Increasing Writing and Research Productivity: Tips for Writing Process and Self-Editing

Presented by Dr. Candis Bond, Director of the Writing CenterCourtesy of the Augusta University Writing Center

Roadmap Tips for improving process and productivity

Strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading

Writing in Busy TimesMaximizing Output by Personalizing Process

Take a Metacognitive Approach to Writing Process

(Oxford Brooks University, 2014)

Let go of misconceptions

I need large blocks of time to write or I can’t write at all.

Writing is just putting to paper what is in my head.

Writing is what I do after I know everything.

Everything needs to be perfect before I can move on.

I have to start with the introduction or first section.

Only ‘bad’ writers seek help or discuss their writing with others.

Make Time and Work Smarter, not Harder

Tips for Process

Set goals: Make a plan and break it down

Schedule time to write, even if for short periods Pomodoro Method (PomoDone; Focus Keeper; Focus To-Do) Rowena Murray (2013) uses the metaphors of “binge” vs. “snack” Commit Consider making these times public Limit distractions Set false deadlines Make a routine, or “click in” (Tulley, 2020)

Write “smart”: HOCs, MOCs, LOCs model

Join a writing group for accountability, use the WC, get a coach

Tips for Access and Metacognition

Audio recording

Accessibility—keep devices for notetaking and writing handy

Multiple modes (i.e. creative, science writing, “ventilation,” reflective)

Writing is Social

Know your audience before you start writing

Find a model and keep it handy throughout the writing process

Submit work for feedback regularly and often from the start

Tailor structure, organization, style, and diction to the journal or grant organization; look for formulaic approaches in journals of choice; save paragraphs, sections or articles you like in one folder to review when writing similar sections yourself

Image: (Perry, n.d.)

Strategies for Revising, Editing, and ProofreadingRevising Structure to Meet Audience Expectations; Editing to Reach Audience, Achieve Purpose, and Meet Stylistic Demands; and Proofreading for Perfection

Revise Structure to Meet Audience Expectations

Know Your Audience: A Tale of Two Journals

Critical Care Nurse

CRITICAL CARE NURSE is an official publication of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). Authors are invited to submit manuscripts for consideration and peer review. Clinical topics must apply directly to the care of critically and acutely ill patients and/or progressive care, telemetry, and stepdown unit patients and their families, with case presentations and clinical tips especially welcome.

Critical Care Nurse encourages submission of the following manuscript styles: quality improvement studies, case reports, and review articles. Please note that CCN is no longer accepting research manuscripts.

Research in Nursing and Health

Research in Nursing & Health (RINAH) is a peer-reviewed general research journal devoted to publication of a wide range of research that will inform the practice of nursing and other health disciplines. The editors invite reports of research describing problems and testing interventions related to health phenomena, health care and self-care, clinical organization and administration; and the testing of research findings in practice. Research protocols are considered if funded in a peer-reviewed process by an agency external to the authors’ home institution and if the work is in progress. Papers on research methods and techniques are appropriate if they go beyond what is already generally available in the literature and include description of successful use of the method. Theory papers are accepted if each proposition is supported by research evidence. Systematic reviews of the literature are reviewed if PRISMA guidelines are followed. Letters to the editor commenting on published articles are welcome. Researchers and clinicians in nursing and health sciences, health policy officials, and faculty in nursing and other health fields.

Palliative care is focused on enhancing the quality of life of seriously ill patients and their families during life-sustaining treatment and at the end of life, when such treatment is no longer warranted.1-3 A rapidly growing medical subspecialty, palliative care is also recognized as an important competency for all clinicians who care for people with serious illnesses.4,5 In the intensive care unit (ICU), palliative care has evolved into a key component of critical care, and early initiation of palliative care has been recommended by numerous critical care professional societies.1,6-9 Despite these evidence-based recommendations, significant barriers to access to palliative care in the ICU remain, including unrealistic patient, family, and clinician expectations of ICU treatment; inability of patients to participate in treatment discussions; and insufficient education and training for physicians and nurses.1,10-12

Communication plays a crucial role in high‐quality palliative care (PC) (Glare & Sinclair, 2008; Hancock et al., 2007; Steinhauser et al., 2000) and is often viewed as its primary intervention. The most common reason for referrals to PC consultation services is goals of care discussions (Homsi et al., 2002; Manfredi et al., 2000; Weissman, 1997). Conversations about goals of care involve conveying prognostic information including potential options for, and likely outcomes of, treatment in the context of the patient's and/or family members' goals, values, and clinical situation (Metzger, Norton, Quinn, & Gramling, 2013). PC consultation is seen as effective in helping patients make often difficult transitions in goals when the referring team is concerned that continued disease‐driven treatment will be ineffective and burdensome (Norton et al., 2011) or options for future disease‐driven treatments have been exhausted (Green, Gardiner, Gott, & Ingleton, 2011; Reinke et al., 2008). [….] Although we understand that conveying prognostic information is a primary component of PC goals of care conversations and is linked with positive outcomes, we do not understand how this process manifests and is linked to goals of care in clinical practice. There is little empirical evidence describing how these conversations occur in the natural setting. The aim of this analysis was to describe processes of prognostic communication in the context of PC goals of care discussions.

