ACWR303 - Academic Writing for Nursing

A s you choose a focus for your research, the confusion of the pre-focus exploration phase gives way to a sense of clarity and confidence. This is a result of:

Identifying pertinent ideas - from the lists you composed during your exploratory reading, certain themes, issues or elements of the topic will begin to stand out. Your understanding increases and you can start to focus on those ideas that will inform your further research.

Predicting outcomes - measuring possible foci for your research against the criteria of task, time, interest and information available, you will see which ones might be suitable to choose.

Experiencing the 'aha' moment - some students report that they experience a sudden understanding or a moment of insight where the focus of their research becomes obvious.

Making a decision - after all the muddling about of the exploration phase, the Focus Formulation phase requires a decision. This will set you off in a particular direction and is the stage at which students feel they can really start to make progress.