These slides were prepared for BSLT students at Massey University, New Zealand.

1. 271.150
WRITING WORKSHOP
Professional writing style
Assignment requirements and structure
Part A suggestions for sections
APA References
APA Referencing quiz (if time)
This presentation can be viewed online at: http://tinyurl.com/271150workshop2018

2. PROFESSIONAL WRITING
STYLE

3. Sadly, the impact of xx is not limited to sufferers’
communicative abilities. It can have a devastating impact on
their social lives, and personal relationships can fall apart
(Brown, 2002).
What’s wrong with example 1?
The effects of Syndrome A are not limited to communicative
abilities, but impact significantly on every area of an
individual’s social life, and in particular, their ability to
maintain personal relationships (Brown, 2002).
Improved version

4. An embolism happens when a detached fragment of plaque
blocks an artery, this prohibits blood from flowing, this is one
of the most common causes of strokes (Twyford, 2006).
What’s wrong with example 2?
An embolism occurs when a detached fragment of plaque
blocks an artery, preventing blood flow. Embolisms are one
of the most common causes of strokes (Twyford, 2006).
Improved version

5. Key features of professional writing
Concise
Objective
Precise
Evidence-based

6. ASSIGNMENTS

7. ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS
AND STRUCTURE

8. Please attend the online workshop
on Thursday May 24th 7 pm at
https://connect.massey.ac.nz/ sltworkshop

9. PART A: SUGGESTIONS
FOR SECTIONS

10. This is based on paragraphs of about
150 words (or 6 – 7 sentences) each

11. INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
Aim to start as you mean to go on – clear, concise
and evidence-based writing.
The reader will want to know:
• Basic facts about the communication disorder.
• The purpose, focus and structure of the report.

12. INTRODUCTION: EXAMPLE
Madeupia is one of the most common acquired
communication disorders, affecting up to 20% of
people who have had a traumatic brain injury. The
disorder occurs as a result of injury to xxx, affecting
the individual’s ability to xx (Smith & Jones, 2008;
Singh, 2009). Physical manifestations range from xx
to xx. Nearly half of the people who develop
madeupia recover most of their communication skills
within six months, but for others, the effects are
persistent (Briggs & Florey, 2014). This report
summarises the key features of the disorder, its
impact on individuals and major approaches to
speech-language therapy interventions.

13. BODY PARAGRAPHS
• As with the introduction, focus strongly on clarity
and conciseness.
• Explain the key point or points, supporting this
where possible with references to research
evidence.
• No need to keep referring to the videos or the
people in them.

14. BODY PARAGRAPHS: EXAMPLE 1
SLTs can also provide individuals with madeupia with
physical cues to help them to shape the oral articulators
during speech (Blade & Runner, 2013). These TKP
(tactilekinesthetic-proprioceptive) cues physically guide
the speech movements of the individual during speech.
They also provide the individual with ongoing feedback on
their control of the oral articulators. The frequency of
prompting is gradually reduced to allow the individual to
develop confidence in their ability to sense and control the
articulators independently (Lock, Stock, & Barrel, 2013). It
is recommended that individuals practise at home in order
to stabilise and generalise their skills (Blade & Runner,
2013).

15. BODY PARAGRAPHS: EXAMPLE 2
Madeupia is a complex condition which requires individualised
programmes of intervention. As it is prevalent among Maori
and Pasifika populations, I will need to develop my cultural
understanding and practice, particularly as several
interventions involve touching the articulators, which is not
traditionally regarded as culturally safe within Maori culture
(Bright, 2016). I will need to communicate clearly with clients
and ensure they are comfortable before beginning any
assessment or treatment. This practice is essential in order to
uphold the first ethical principle which guides SLT practice in
New Zealand/Aotearoa (NZSTA, 2015). Individualised
interventions are based on accurate assessment and
interpretation of evidence, which are especially challenging in
relation to madeupia (Taylor, 2011), so these are key
competencies (NZSTA, 2015), which I will need to develop in
order to plan and deliver effective treatment for these clients.

16. CONCLUSION
As with the introduction, focus strongly on clarity and
conciseness.
Aim to summarise the key facts about the condition,
its impacts and the effectiveness of SLT in about five
sentences.