“Palliative Care Communication: Linking Patients' Prognoses, Values, and Goals of Care” Research in Nursing and Health

“Palliative Care and Moral Distress: An Institutional Survey of Critical Care Nurses” Critical Care Nurse

Organization: Master the CARS (Create a Research Space) Model and Follow Journal/Grant Guidelines

Move 1: Establish a territory

a. claim centrality (relevance/significance/urgency)

b. make topic generalizations

c. quickly review previous research

Move 2: Establish a niche

a. counter-claim

b. indicate gap

c. question-raise

d. continue a tradition or conversation

Move 3: Occupy the niche

a. outline purpose

b. announce present research

c. announce principal findings (optional)

d. indicate structure of research article (optional)

(Swales, 1990)

Palliative care is focused on enhancing the quality of life of seriously ill patients and their families during life-sustaining treatment and at the end of life, when such treatment is no longer warranted.1-3 A rapidly growing medical subspecialty, palliative care is also recognized as an important competency for all clinicians who care for people with serious illnesses.4,5 In the intensive care unit (ICU), palliative care has evolved into a key component of critical care, and early initiation of palliative care has been recommended by numerous critical care professional societies.1,6-9 Despite these evidence-based recommendations, significant barriers to access to palliative care in the ICU remain, including unrealistic patient, family, and clinician expectations of ICU treatment; inability of patients to participate in treatment discussions; and insufficient education and training for physicians and nurses.1,10-12

For critical care nurses, the failure to relieve patients’ suffering and the duty to provide aggressive life-sustaining treatment can trigger moral distress, a phenomenon that occurs when an individual recognizes the morally correct action to take but is prevented from taking it because of internal or external constraints.13 Moral distress is com-mon in critical care nurses and is believed to be a factor in nurse burnout and job turnover.14 -16 At a time of a nationwide nursing shortage17 and an increasing population of chronically and critically ill individuals,18 it is imperative to examine factors that may influence the moral distress experienced by critical care nurses.

The aims of this study were to investigate critical care nurses’ perceptions of palliative care in their practice setting, examine critical care nurses’ recent experiences of moral distress, and explore positive and negative relationships that may exist between these variables. Reported variations in palliative care access and education and the concomitant assessment of nurses’ moral distress may help direct future interventions to address key knowledge gaps and decrease potent sources of moral distress.

Establish Territory

Establish Niche

Occupy Niche

“Palliative Care and Moral Distress: An Institutional Survey of Critical Care Nurses” Critical Care Nurse

Chronic infections caused by biofilms annually affect 17 million Americans, cause at least 550,000 American deaths, and cost the US healthcare system billions of dollars [2-8]. Chronic wounds in particular can cost, per patient, tens of thousands of dollars per year, and are prevented from healing because they are infected by bacterial biofilms dominated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa [10]. Biofilm infection in chronic wounds afflicts both diabetic and non-diabetic patients and can lead to amputation [14].

Biofilms resist antibiotics and evade the host immune defense [10, 15-18]. In biofilms, a heterogeneous matrix of differentiated extracellular polymers (EPS) and proteins holds bacteria in place [19-22], thus controlling intercellular associations and differentiation of microenvironments [19, 23-34]. Matrix polymers and proteins also confer intercellular cohesion on biofilm bacteria, thereby determining the mechanical resistance of the biofilm to physical breakup. The impact of spatial structure and matrix mechanics on biofilm properties such as virulence, antibiotic resistance, and immune evasion are largely unknown. Indeed, we know little about what specific structures and mechanics develop in biofilm infections, and extant techniques to probe these properties are largely lacking. These are significant and critical unaddressed problems.

We will bring to bear a unique combination of techniques, a number of which we have recently developed, for measuring and controlling the in vivo and in vitro structural and the in vitro mechanical properties of biofilms [9, 11, 35].

Establish Territory

Establish Niche

Occupy Niche

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/1-R01-AI121500-01A1_Gordon_Application.pdf

Organization: Use Topic Sentences Effectively

Palliative care is focused on enhancing the quality of life of seriously ill patients and their families during life-sustaining treatment and at the end of life, when such treatment is no longer warranted.

