a scholarly tone to learn more.

 

Title: Clear & Formal Tone

Audio: There are many ways you can write in a clear and formal tone to develop your scholarly voice. Click each tip for developing a scholarly tone to learn more.

 

Title: Consistent Format & Citations

Audio: Your scholarly writing also needs to use consistent format and citations, which is usually dictated by the style or format of your field. At Walden, we use APA style for our formatting and citations. This is because APA style is the style used by the social sciences and Walden is primarily a social science university. Using APA style like your peers at Walden and the other scholars in your field ensures that you are all communicating in the same way. Think of it like this: People in the same community all speak, more or less, the same language to help them communicate. It’s the same idea in your field: Everyone in your field uses APA style to create consistency and facilitate clear communication. 

Click each aspect of APA style to learn more.

 

Title: Consistent Format & Citations

Audio: Here is an example of an APA citation and reference entry. Note that in APA, we cite sources in each sentence we use their information—whether we quote or paraphrase the source—using the authors’ last name and publication year. Reference entries then include the full publication information for the source. The idea is that the reader can find the basic citation information in the body of your paper, but then find the full information they would need to find the source for themselves in the reference entry. 

 

Title: Consistent Format & Citations

Audio: Incorporating APA format and citations consistently can be difficult for writers new to scholarly writing. However, the more you practice using APA, the easier it will become. Click each of our tips for APA format and citations to learn more. 

 

Title: Consistent Format & Citations

Audio: Walden students have additional help creating consistent format and citations: templates! You should use the templates Walden provides to help you format your scholarly writing.

Click the situation that most matches your own to go to the template you should be using. Then be sure to save the link so you can use the template for your assignments.

 

Title: Knowledge Checks

Audio: You now know the characteristics of successful scholarly writing and our tips for incorporating those characteristics in your writing. Now it’s time to test what you’ve learned about these characteristics!

 

Title: Recap: Characteristics of Successful Scholarly Writing

Audio: Remember: Scholarly writing has four main characteristics: 1) central argument, (2) reliable and peer-reviewed sources, (3) clear and formal tone, and (4) consistent format and citations. Use our tips and resources to learn more about and to successfully incorporate the four characteristics of scholarly writing.

Title: Scholarly Writing Characteristics

Audio:Remember, these are the characteristics of scholarly writing: a strong, central argument; reliable and peer-reviewed sources; clear and formal tone; and consistent format and citations. Click each characteristic for a review of what it includes.

 

Title: Identifying Scholarly Writing

Audio:Next you’ll focus on identifying strong and weak elements of scholarly writing. Identifying these strong and weak elements will help you in your own writing; without being able to analyze other writers’ writing, it’s difficult to achieve your own strong scholarly writing. 

 

Title: Marissa is writing a paper for her community health class.

Audio:Marissa is writing a paper for her community health class. Here is her introduction paragraph. Click on the underlined areas of this paragraph to learn how she is successfully incorporating characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Marissa is writing a paper for her community health class.

Audio:This is one of Marissa’s body paragraphs. Click in her paragraph to learn how she is successfully incorporating the characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Marissa is writing a paper for her community health class.

Audio:This is another body paragraph in Marissa’s paper. Click in her paragraph to learn how she is successfully incorporating the characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Perry is writing a paper for his classroom management course.

Audio:Perry is writing a paper for his classroom management course. Here is his introduction paragraph. Click on the underlined areas of this paragraph to learn how Perry is not incorporating characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Perry is writing a paper for his classroom management course.

Audio: This is one of Perry’s body paragraphs. Click in his paragraph to learn how he is not incorporating the characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Perry is writing a paper for his classroom management course.

Audio: This is another body paragraph in Perry’s paper. Click in his paragraph to learn how he is not incorporating the characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Tim is writing his prospectus for his PhD in psychology doctoral study.

Audio: Tim is writing his prospectus for his PhD in psychology doctoral study. Here is an excerpt from his prospectus. Click on the underlined areas of this paragraph to learn how he is successfully incorporating characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Jenae is also writing a prospectus, but for her PhD in management doctoral study.

