by Karen Harag
Health Sciences and Human Services Librarian
Cushwa-Leighton Library
Saint Mary’s College

and

Jennifer Juszkiewicz
Director, Writing & Tutoring Center and Writing Proficiency Program
English Department
Saint Mary’s College

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to trace an evolving, responsive, and integrated approach to developing the research and writing skills of nursing students. Our central and likely unsurprising claim is that an integrated approach to supporting students’ composing processes is most effective when all contributors have a clear sense of their spheres of responsibility and maintain open lines of communication.

Within this broad idealization, we advocate for reframing the pedagogical environment for nursing students’ research-based writing as an allyship within and outside health sciences disciplines. Contributors should include research librarians, writing specialists, disciplinary faculty, and the student writers (Luthy et al., 2006). Such an allyship facilitates a student-led approach. This can be helpful for more advanced nursing students in bachelor’s programs and those in graduate programs, even though students may be reluctant, especially if they lack confidence or experience in writing at an advanced level in their discipline. However, creating an integrated network of support enables the students to learn and then design an individualized process that will better prepare them for evidence-based practice (EBP) and disciplinary knowledge-making.
Continue reading Asking Good Questions: A Collaborative Academic Support System for Research-Based Writing in the Health Sciences →