Contact Us

989.964.4000

Office

Main Campus

Why Writing Matters

Why Writing Matters in Occupational Therapy

“Strong writing skills are imperative for a successful occupational therapy career: writing is essential for assuring the provision of best practice services to our clients, to communicate with multidisciplinary teams, and to promote research and development of the profession…”

~Liat Gafni-Lachter, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy Program

Typical Writing Assignments

2-3 page summary papers reviewing a particular diagnosis
8+ page papers reviewing a particular diagnosis in depth
Reflection papers, 2+ pages, applying personal experiences and beliefs
Case Study; a content outline is provided
Reports of varying length and purpose on a given topic
Research proposal
IRB request
Research manuscript for publication/presentation
Professional Development Plan and Portfolio

Qualities of Good Writing

Appropriate organization of content (introduction, body, conclusion)
Appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence and paragraph construction and sequencing, and appropriate word usage
Personal application of content and reflection

Appropriate Types of Evidence & Support

Apply principles of Evidence-Based Practice in selecting citation materials
All sources using the APA, 5th ed. are usually appropriate for use. Variance from this will be indicated with the assignment.

Citation Conventions

APA, 6th ed. is currently required.
In the case of manuscripts for publication, students will adhere to the individual publication requirements.

Special Comments

Evidence-based practice guidelines are generally as described in the User’s Guide to the Medical Literature: Essentials of Evidence-Based Clinical Practice by Guyatt & Rennie, published by the American Medical Association.

Please contact the Occupational Therapy Department about ANYTHING else that may be helpful to you!