Audio: Jenae is also writing a prospectus, but for her PhD in management doctoral study. This is the first paragraph of her Framework section. Click on the underlined areas of this paragraph to learn how she is successfully incorporating characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Ieshia is writing her prospectus for her DBA doctoral study.

Audio: Ieshia is in the DBA program, and she is also writing her prospectus. This is the start of her Nature of the Study section. Click on the underlined areas of this paragraph to learn how she is successfully incorporating characteristics of scholarly writing.

 

Title: Knowledge Checks

Audio: Now that you’ve explored strong and weak examples of scholarly writing, you’ll test your own ability to assess these elements.

 

Title: Recap: Identifying Scholarly Writing

Audio: Remember: Learn to identify strong and weak elements of scholarly writing to help you be successful in your own scholarly writing.

Title: The Scholarly Writing Process

Audio: Now that you’ve learned the characteristics of strong scholarly writing, it’s also important to understand how to successfully incorporate these elements into your writing. The reality is that without a strong scholarly writing process, you won’t be able to successfully incorporate these elements. Why?

Many students begin their scholarly writing journey thinking they can sit down and write a strong paper in one sitting. While that may have been the case in the past, as you’ve learned, scholarly writing has specific requirements and many components you need to get right to be successful. 

Because of this, your writing process should be longer and more recursive. What do we mean by this? Click the clock to learn about the longer nature of the writing process; click on the circle to learn about the recursive nature of the writing process.

 

Title: The Scholarly Writing Process

Audio: Let’s look more closely at each step of a strong scholarly writing process. Click each step to learn more!

 

Title: The Scholarly Writing Process

Audio: You’ve learned about the scholarly writing process generally, but how do you actually use a scholarly writing process? Learn our tips for developing your scholarly writing process via the resources below.

 

Title: Reflection

Audio: Think about the last assignment you wrote. Did you engage in a strong scholarly writing process? Think about which steps of the scholarly writing process you could improve. Click each step to learn our tips!

 

Title: Prewriting

Audio:Prewriting activities are those that help you brainstorm ideas. Click to see our tips for prewriting.

 

Title: Prewriting

Audio:Learn more about prewriting via the resources below. Click each link and review it. Then save the link for future reference.

 

Title: Actively Read & Take Notes

Audio:When reading and taking notes, you should be actively engaged, making connections between the ideas you’re reading and how they relate to your own ideas and could be used in your paper. Click to see our tips for actively reading and taking notes.

 

Title: Actively Read & Take Notes

Audio:Learn more about reading and taking notes via the resources below. Click each link and review it. Then save the link for future reference.

 

Title: Drafting

Audio: Drafting is the part of the writing process most of us think of—this is where the actual writing gets done. Click to see our tips for drafting.

 

Title: Drafting

Audio: Learn more about drafting via the resources below. Click each link and review it. 

Then save the link for future reference.

 

Title: Revising

Audio: Revising is where you’ll focus on whether your writing is clear, cohesive, and comprehensive. Click to see our tips for revising. 

 

Title: Revising

Audio: Learn more about revising via the resources below. Click each link and review it. Then save the link for future reference.

 

Title: Editing & Proofing

Audio: Editing and proofing are the steps you’ll take to polish your paper, finalizing grammar and APA style. Click to see our tips for editing and proofing.

 

Title: Editing & Proofing

Audio: Learn more about editing and proofing via the resources below. Click each link and review it. Then save the link for future reference.

 

Title: Reflecting

Audio: Reflecting involves thinking to yourself about how your writing process went: What went well and should you repeat for your next paper and what could be improved? Click to learn our tips for reflecting.

 

Title: Reflecting

Audio: Learn more about reflecting via the resources below. Click each link and review it. Then save the link for future reference.

 

Title: Recap: The Scholarly Writing Process

Audio: Remember: Having a strong scholarly writing process will help you produce strong scholarly writing. Your scholarly writing process should include: (1) prewriting; (2) actively reading & taking notes; (3) drafting; (4) revising; (5) editing & proofing; and (6) reflecting.