Abstract

If you are embarking on a university social work degree the books in this series will help you acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and strategies you need to achieve your goals. They provide support in all areas important for university study, including institutional and disciplinary policy and practice, self-management, and research and communication. Tasks and activities are designed to foster aspects of learning which are valued in higher education, including learner autonomy and critical thinking, and to guide you towards reflective practice in your study and work life.

Academic Writing and Referencing for your Social Work Degree provides you with a sound knowledge and understanding of:

• what constitutes good academic writing in social work
• a range of strategies for writing successful essays and reports
• the importance of clarity and coherence in your writing about education
• how to improve your academic style, grammar and punctuation, and formatting and presentation
• referencing conventions in the field of social work, and of how to avoid plagiarism.

...One of the strengths of Academic Writing and Referencing is the focus on criticality, and developing an argument in academic essays. This can be challenging for inexperienced writers at degree level, but criticality and rhetorical writing is very important as social work students move into practice....

Pat Cartney is Head of Social Work in the School of Health Sciences Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at the University of Manchester. She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her teaching  and research interests focus on exploring how people learn best about professional practice and how they become knowledgeable and skilled social work practitioners.

Jane Bottomley is a Senior Language Tutor at the University of Manchester and a Senior Fellow of the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP).She has been involved in the development of a number of content-based academic study skills courses at the University of Manchester and has published widely in this field. 

Steven Pryjmachuk is Professor of Mental Health Nursing Education in the School of Health Science's Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at the University of Manchester and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His teaching, clinical and research work has centred largely on supporting and facilitating individuals – be they students, patients or colleagues – to develop, learn or care independently. In December 2014, Steven was elected as vice Chair (2015-16) and Chair (2017-18) of Mental Health Nurse Academics UK, an organisation representing 65 Higher Education Institutions providing education and research on mental health nursing.