Table Of ContentWRITING
SKILLS FOR
SOCIAL WORK
STUDENTS
BELLA ROSS
Writing Skills for Social Work Students
www.thestudyspace.com – the leading study skills website
Study Skills Writing for Science Students
Writing Skills for Education Students
Academic Success Writing Skills for Social Work Students
Academic Writing Skills for International Students You2Uni: Decide, Prepare, Apply
Ace Your Exam
Becoming a Critical Thinker Pocket Study Skills
Be Well, Learn Well
Brilliant Essays 14 Days to Exam Success (2nd edn)
The Business Student’s Phrase Book Analyzing a Case Study
Cite Them Right (11th edn) Brilliant Writing Tips for Students
Critical Thinking and Persuasive Writing for Completing Your PhD
Postgraduates Doing Research (2nd edn)
Critical Thinking for Nursing, Health and Social Care Getting Critical (2nd edn)
Critical Thinking Skills (3rd edn) How to Analyze Data
Dissertations and Project Reports Managing Stress
Doing Projects and Reports in Engineering Planning Your Dissertation (2nd edn)
The Employability Journal Planning Your Essay (3rd edn)
Essentials of Essay Writing Planning Your PhD
The Exam Skills Handbook (2nd edn) Posters and Presentations
Get Sorted Reading and Making Notes (2nd edn)
The Graduate Career Guidebook (2nd edn) Referencing and Understanding Plagiarism
Great Ways to Learn Anatomy and Physiology (2nd edn)
(2nd edn) Reflective Writing (2nd edn)
How to Use Your Reading in Your Essays (3rd edn) Report Writing (2nd edn)
How to Write Better Essays (4th edn) Science Study Skills
How to Write Your Literature Review Studying with Dyslexia (2nd edn)
How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation Success in Groupwork
(3rd edn) Successful Applications
Improve Your Grammar (2nd edn) Time Management
The Macmillan Student Planner Using Feedback to Boost Your Grades
Mindfulness for Students Where’s Your Argument?
Presentation Skills for Students (3rd edn) Where’s Your Evidence?
The Principles of Writing in Psychology Writing for University (2nd edn)
Professional Writing (4th edn)
Reading at University 50 Ways
Reflective Writing for Nursing, Health and Social
Work 50 Ways to Boost Your Grades
Simplify Your Study 50 Ways to Boost Your Employability
Skills for Business and Management 50 Ways to Excel at Writing
Skills for Success (4th edn) 50 Ways to Manage Stress
Smart Thinking 50 Ways to Manage Time Effectively
Stand Out from the Crowd 50 Ways to Succeed as an International Student
The Student Phrase Book (2nd edn)
The Student’s Guide to Writing (3rd edn) Research Skills
Studying in English; Studying Law (4th edn) Authoring a PhD
Study Skills for International Postgraduates The Foundations of Research (3rd edn)
The Study Skills Handbook Getting Published
The Study Success Journal Getting to Grips with Doctoral Research
Success in Academic Writing The Good Supervisor (2nd edn)
Teaching Study Skills and Supporting Learning The Lean PhD
The Undergraduate Research Handbook (2nd edn) Maximizing the Impacts of Academic Research
The Work-Based Learning Student Handbook PhD by Published Work
(3rd edn) The PhD Viva
Writing for Biomedical Sciences Students The PhD Writing Handbook
Writing for Engineers (4th edn) Planning Your Postgraduate Research
Writing for Nursing and Midwifery Students The Postgraduate Research Handbook (2nd edn)
(3rd edn) The Postgraduate’s Guide to Research Ethics
Write it Right (2nd edn) The Professional Doctorate
Structuring Your Research Thesis
For a complete listing of all our titles in this area please visit
www.macmillanihe.com/study-skills
Writing Skills
for Social Work
Students
Bella Ross
© Bella Ross, and The Authors, under exclusive licence to
Macmillan Education Limited 2021
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2021 by
RED GLOBE PRESS
Red Globe Press in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Education Limited,
registered in England, company number 01755588, of 4 Crinan Street,
London, N1 9XW.
