Scholar Practitioners: APA, Library Skills, Scholarly Writing Topics Scholarly and graduate-level writing APA style Paraphrasing Plagiarism What Is Scholarly and Graduate-Level Writing? Process by which scholars communicate, share, and evaluate information Tone of writing is serious, formal, neutral, professional, and informed Claims are substantiated using information that is credible (e.g., from academic, peer-reviewed journals) What Is a Scholarly Voice? Scholarly Voice Formality Neutrality Informed using evidence Clear and direct statements Formality: Word Choice Formal and precise language Avoid slang, colloquialisms, and clichés. The kids said the test was a piece of cake. The students said the test was easy. Avoid metaphors and similes. The patient was sick as a dog. The patient was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Avoid contractions. James hasn’t ever missed a day of school. James has never missed a day of school. Formality: Point of View Avoid the second person (you/your). You need to be aware of your treatment options. → Patients need to be aware of their treatment options. Avoid the general we (or us or our). We are responsible for our children’s well-being. → Parents are responsible for their children’s well-being. Use the first person (I/me/my) only as appropriate. This paper will discuss…→ In this paper, I will discuss… The data will be collected.→ I will collect the data. The scholar will argue… → I will argue… Not appropriate: I found several studies that suggested… Not appropriate: I think that all politicians are corrupt. Neutrality Avoid opinion statements. I think/I feel/I believe Avoid: I think childhood obesity is a major concern. Better: Childhood obesity is a major concern. Best: Childhood obesity is a major concern, as 17% of children in America are obese (CDC, 2012). Neutrality Avoid generalizations. Avoid: Children do not get enough exercise. Better: Many children do not get enough exercise. Best: According to the CDC (2012), in 2011, only 29% of high school students received the recommended amount of exercise, defined as at least one hour per day. Clear and Direct Statements The simpler the better! Avoid: There are 60 individuals who participated in the study and responded to the survey. Better: Sixty participants responded to the survey. Avoid: How to address the achievement gap in the most effective way has been argued and debated by scholars. Better: Scholars have debated the most effective way to address the achievement gap. Using Evidence Supports your central argument throughout your paper Demonstrates your scholarly credibility Every sentence that uses information from a source must include a citation. Cite credible sources Quality of EvidenceStrongWeakArticles from peer-reviewed journals Peer-reviewed or scholarly books Scholarly websitesWikis or blogs Newspapers Magazines Popular books General websites Encyclopedias Walden Resources on Sch.

1. Scholar Practitioners:
APA, Library Skills, Scholarly Writing
Topics
Scholarly and graduate-level writing
APA style
Paraphrasing
Plagiarism
What Is Scholarly and Graduate-Level Writing?
Process by which scholars communicate, share, and evaluate
information
Tone of writing is serious, formal, neutral, professional, and
informed
Claims are substantiated using information that is credible (e.g.,
from academic, peer-reviewed journals)
What Is a Scholarly Voice?
Scholarly Voice
Formality
Neutrality
Informed using evidence

2. Clear and direct statements
Formality: Word Choice
Formal and precise language
Avoid slang, colloquialisms, and clichés.
The kids said the test was a piece of cake.
The students said the test was easy.
Avoid metaphors and similes.
The patient was sick as a dog.
The patient was diagnosed with severe pneumonia.
Avoid contractions.
James hasn’t ever missed a day of school.
James has never missed a day of school.
Formality: Point of View
Avoid the second person (you/your).
You need to be aware of your treatment options. →
Patients need to be aware of their treatment options.
Avoid the general we (or us or our).
We are responsible for our children’s well-being. →
Parents are responsible for their children’s well-being.
Use the first person (I/me/my) only as appropriate.
This paper will discuss…→ In this paper, I will discuss…
The data will be collected.→ I will collect the data.
The scholar will argue… → I will argue…

3. Not appropriate: I found several studies that suggested…
Not appropriate: I think that all politicians are corrupt.
Neutrality
Avoid opinion statements.
I think/I feel/I believe
Avoid: I think childhood obesity is a major concern.
Better: Childhood obesity is a major concern.
Best: Childhood obesity is a major concern, as 17% of
children in America are obese (CDC, 2012).
Neutrality
Avoid generalizations.
Avoid: Children do not get enough exercise.
Better: Many children do not get enough exercise.
Best: According to the CDC (2012), in 2011, only 29% of
high school students received the recommended amount of
exercise, defined as at least one hour per day.
Clear and Direct Statements
The simpler the better!
Avoid: There are 60 individuals who participated in the
study and responded to the survey.
Better: Sixty participants responded to the survey.
Avoid: How to address the achievement gap in the most
effective way has been argued and debated by scholars.
Better: Scholars have debated the most effective way to
address the achievement gap.

