This presentation was designed for students studying the Introduction to Communication Disorders paper at Massey University, New Zealand. It focuses on the assignment requirements and gives advice on structure, style and referencing.

1. 271.150
WRITING WORKSHOP
Assignment Quiz
Assignment Structure
Introduction & Conclusion Structure
Brief tips on APA Referencing and SLT style

2. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
1. What’s the word length for the
assignment in 271.150?
• 1500
• 2000
• 4000

3. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
2. The assignment accounts for what
proportion of the total grades for this
paper ?
• 20 %
• 30 %
• 40 %

4. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
3. What am I expecting from you next
week?
• your chosen topic
• a paragraph plan
• a draft reference list

5. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
4. All of the research articles in your list
should have been published since ____?
• 2000
• 2004
• 2009

6. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
5. In which section of the assignment
would you include data about gender
differences (if relevant)?
• epidemiology
• aetiology
• prognosis

7. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
6. What will Jill be expecting you to take
along if you book a consultation with
her in week 4?
• a topic and questions about where
to find research
• a plan and notes on your research
• a first draft of the report

8. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
7. What is the main focus of the second
writing workshop in Week 5?
• summarising in SLT style
• formatting, spelling and punctuation
• editing referencing and grammar

9. ASSIGNMENT QUIZ
8. When are you expected to upload
your first draft to Stream?
• during the Easter Break
• only after a consultation with
Martin, Ness or Jill
• by Monday May 12th at 8 am

10. TIPS FOR STRUCTURING YOUR
ASSIGNMENT
• This is a research-based report on a Communication Disorder, divided into
six sections, together with a brief (i.e. 3 – 5 sentences in one paragraph)
introduction and conclusion.
• The main sections are:
Epidemiological information (e.g. gender effects, prevalence, incidence etc.)
Aetiology (i.e. cause of the disorder). If the cause is unknown, what are the key theories
about the cause?
Communication profile: How do people with the disorder typically function in the
communication areas listed below? (The following headings are examples)
Content (semantics)
Form (phonology, morphology, syntax)
Use (pragmatics)

11. TIPS FOR STRUCTURING YOUR
ASSIGNMENT
How is the disorder likely to impact the person’s functioning (activities and
participation)?
Prognosis (expected outcome) for the communication disorder if known.
Speech-language therapy intervention – may be best describe one or two
common therapy types.
• Each of the main sections will typically consist of between one and four
paragraphs of 4 – 6 sentences each. This will add up to something like 14 – 20
paragraphs in total (giving you your 2000 words).
•
Because the report is research-based, there should be in-text citations in
each paragraph to support the claims which are made there.
• The reference list at the end will typically consist of between 10 and 20
references – most of which are academic journal articles matching the in-text citations in the body of the report.

12. INTRODUCTION
• Every report is different. This is partly because they are about
different disorders and partly because there are a wide range of options
about what to focus on in each section, how much detail to go into etc.
For instance, some excellent reports include a preview as part of the
introduction; others have no preview. In the end, it is your decision.
• Use the example extracts below (and others which feature in
Workshop 2) as a general guide to writing style, but avoid over-reliance
on them: copying and/or ‘filling in the gaps’ with your own data would be
a bad idea!

13. INTRODUCTION
Aim to start as you mean to go on – clear, concise and
evidence-based writing.
The two most typical elements are a definition / explanation
of the basic features of the condition and a preview of the
rest of the report. In other words, aim to answer these two
questions:
• What is the condition?
• What is the purpose, scope and structure of this
report?

14. INTRODUCTION: EXAMPLE
EXTRACT
Syndrome A describes a group of xx difficulties arising from injury
to xx (Smith & Jones, 1994; Singh, 2009). This injury damages xx,
affecting the individual’s ability to xx. Physical manifestations
range from xx to xx. Some individuals with Syndrome A may only
have difficulties in xx, while others may be unable to xx. Syndrome
A is classified according to the type of movement disorder: B, C, or
D (Adams, 2011). This report focuses on the most common of
these: Disorder B. The key features of the condition itself, its
impact on individuals and major approaches to speech-language
therapy interventions are summarised in the sections of the report
which follow.

15. CONCLUSION: SELECTED ISSUES
•
As with the introduction, focus strongly on clarity and conciseness.
•
Aim to summarise the key facts about the condition, its impacts and
interventions in four or five sentences.

16. CONCLUSION: EXAMPLE EXTRACT
Syndrome A is the most prevalent xx in young adults. The condition
affects the individual’s …. and therefore impairs their participation in ….
While there is no cure, a number of treatments and therapies are
available which can alleviate the symptoms and allow an individual to xx.
Speech-language interventions focus on bb and have been shown to be
effective in cc.