17. CONCLUSION: EXAMPLE
Madeupia is one of the most prevalent communication
disorders in young adults. The disorder 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.

18. APA REFERENCES

19. BOOK
Hamel, G. (2000). Leading the revolution. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
surname,
initial
(year) title city
publisher
For more than one
author, include all
names with initials
(followed by . and ,)
Hubbard, J., Thomas, C., & Varnham, S. (2001). Principles of law for New
Zealand business students (2nd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson
Education.

20. CITY OF PUBLICATION
UK, NZ etc
city, country
Harmondsworth, England:
Penguin.
Palmerston North, New
Zealand: Dunmore Press.
USA
city, state
initials
Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Check title of book in library catalogue and/or Google if
city of publication is not clear from the book itself
Australia
Either state
OR country
Milton, Qld: McGraw-Hill.
Milton, Australia:
McGraw-Hill.

21. CHAPTER IN
EDITED BOOK
Biggins, G. (2009). Why I became a social worker. In P. Te Ara & T. Rogers (Eds.),
Social work and social workers in New Zealand/Aotearoa (pp.102-120).
Auckland, New Zealand: Insight Press.
Title of chapter – not
in italics
Editors’ names – initial
goes before and (Eds.),
goes after!
Title of book –
in italics
Page numbers of chapter – in
brackets with pp. before
Author of chapter
and year of
publication
City &
Publisher

22. JOURNAL REFERENCE
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social
institution. American Behavioral
Scientist, 48(1), 35-42.
author’s name
year Title (no italics)
journal name
(italics)
volume &
issue number
page numbers
doi:10.1080/09585190802707433
doi number
(if the article has one)

23. WEB PAGE REFERENCE
Statistics New Zealand. (2009).
Mapping trends in the Auckland
region. Retrieved from
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Publication
s/PopulationStatistics/mapping-
trends-in-the-auckland-region.aspx.
author’s name
(or organisation that owns the web site)
Year
(if it’s missing put (n.d.)
Retrieved from
followed by full internet address
Title of page

24. Write the list normally – with each reference ‘left-aligned’ like
this:
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social institution. American
Behavioral Scientist, 48(1), 35-42.
Select the whole list.
Click on the ‘paragraph’ tab and on ‘special’.
Select ‘hanging’.
Click on ‘OK’. The references change to this:
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social institution. American
Behavioral Scientist, 48(1), 35-42.
Smile – it’s over!
How to indent a reference list (PC)

25. 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
A holistic and concrete approach to therapy for aphasia uses 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
Complete the citation and end-of-text reference for this article.

26. A holistic and concrete approach to therapy for aphasia uses sensory-perceptual
tasks to reconnect functional and non-functional components of processing
systems (Varley, 2011).
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
CITATION
END-OF-TEXT REFERENCE

27. Which of these is the correct in-text citation for the video about
Michael, which you’ll be looking at to prepare for assignment
part A?
• … blah, blah, blah (RALLI, 2013).
• … blah, blah, blah (YouTube, n.d.).
• … blah, blah, blah (retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpdjP0zHe
Bc).

28. Which of these is a correct end-of-text reference for
the video about Michael?
RALLI. (2013). Speech and language therapy: Helping
Michael. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpdjP0zHeBc
RALLI. (2013, March 27). Speech and Language Therapy:
Helping Michael. Mountain View, CA: Google Inc.
Raising Awareness of Language Learning Impairments.
(2013). Speech and Language Therapy: Helping
Michael. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MpdjP0zHeBc. Accessed March 11, 2016.

29. Imported references will ALWAYS need to be corrected

30. Corrected version:
Vogt, S. S., & Kauschke, C. (2017). With some help from
others’ hands: Iconic gesture helps semantic
learning in children with specific language
impairment. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing
Research, 60(11), 3213-3225.
doi:10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0004

31. REFERENCING QUIZ

32. © 2018
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.
Centre for Teaching and Learning
ctlalb@massey.ac.nz
This presentation can be viewed online at:
http://tinyurl.com/271150workshop2018