4. Using Evidence
Supports your central argument throughout your paper
Demonstrates your scholarly credibility
Every sentence that uses information from a source must
include a citation.
Cite credible sources
Quality of EvidenceStrongWeakArticles from peer-reviewed
journals
Peer-reviewed or scholarly books
Scholarly websitesWikis or blogs
Newspapers
Magazines
Popular books
General websites
Encyclopedias
Walden Resources on Scholarly Writing
Walden University Writing Center. (2017c). Scholarly writing:
Overview. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarly
Demonstration of Scholarly Communication at Walden
University
Discussion postings
Assignments
We will begin to use an example of a Discussion Post for you to
practice.
Example: Discussion Question Instructions
Review the Discussion Post Sample Handout

5. How Do You Begin?
Use the instructions for discussion question postings and
assignments as a checklist for all that needs to be covered.
Draft an outline.
Make sure there is an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
Introduction, Body and Conclusion
Writing Introductions
Walden University Writing Center. (2017e). Writing a paper:
Introductions. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess
/introductions
Writing Conclusions
Walden University Writing Center. (2017d). Writing a paper:
Conclusions. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess
/conclusions
Walden Resources on Outlining
Writing Outlines
Walden University Writing Center. (2017f). Writing a paper:
Outlining. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess
/outlining

6. Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Using your research problem and the refined question you
developed in Week 4, develop two sampling structures:
probability and non-probability.
Explain who would be included in each sample and how each
sample would be selected.
Be specific about the sampling structures you chose, evaluating
both strengths and limitations of each.
What might your outline look like?
Example of an Outline
Introduction
A. Main premise
B. Goal of the posting
II. Probability sampling
A. Definition
B. Application to the proposed study
C. Advantages and disadvantages
III. Non-probability sampling
A. Definition
B. Application to the proposed study
C. Advantages and disadvantages
IV. Conclusion
Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Deconstruct the Discussion Post
Do you see the introduction? Of what does it consist?
Do you see the body? Of what does it consist?
Do you see the conclusion?
Does the outline match the instructions for the discussion
question?
How formal is the language?

7. How neutral is the language?
What is the quality of the evidence?
APA Style Refresher
Citations
References
What Is This APA?
Think of it as a communication tool
“APA Style® originated in 1929, when a group of
psychologists, anthropologists, and business managers convened
and sought to establish a simple set of procedures, or style
rules, that would codify the many components of scientific
writing to increase the ease of reading comprehension” (APA,
2017).
References
America Psychological Association (2017). What is APA style?
Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/what-is-apa-
style.aspx
Citations
Citations
In-text citations

8. Smith’s (2012) study showed that APA was students’ favorite
citation style.
According to Zuckerman (2012), APA triggers more neurons in
the brain than footnotes.
Parenthetical citations
APA makes the world a better place (Grammer, 2012).
NO: (Grammer, 2012) said that APA makes the world a better
place.
Citation With Direct Quotation
Direct quotations
According to Oyler (2012), “Citations help one’s reader to
better understand the origin of material” (p. 12).
To become a stronger writer, one must begin “by tackling the
ominous stare of the blank computer screen” (Powet, 2012,
para. 4).
Citation Variations
An organization: (US Bank, 2005)
No author: (“Without Identity,” 2002)
Secondary source: Cosby (as cited in Nash, 2007)
Walden University Resources on APA
Walden University Writing Center. (2017a). APA style:
Overview. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa
Click on APA Style
Scroll down to “Getting Started with APA Style”
Templates
APA checklist
Webinars
APA Scavenger Hunt

9. Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Deconstruct the Discussion Post
What is the APA in-text citation error you see in the
introduction? What should it look like?
What is the APA in-text citation error you see in the second
paragraph? What should it look like?
What is the APA in-text citation error you see in the third
paragraph? What should it look like?
References
Common References
Poe, E., & Lee, A. (1847). Good poetry and one-syllable
surnames. Journal of Really Nothing, 4(2), 23–45.
doi:107897830
Nadeau, N. (2012). Rapping with Seoul. Funtown, MN: Too
Cool Press.
Common References
U.S. Department of Education. (2007). Reconstructing the
educational system: Guidelines from trial and error. Retrieved
from http://www.ed.gov/ficticioussite
Practice, Practice, and More Practice

10. Deconstruct the reference list in the Discussion Post Sample
handout.
What APA errors do you see in the reference list of the
discussion post?
How would you fix it?
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing
Your Mind = Funnel
Terms
Ideas
Themes
PARAPHRASE

11. Consequences of Using Too Many
Direct Quotes
Your voice gets lost
Cannot evaluate if you truly understand
Paraphrasing
Strategies
Reread until you relax.
Look up from the screen.
Be selective: Do you need to paraphrase the entire source?
Change the structure, then the words.
Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Deconstruct the Discussion Post
Would you use a direct quote? Why or why not?
How would you paraphrase and cite it?
Walden Resources on Paraphrasing
Walden University Writing Center. (2017g). Using evidence:
Effective paraphrasing strategies. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/evidence/para
phrase/effective
Plagiarism