17. ASSIGNMENT 1 – RESEARCH TIPS
• Use your textbook and other library books to get an overview of the
condition (but use these minimally or not at all in the assignment itself)
• Attend Ness’s library skills workshop this week and spend at least a
couple of hours going through the very useful library resources on your
Stream page
• Use keywords from your overview and from the parts of Assignment B to
search databases – e.g. MedLine, EBSCO Host Health Database search etc
• Use the titles and abstracts to decide if the article is worth reading
• If you find a good recent article, look in the reference list and search
within the same journal for others
• Select articles which are easier to understand and more relevant to parts
of this assignment and aim for a balance between review articles
and research reports

18. Complete the citation and end-of-text
reference for this article.
Article Title: Rethinking aphasia therapy: A neuroscience perspective
Author: Rosemary Varley
Journal: International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (Vol. 13,
Issue 1)
DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2010.497561
Page numbers: 11-20
Year: 2011
___________ argues for a more holistic and concrete approach to therapy for
aphasia, focusing on the use of sensory-perceptual tasks to reconnect
functional and non-functional components of processing systems.
__________. (2011). Rethinking aphasia therapy: A neuroscience perspective.
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, ______________.
doi: 10.3109/17549507.2010.497561

19. Complete the citation and end-of-text
reference for this article.
Article Title: Rethinking aphasia therapy: A neuroscience perspective
Author: Rosemary Varley
Journal: International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (Vol. 13,
Issue 1)
DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2010.497561
Page numbers: 11-20
Year: 2011
Varley (2011) argues for a more holistic and concrete approach to therapy for
aphasia, focusing on the use of sensory-perceptual tasks to reconnect
functional and non-functional components of processing systems.
Varley, R. (2011). Rethinking aphasia therapy: A neuroscience perspective.
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 13(1), 11-20.
doi: 10.3109/17549507.2010.497561

20. SLT WRITING STYLE
What’s wrong with example 1?
Sadly, “the impact of xx is not limited to people’s
communicative abilities”. It can have a devastating impact on
their social lives, and personal relationships can fall apart;
according to (Brown, 2002, p. 231).

21. SLT WRITING STYLE
Sadly, “the impact of xx is not limited to people’s
communicative abilities”; according to (Brown, 2002, p. 231,
it can have a devastating impact on their social lives, and
personal relationships can fall apart.

22. SLT WRITING STYLE
Improved version
A number of studies have found that the effects of Syndrome
A are not limited to communicative abilities, but impact
significantly on every area of people’s social life, and in
particular, their ability to maintain personal relationships
(Brown, 2002; Davies & Kennedy, 2004; Briggs, 2006).

23. SLT WRITING STYLE
What’s wrong with example 2?
Embolism happens when a bit of plaque gets broken off and
blocks an artery, this prohibits blood from flowing and it’s
one of the most common causes of strokes. (Twyford, 2006).

24. SLT WRITING STYLE
Embolism happens when a bit of plaque gets broken off and
blocks an artery, this prohibits blood from flowing and it’s
one of the most common causes of strokes. (Twyford, 2006).

25. SLT WRITING STYLE
Improved version
An embolism occurs when a detached fragment of plaque
blocks an artery, preventing blood from flowing through it.
Embolisms are one of the most common causes of strokes
(Twyford, 2006).

26. Coming up in Workshop 2
• Structuring the sections of your report
• Summarising from research articles
• SLT style
• Your writing and referencing queries posted on
Stream
Martin McMorrow, Centre for Teaching and Learning
09 441 8143
slt-alb@massey.ac.nz

27. This presentation can be viewed online at:
http://tinyurl.com/2014sltworkshop1
© 2014
This PowerPoint Presentation and the accompanying handouts
are copyrighted by Centre for Teaching and Learning,
Massey University and may not be used, except for personal
study, without written permission from the copyright owner.
Please note that examples are provided for illustration of
writing principles only and no reliance should be placed on
any of the ideas referred to in the texts.
Martin McMorrow, Centre for Teaching and Learning
09 441 8143
slt-alb@massey.ac.nz

28. This presentation can be viewed online at:
http://tinyurl.com/2013sltworkshop1
© 2013
This PowerPoint Presentation and the accompanying handouts
are copyrighted by Centre for Teaching and Learning,
Massey University and may not be used, except for personal
study, without written permission from the copyright owner.
Please note that examples are provided for illustration of
writing principles only and no reliance should be placed on
any of the ideas referred to in the texts.
Martin McMorrow, Centre for Teaching and Learning
09 441 8143
slt-alb@massey.ac.nz