Personal Reflection on

ReadingsHow to write reflectively in

an academic paper

Contents Assignment Outline Marking Rubric Content Form Appropriation The Summary (Part two of the assignment) Tips How to start? Next APA Contact Information Exercise

Assignment Outline Personal Reflection on Readings (5%)

PART 1: The first writing assignments involve a weekly reflection on the required readings in relation to who you are, what interests you about studying nutrition and food and your thoughts on writing. Each week for weeks 1-3 you will complete and hand in a half page reflection by the following lecture, which will be returned to you during seminar with feedback.

PART 2: The two-page summary of your reflections is due in Seminar in week 5. How to complete this assignment will be discussed further during the seminar in Week 1. This writing activity is meant to introduce you to the practice of reflective writing.

Marking RubricName: 

Met Unmet

Was the assignment the appropriate length?   

   

Did the reflection include a personal reflection on what brought them to study nutrition and food?   

   

Does the personal reflection involve reflection on previous writing and/or relationship to writing? This can include writing done previously, positive experiences with writing and/or challenges/anxieties around the writing process   

   

Content: What to include•Clear description of the theme or issue to be addressed (NEEDS TO BE NUTRITION-RELATED)•Accurate description of how the theme/issue is presented in the readings •Demonstration of critical thinking skills, possibly including the use of thesis statements, questions, recommendations, and/or evidence of additional research •Use of personal experience to support critical ideas

Content Most importantly: EVOLUTION OF

THOUGHT As Professor Fergusson suggests in her

“Feedback” text, you should discuss“how your thinking is evolving in response to the new information you are gathering” (2013).

Form•Exemplary spelling, grammar, punctuation and diction •Logical organization, effective flow of arguments, appropriate length• Correct use of APA (title page, running head, in-text citations, reference list) •Proper quotations/paraphrasing/summary (what are the differences between these?)

Appropriation

AppropriationThere are three main ways to include

information from references:

1) Direct Quotation2) Paraphrase3) Summary

Appropriation: QuotationDirect Quotation: When quoting directly from

a text, you include the original author’s words without alteration.

Limit your use of quotations to new terminology and unique phrasings. Strive to paraphrase or summarize instead.

Quotations that are 40 words or longer should be indented in its own separate block

Appropriation: Quotation Jones's (1998) study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)

(taken from the APA-Purdue guidelines)

Appropriation: Quotation Provide an introduction for your quotations OR

incorporate quoted phrases into your own sentence structure. Always integrate:

As Harvey (1999) states, “listen carefully to the answers” (last para.)

For Harvey, questions and answers are important. Harvey (1999) himself asks many questions throughout his article; upon exposure to the answers elicited from such questioning, he encourages the reader to “listen carefully” (last para.).

Appropriation: Paraphrase Paraphrase: Restates information from a specific

part of the text in different words; the original meaning is maintained, but in one’s own words.  A paraphrase includes details, and may even be as long, or longer, than the original phrasing

When paraphrasing or summarizing a source, you must write the author’s ideas entirely in your own words and provide a citation. It is not sufficient to simply change a few words. (See paraphrasing on the following slides.)

Appropriation: ParaphraseOriginal source:“Rather than making the pain disappear, the midwife and other caregivers assist the woman to cope with it, build her self-confidence, and maintain a sense of mastery and well-being.” (Simkin and Bolding, 2004, p. 489)

Bad paraphrasing:Instead of making the woman’s pain disappear, the midwife helps her cope with it, boosts her self-confidence, and helps her maintain a feeling of mastery over the pain. (Simkin and Bolding, 2004, p. 489))

Appropriation: ParaphraseOriginal source:“Rather than making the pain disappear, the midwife and other caregivers assist the woman to cope with it, build her self-confidence, and maintain a sense of mastery and well-being.” (Simkin and Bolding, 2004, p. 489)

Good paraphrasing:The midwife seeks not to eliminate the pain but to help the woman confidently manage it and retain “a sense of mastery” over it. (Simkin and Bolding, 2004, p. 489)

Appropriation: SummarySummary: an overview of the main ideas of a text. 

Unlike the detailed, close reading of the paraphrase, a summary is much shorter than the original material and can be used to relate general information from whole texts.

Example of a summary that discusses an entire journal: The Journal of Nutrition (JN) is a peer-reviewed nutrition journal. This professional Journal provides a venue for the publication of research relevant to the field of nutrition and was the first journal that focused exclusively on nutrition research. (2)

Writing the Summary While the first part of the assignment

asks you to write personal reflections, the second part asks you to write a 2 page summary of these reflections

What should this paper include?

Summary Paper Adhere to Form and Content rules of

reflections Meta-theme—what do your reflections

have in common Self-Reflexivity Following Professor Fergusson’s advice:

WHAT? SO WHAT? WHAT’S NEXT?

Tips (from the Prof) Strong writing Clear focus (on nutrition!) Reference readings (2-3); look outside

course material Show evolution of thought processes Give specific examples (of readings,

personal experiences, and of how you will use the new knowledge)

How to start?In the readings, find:

An idea that confirms your thinking, but encourages you to take that thinking much further

An idea that challenges your thinking Controversies, debates, and issues A theme that can be found in multiple

readings

Next Find quotes and ideas to paraphrase

that are related to your theme Build your paper around this

appropriated material and your analysis of it

The introductory sentence(s) and title can be created last

APA Click on the link to follow APA guidelines

APA

(Start with the General guidelines to learn about running heads and title pages; then move into in-text citations and finally reference lists)

Contact Information Meganmegan.sandhu@ryerson.ca

EPH 149 (in the basement of the SHE building)Tues. 1:30-2:30Thurs. 12-1Fri. 1-2

Exercise Use the rest of the time here to work on your

final Reflection and/or Reflection Summary

Bring me a draft or questions Get feedback on a previous reflection or

clarification of feedback from the professor Come up with a topic for the final Reflection Start your Summary by reviewing your 3

Reflections and coming up with a meta analysis of your own writing