12. What Is Plagiarism?
Using other people’s words, ideas, images, data, etc., without
proper attribution
How to Avoid It
Do
Paraphrase
Restructure the entire sentence
Give credit to any ideas that are not your own
Use plagiarism detection software
Don’t
Just insert synonyms
Forget your citations
Plagiarism Software — Your Friend
Plagiarism tools are available in your online classroom, and you
may be able to access others elsewhere
Walden Resources About Plagiarism
Walden University Writing Center. (2017b). Modules:
Plagiarism prevention modules. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/modules/plagi
arism

13. Recap
Be sure to outline.
Keep your tone formal and neutral and your sentences simple.
Include APA citations in every sentence that includes
information from your sources.
Cite all sources in your reference list.
Paraphrase
Plagiarism software is your friend.
Remember that writing is a process!
References
Amsberry, D. (2010). Deconstructing plagiarism: International
students and textual borrowing practices. The Reference
Librarian, 51(1), 31–44. doi:10.1080/02763870903362183
Duff, H. A., Rogers, D. P., & Harris, M. B. (2006).
International engineering students—avoiding plagiarism through
understanding the Western academic context of scholarship.
European Journal of Engineering Education, 31(6), 673–681.
doi:10.1080/03043790600911753
Hayes, N., & Introna, L. D. (2005). Cultural values, plagiarism,
and fairness: When plagiarism gets in the way of learning.
Ethics & Behavior, 15(3), 213–231.
doi:10.1207/s15327019eb1503_2

14. Heitman, E., & Litewka, S. (2011). Seminar article:
International perspectives on plagiarism and considerations for
teaching international trainees. Urologic Oncology: Seminars
and Original Investigations, 29(1), 104–108.
doi:10.1016/j.urolonc.2010.09.014
Social Work Skills Lab I
Barbara Solomon School of Social Work and Human Services
Walden University
Final Project Presentation
Goals:
· Apply knowledge from residency to a social problem
· Reflect and integrate residency material
· Demonstrate key practice behaviors in a presentation
Assignment:
During the on-ground, residency portion of the Skills Lab I, you
will have attended sessions covering topics relevant to
generalist practice in social work. For this cumulative
assignment, you join with a group of three to four students to
create a presentation addressing a social problem from a
generalist social work perspective. During the presentation, you
and each group member are expected to demonstrate foundation-
level practice skills.
The presentation will be focused by each group on a relevant
social issue chosen from one of the following broad topics
below:
Affirmative action
Health disparities
Racism

15. Ageism/age discrimination
HIV/AIDS
Sexual assault/rape
Child abuse
Homelessness
Substance abuse and addiction
Classism
Human trafficking
Suicide
Disaster relief
Intimate partner violence
Teen pregnancy
Dream act/immigration policies
LGBTQ rights
Violence against women
Eating disorders
Living wage
Women’s reproductive rights
Elder abuse
Mental health
Youth violence
Environmental justice
Physician-assisted suicide/right to die
Health care reforms
Poverty
If you would like to choose a topic outside of this list, consult
with and get permission from your Instructor. There should be
no duplication of topics within the same session.
As part of the Final Project, you develop a PowerPoint
presentation that includes key learnings from the residency
experience. The presentation should include the following:

16. · Identification of the social problem with research supporting
the background presented.
· You must demonstrate that this social problem exists by
communicating the number of those impacted and the impact on
disenfranchised groups.
· Include considerations of diversity and cultural awareness.
· It is expected that research and supported data will be
presented from appropriate sources (e.g., peer-reviewed studies
or government websites).
· Discussion on how the social problem impacts society on all
practice levels (micro, mezzo, and macro). Be sure to integrate
evidence-based social work practice, research, and policy.
· Identification of how social workers can ameliorate or
mitigate the social problem using social work skills. (Hint:
Think about the generalist intervention model.) In the final
presentation, you should include evidence-based practices
(EBPs) and specific policy implications for your identified
social problems. Make sure to provide citations and sources of
support (specific journal articles) that support your choices.
The presentation is expected to be 15 minutes, with 5 minutes
of questions from your cohort (a total of 20 minutes for the
presentation and questions). You should time your presentation
to make sure it is no longer than 15 minutes. Appropriate
citations are expected for all of the information presented.
Without appropriate citations, the information will not be
considered valid.
You are expected to use your advising/practice time in
residency to create and participate in the project. Your ability to
gain full points on the residency component of the Social Work
Skills Lab depends on a quality presentation that demonstrates
critical thinking and thoughtfulness. You will not be successful
in this project by assigning out different pieces to group
members and then integrating at the final moments. You are

17. expected to work together with your group each afternoon on
this project while faculty will be available to assist.
This is a group assignment with a group grade. Groups are
randomly assigned on the first day of residency. If there is a
problem within the group dynamics, part of the grade is the
ability of the group to work out these issues and to collaborate
and create a cohesive presentation.
Updated 3-10-17 (PJM)