For critical care nurses, the failure to relieve patients’ suffering and the duty to provide aggressive life-sustaining treatment can trigger moral distress, a phenomenon that occurs when an individual recognizes the morally correct action to take but is prevented from taking it because of internal or external constraints.

The aims of this study were to investigate critical care nurses’ perceptions of palliative care in their practice setting, examine critical care nurses’ recent experiences of moral distress, and explore positive and negative relationships that may exist between these variables.

Edit for Audience, Purpose, and Style

Diction: Use Grant Language Explicitly

NIH Mission and GoalsNIH’s mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

The goals of the agency are:•to foster fundamental creative discoveries, innovative research strategies, and their applications as a basis for ultimately protecting and improving health; •to develop, maintain, and renew scientific human and physical resources that will ensure the Nation's capability to prevent disease; •to expand the knowledge base in medical and associated sciences in order to enhance the Nation's economic well-being and ensure a continued high return on the public investment in research; and •to exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science.

Sample NIH R1 Grant Proposal ExcerptThe proposed research is relevant to public health because understanding what biofilm structures and mechanics exist and the degree to which they influence the medical outcomes of biofilm infections is expected to give rise to new types of treatments and diagnostics for chronic biofilm infections that specifically target structure and mechanics. Thus, this proposal is relevant to the part of NIH’s mission that pertains to fostering fundamental creative discoveries and innovative research strategies as a basis for ultimately protecting health.

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/1-R01-AI121500-01A1_Gordon_Application.pdf

Diction: Use Grant Language Explicitly

HRSA “About Us” and Mission

HRSA programs provide health care to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable. This includes people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, mothers and their families, and those otherwise unable to access high quality health care. HRSA also supports access to health care in rural areas, the training of health professionals, the distribution of providers to areas where they are needed most, and improvements in health care delivery.

To improve health outcomes and address health disparities through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative, high-value programs.

Sample HRSA Grant Proposal Excerpt

We request statutory funding preference on the basis that our FNP program will substantially benefit rural populations. In addition, our FNP program will substantially benefit underserved populations. We also request special consideration on the basis that we had a high rate (almost 100%) of FNP students who had clinical experiences in medically underserved communities during2010-2011.

https://www.wcu.edu/WebFiles/PDFs/L._Comer_HRSA_Proposal_05.2012.pdf

Diction:Be Direct about Significance and Impact

In a recent study observing trends in more than 100,000 peer-reviewed articles, Lerchenmueller, Sorenson, and Jena (2019) found that women in the medical and life sciences were less likely than men to use positive terms to describe their research, including terms related to impact and significance, such as:

Novel Unique Promising Favorable Excellent Prominent Innovative Unprecedented

Sentence Structure:Write Short Sentences in Active Voice

Sample Sentence from NIH R1 Grant

The proposed research is relevant to public health because understanding what biofilm structures and mechanics exist and the degree to which they influence the medical outcomes of biofilm infections is expected to give rise to new types of treatments and diagnostics for chronic biofilm infections that specifically target structure and mechanics.

This sentence is 51 words!

The main noun phrase is 20 words

Nouns and verbs are weak and non-specific

Possible Revision

This project addresses a gap in knowledge about what biofilm structures and mechanics exist and the degree to which they influence medical outcomes of biofilm infections. The proposed research is relevant to public health because it is expected to give rise to new types of treatments and diagnostics for chronic biofilm infections that specifically target structure and mechanics.

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/1-R01-AI121500-01A1_Gordon_Application.pdf

Sentence Structure: Keep Nouns and Verbs Close

Subject Verb Sentence

Subject Extra VerbConfusion

or Dismissal

Proofread for Perfection

Proofreading Tips

Don’t use spell check or grammar checkers (unless you’re a pro already and can spot their errors)

Review for one error or issue at a time

Read it out loud yourself

Have someone else read it out loud to you

Print it out and mark it up

Change the format (i.e. make it a PDF if you’ve been viewing it in Word, or change the font, font color, or background color)

Read it backwards by individual word

Read it backwards by individual sentence

Proofreading Checklist

Format (i.e. font size/style, margins, indentation, space(s) after period)

Citation format

Use of numbers

Use of symbols

Use of acronyms and abbreviations

Use of semicolons

Use of colons

Use of commas

Use of periods

Use of apostrophes (i.e. contractions vs. possessives)

Use of dashes

Capitalization of words

Spelling

Use of articles

Use of prepositions (i.e. that vs. which)

Make a personalized checklist with errors you are prone to making

Make checklists specifically for certain publishing venues based on author/style guidelines

Resources for Writing and EditingAugusta University Writing Center. (2020). Augusta University Writing Center. Retrieved from https://www.augusta.edu/pamplin/writingcenter/Alspach, J.G. (2004). The #1 secret to getting published. Critical Care Nurse, 24(6), 8-11. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2004.24.6.8

Belcher, W. L. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to academic publishing and success (2nd ed.). Chicago: U of Chicago P.

