This document will discuss the importance and meaning of scholarly communication. After you have reviewed it, you will answer two discussion questions and discuss others’ answers to demonstrate your understanding. The objectives of this learning activity are:
You will note that resources for writing are provided as part of Capella’s Writing Across the Curriculum Initiative. You have completed learning activities that helped you think about your writing. In this series of presentations, you will deepen that thinking and improve those skills, including learning more about the Capella Online Writing Center.
Academic writing is a rigorous genre. Academic writers are presenting ideas supported by evidence. Such a writing goal leaves little room for error or opinion. Academic writers focus on:
While the format seems simple, it takes a well-developed writing process to present new ideas and research in such a compact and concise package.
At Capella, we believe that the hard work involved in conducting new research deserves clear writing, so we have developed an 11-step academic writing process for writers using the American Psychological Association (APA) writing style. Our process, a combination of resources from the Capella University Online Writing Center and the Capella University Library, is not fancy. Our process is meant to give academic writers a concise process that can be tailored to individual needs.
You completed the Personal Writing Assessment (PWA) for Track I. The PWA is a tool for all learners and faculty to use to assess and enhance their writing skills. Many learners find it useful to periodically retake the PWA to assess their progress as scholarly writers. We encourage you to do so as well.
The Writing Feedback Tool defines our 11-step writing process and puts you in direct contact with the tools for each of those steps. Notice that the 11-step writing process begins with:
The first seven categories (or criteria) in the tool address what we call the big-picture items—the global issues involved in:
The last four categories in the tool address what we call the close-up items—the local issues involved in perfecting:
We encourage you to work from global to local in your writing as you navigate and learn from the tool. For example, why fix the period and comma issues (criterion 11) in a section that you may move around, delete, or revise (criteria 4 and 5).
We have used this tool over time and rely also on research in the field of academic writing; evidence indicates over and over again that going from global to local in revisions saves time—no matter the writing task. It takes time to define your personal writing process. As you begin to work with these tools, remember that developing a skill requires practice. Also remember that even the strongest writers can grow and improve.
Notice that the Writing Feedback Tool offers these feedback categories:
These categories were initially included for our faculty to provide focused feedback on learners’ writing. As the tool continued to evolve, our learners utilized the tool to offer focused peer review on writing. We encourage everyone to follow this lead. Learn the tool and put it to work for your individual writing process. Then, use the tool to give peer reviews of your peers’ writing across the academy.
Skill development requires:
Be sure to consider the Writing Feedback Ttool as a way to chart opportunities for improvement as you work through the 11 steps.
Remember: All you have to do to access the Capella writing process and resources is to visit the Writing Center.
You will have opportunities to explore Capella’s vast repository of writing resources, and will use Capella’s Writing Feedback Tool (WFT) to guide you through this repository. The WFT’s 11 criteria define Capella’s graduate academic writing process.
You will be guided to areas of the WFT to assist you in the researching, reading, and writing process necessary to complete the activities for the colloquia sessions.
Doc. reference: phd_t1_u06s1_h06_scholar.html