When you are asked to write in a specific discipline, or field of study, start by becoming familiar with the distinctive features of the writing in that discipline. Read the assignment carefully and try to identify its purpose and the types of evidence you are expected to use.

On the following pages are examples of assignments in three disciplines—psychology, biology, and nursing—along with excerpts from student papers that were written in response to the assignments.

Writing in psychology

1Key terms

2Purpose: to report on and evaluate a body of evidence

3Evidence: research of other psychologists

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Marginal annotations indicate appropriate formatting and effective writing.

Writing in biology

1Key terms

2Purpose: to describe the methods and interpret the results of an experiment

3Evidence: data collected during the experiment

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Marginal annotations indicate appropriate formatting and effective writing.

Writing in nursing

1Key terms

2Purpose: to provide client history, diagnosis, recommendations, and outcomes

3Evidence: interviews, health records, and research findings

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Marginal annotations indicate appropriate formatting and effective writing.