Browner, W. S. (2006). Publishing and presenting clinical research (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Conn, V.S. (2007). Editorial: Manuscript revision strategies. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 29(7), 786-788. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945907305913

Duke University. (2013). Duke Graduate School scientific writing resource. Retrieved from https://cgi.duke.edu/web/sciwriting/

Einsohn, A. (2011). The copyeditor’s handbook: A guide for book publishing and corporate communications (3rd ed.) Berkeley: U of California P.

Gastel, B. (2005). Health writer’s handbook (2nd ed.). Ames, IA: Blackwell.

Gerin, W., & Kapelewski, C.H. (2011). Writing the NIH grant proposal: A step-by-step guide (2nd ed.). Washington D.C.: Sage.

Happell, B. (2008). Writing for publication: A practical guide. Nursing Standard, 22(28), 35-40. doi: 10.7748/ns2008.03.22.28.35.c6435

Holzclaw, B.J., Kenner, C., & Walden, M. (2018). Grant writing handbook for nurses and health profesionals (4th ed.). New York: Springer.

Kienholz, M.L., & Berg, J.M. (2013). How the NIH can help you get funded: An insider’s guide to grant strategy. Oxford: Oxford UP.

Lanham, R. A. (2006). Revising prose (5th ed.) New York: Longman.

Murray, R. (2013). Writing for academic journals (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill, Open UP.

Oermann, M.H. (2002). Writing for publication in Nursing. Philidephia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Pierson, C.A. (2016). Editorial: The four R’s of revising and resubmitting a manuscript. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 28(2016), 408-409.

Rousch, K. (2017). Becoming a published writer. The American Journal of Nursing, 117(3), 63-66. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000513291.04075.82

Silvia, P.J. (2018). How to write a lot: A practical guide to productive academic writing (2nd ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association Life Tools.

Smith, A.P. (2004). Publish or perish: The write thing for Nursing. Nursing Economics, 22(6), 342-3.

Sternberb, D. (1981). How to complete and survive a doctoral dissertation. St. Martin’s P.

Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E.B. (1999). The elements of style (4th ed.). Pearson.

Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

Tarshis, B. (1998). how to be your own best editor: The toolkit for everyone who writes. New York: Three Rivers Press.

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center. (n.d.) Sciences. Retrieved from https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/sciences/

Zerubavel, E. (1999). The clockwork muse: A practical guide to writing theses, dissertations, and books. Harvard UP.

ReferencesLerchenmueller, M.J., Sorenson, O., Jena, A.B. (2019). Gender differences in how scientists present the importance of their research: Observational study. BMJ, 367, l6573.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l6573Martinez, R.S., Floyd, R.G., & Erichsen, L.W. (2011). Strategies and attributes of highly productive scholars and contributors to the school of psychology literature: Recommendations for increasing

scholarly productivity. Journal of School Psychology, 49(6), 691-720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.10.003McGrail, M.R., Rickard, C.M., & Jones, R. (2006). Publish or perish: A systematic review of interventions to increase academic publication rates. Journal of Higher Education and Research Development,

25 (1), 19-35. doi: 10.1080/07294360500453053Murray, R. (2013). Writing for academic journals (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill, Open UP.Norton, S.A., Metzger, M., DeLuca, J., Alexander, S.C., Quill, T.E., & Gramling, R. (2013). Palliative care communication: Linking patients’ prognoses, values, and goals of care. Research in Nursing &

Health, 36(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.21563Oxford Brookes University (n.d.). Strategies for success in academic writing: Week 0, the writing process. Retrieved from https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/a3fd6f82-c367-4963-ba03-66a37e47fc5f/2/Perry, J. (n.d.). Outcome A (rhetorical situation & genre). Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/jacobperry120040/outcome-a-rhetorical-situation-genreSwales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Tulley, C. (2020, January 20). 10 ways to make sure your writing happens. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/01/20/advice-using-writing-day-most-

productively-opinionWolf, A.T., White, K.R., Epstein, E.G., & Enfield, K.B. (2019). Palliative care and moral distress: An institutional survey of critical care nurses. Critical Care Nurse 39(5), 38-49.

https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2019645

Thank you. We hope to see you at the Writing Center

Fall/Spring Hours: M-R, 8-8; F, 8-1

Locations: Allgood Hall, N204 and Greenblatt Library, 2101