Red Globe Press® is a registered trademark in the United States, the United Kingdom,
Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-352-01222-4 paperback
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed
and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes
are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Publisher: Helen Caunce
Associate Commissioning Editor: Rosie Maher
Assistant Editor: Verity Rimmer
Cover Designer: Laura de Grasse
Production Editor: Elizabeth Holmes
Senior Marketing Manager: Amanda Woolf
Contents
Acknowledgements x
PART I Key Skills and How to Navigate Stages of the Writing
Process
Chapter 1 Understanding and Planning the Task
(Bella Ross) 3
Understanding the task 3
Brainstorming 6
Writing for the audience and using marking rubrics 7
Planning the writing task 9
Structuring a text 9
Suggested solutions 12
Further reading 13
Chapter 2 Reading and Note-Making (Bella Ross) 14
Reading to understand the topic 14
Focusing your reading 16
Finding key points 16
Making notes 18
Suggested solutions 22
Further reading 24
Chapter 3 Critically Evaluating Sources
(Catherine Flynn and Bella Ross) 25
What is evidence-based practice? 25
Evidence in social work 27
Being critical: reading, thinking and reflection 28
Being a critical reader: distinguishing between fact
and opinion 32
Reading vs. critical reading 33
Big picture skills: critical reflection 35
Developing and applying your own ideas by engaging
with others 36
Locating evidence: using reliable online sources 38
Applying critical reading, thinking and reflection to
assignments 39
Suggested solutions 42
Further reading 43
v
vi Contents
Chapter 4 Drafting a Written Assessment
(Bella Ross) 44
The drafting process: planning, drafting and revising 44
Structuring a written assessment 45
Using headings and sub-headings to organise ideas 46
Writing conventions differ between written assessment
types 46
Structuring a paragraph 46
Approaches to cohesive writing, linking paragraphs and
signposting 49
Linking and signposting words and phrases 49
Suggested solutions 52
Further reading 53
Chapter 5 Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism
(Simon Davidson and Bella Ross) 54
What is academic integrity? 54
Why does it matter? 55
Referencing 55
Why referencing is needed 55
Ways to incorporate sources 56
When to use quotes? 57
Steps to quoting 58
Modifying quotes 58
When to paraphrase? 59
Steps to paraphrasing 59
When to summarise? 60
Steps to summarising 61
When to synthesise? 63
Steps to synthesising 63
Reporting verbs 65
Compiling a reference list 67
Referencing acts and cases 68
Referencing software 70
Suggested solutions 70
Further reading 75
Chapter 6 Editing and Proofreading (Bella Ross) 76
Why is editing and proofreading important? 76
What is editing? 77
What is proofreading? 80
Using correct terminology 82
Maintaining a consistent writing style 83
Suggested solutions 86
Further reading 89
Contents vii
PART II Key Types of Assessment
Chapter 7 Writing an Essay
(Steve Kirkwood, John Devaney and Bella Ross) 93
What is an essay? 93
Answering the essay question 94
Three essay types 94
Structuring the essay 96
Using the hourglass 97
The introduction 98
The essay body 100
Qualifying statements: hedging and boosting language 103
The conclusion 108
Revising the first draft 109
General writing advice 111
Suggested solutions 112
Further reading 113
Chapter 8 Writing a Reflective Assignment
(Kathryn Hay and Bella Ross) 114
What is critical reflection? 114
What is involved in critical reflection? 115
Reflecting on values 116
The process of reflection 117
Reflective writing 120
What does reflective writing look like? 120
Writing a reflective essay 121
Reflecting on a placement experience 123
Reflecting on a case study 124
The language and style of reflective writing 126
Suggested solutions 128
Further reading 129
Chapter 9 Writing a Case Study Analysis
(Uschi Bay and Bella Ross) 130
What is a case study analysis? 130
What does a case study analysis look like? 132
1. Understanding the task 133
2. Familiarising yourself with the case, the issues
and those involved 133
3. Understanding the broader context of the case 135
4. Researching, reading and making notes 137
5. Identifying and applying theory to the case 138
viii Contents
6. Analysing the case: demonstrating critical thinking
and critical reflection 140
Identifying judgement, bias or personal opinion 142
7. Developing an intervention 143
8. Planning and structuring your text 145
9. Drafting and revising your text 146
Implying a relationship vs. implying causation 146
Examples of a case study analysis 148
Suggested solutions 153
Further reading 155
Chapter 10 Writing a Literature Review
(Catherine Flynn and Bella Ross) 157
What is a literature review? 157
What does a literature review look like? 158
Evidence-based practice 159
What is ‘literature’? 160
A literature review vs. an annotated bibliography 162
Developing a literature review 163
Identifying a topic and core concepts 164
Identifying, locating and deciding on appropriate
literature 166
Evaluating the literature 170
Organising and writing the review 170
Using reporting verbs to describe and evaluate
the work of others 171
Suggested solutions 174
Further reading 176
Chapter 11 Writing Case Notes on Placement
(Anna Lanyon, Melissa Petrakis and Bella Ross) 177
What are case notes? 177
What is the purpose of writing case notes? 178
What do case notes look like? 179
Language features of case notes 181
What to consider before you start writing 183
Organising case notes 189
Assessment at different levels: relational, social,
structural, cultural, time 191
Risk assessment 192
Goal planning towards interventions in practice 194
Suggested solutions 196
Further reading 201
Contents ix
Chapter 12 Writing a Placement Report
(Helen Cleak and Bella Ross) 202
What is a placement report? 202
What is the purpose of a placement report? 203
Conducting an audit of what you bring to a placement 203
What should a learning plan include? 204
Structuring and organising a social work learning plan 205
Structuring and organising a placement report 206
Gathering evidence of your learning on placement 208
Documenting your practice 210
Process recordings 210
Critical incident analysis 211
Writing a mid-placement and final report 213
Language characteristics of a placement report 215
Suggested solutions 218
Further reading 222
References 223
Index 232
