Key considerations when developing academic writing support for nursing and midwifery doctoral students: a scoping review

Wai Yee Amy Wong, Gemma Caughers*, Azam David Saifullah, Martina Galeotti, Bridie J. Kemp, Claire Cooper, Michael Matthews, Christine Brown Wilson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

3 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background and aim
Academic writing is essential to achieve success for doctoral students and is often linked to their academic identity, which could provoke negative emotions leading to the risk of burnout and dropping out of their studies. Although academic writing is a substantial part of doctoral students' learning journey, there are no existing recommendations to guide the provision of effective support addressing nursing and midwifery doctoral students' needs in academic writing. This review aims to identify the key considerations that could facilitate education facilities and educators to provide effective support for academic writing among nursing and midwifery doctoral students, fostering a supportive environment for guidance and development.

Design
The review team was co-led by two doctoral students and two academics with all the team members being doctoral students at the School of Nursing and Midwifery in a research-intensive university. Seven databases were searched in February 2022 with an updated search conducted in July 2023. This review was guided by the methodological framework for scoping reviews: PRISMA for Scoping Review Checklist and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis. A narrative synthesis was conducted to analyse the data.

Results
A total of 11 papers were included. Six key considerations for developing effective academic writing support were identified including modes of delivery; barriers to writing; accountability and productivity; building group identity, collegiality and a sense of community; peer review, and behavioural change in writing practice.

Conclusions
Findings highlighted that both face-to-face and online writing support groups enhance doctoral students' motivation and confidence in writing. The opportunity of active engagement, sharing writing commitments and short bursts of writing practice is pivotal in promoting doctoral students' writing productivity and satisfaction resulting in a higher on-time completion rate. Future studies should focus on the nursing and midwifery students' educational needs in academic writing.

Original languageEnglish
Article number106399
Number of pages8
JournalNurse Education Today
Volume144
Early online date19 Sept 2024
DOIs
Publication statusEarly online date - 19 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • academic writing support
  • doctoral students
  • writing behaviour
  • group identity

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Key considerations when developing academic writing support for nursing and midwifery doctoral students: a scoping review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this