Nena T. is a writing tutor at DePaul University’s Writing Center. She is majoring in Health Sciences with a focus in Public Health. We talked about her favorite genre of papers to write and what resources she recommends to other peer-writing tutors!
What is your favorite genre of writing and why?
- I really like writing social science research papers, especially public health, as I get to learn as I write and research topics of my choice in more depth.
What are some examples of this kind of writing? Why is it important?
- If you look at health articles from NPR, NYT, or other mainstream media, they are typically based on recent research. I think this writing is so important because health is truly everything and as someone who’s really interested in the social determinants of health, this information is relevant to everyone and should be communicated in multiple mediums. Literacy and language is actually a social determinant of health, so it’s relevant to writers and writing tutors too, as we can influence how people communicate, which, in turn, influences the type of access to care and resources they have.
How long have you been writing in this genre?
- I have been writing in this genre for nearly 4 years (aka my college career).
What’s your favorite assignment/project/paper that you’ve produced in this genre?
- I wrote a really good paper for an alcoholism, addiction, and recovery psychology class about harm reduction and supervised injection sites. I think it was well-researched, had a good balance of evidence and analysis, and I learned a lot about the nitpicky aspects of APA.
What are three things to consider when writing in this genre?
- APA really emphasizes paraphrasing which definitely takes practice. You should also look into different data sources including the CDC, Census, and Chicago Health Atlas for Chicago-focused health research.
What do you wish people knew about this writing style?
- Writing in APA definitely takes practice and isn’t specifically taught, but I personally really prefer writing in APA style because it focuses more on your understanding of the ideas as opposed to directly quoting.
How do you approach tutoring appointments in this genre?
- Definitely have the APA style guide handy, and have a conversation with the writer about their topic. Have the writer explain their topic as much as possible and take notes. This process can help with paraphrasing and organizing ideas.
What research databases do you recommend?
*All of the databases below can be found through DePaul University’s Library website.
- For public health research, I like to use PubMed and Web of Science Core Collection.
- Databases within EBSCOhost:
- Academic Search Complete
- CINAHL Complete
- APA PsycInfo
- Health Source – Consumer Edition
- Health Source – Nursing/Academic Edition
- Women’s Studies International
- For general social sciences, ProQuest Central is good, but I prefer to search EBSCO because it’s easier to navigate.