Tips for Writing in CSD from Professor Velleman
Here are some tips straight from Professor Shelley Velleman, who serves as the Chair for the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department.
What is one thing that students must never forget when writing papers for CSD?
Be ethical! Don’t plagiarize: cite all sources, making sure that you are really citing the correct source. Make sure you give credit to all authors, not just the first one.
What makes writing for CSD unique from writing in other subjects?
It is clinical writing, which means you must be clear, precise, concrete, organized, and focused. We don’t value “flowery” writing.
What makes you go “wow” when reading a paper, in a good way? In a bad way?
When students have applied concepts from class to what they are writing about – correctly – I am very pleased. When they just take words or phrases from the source and stick them together somehow it’s obvious that they don’t understand what they’re writing about. In short: Using big words or long sentences doesn’t impress me; writing clearly does.
What can make a good paper great?
When students really “make the information their own” by presenting ideas from their sources, the class, other classes, etc. in a way that shows their understanding. That includes comparing and/or integrating ideas from different sources, not just describing each source one by one.
What is your favorite database for online data and research?
It really depends on the nature of the project.
What is the goal of any CSD paper?
Convey relevant information in a way that is clear, precise, concrete, organized, and focused.
Do you have any last advice for students writing for a CSD class?
I find that some students think it’s better to write long complicated sentences with big words in them. It’s not!