Session Information
MC_POST, Main Conference Poster Session and Lunch Break
Posters will be displayed throughout the conference and submitters are asked to be present in both Poster Sessions to answer questions. Poster Session I: Tuesday, 12.15 - 13.30 Poster Session II: Wednesday 12.15 - 13.30
Time:
2009-09-29
12:15-13:15
Room:
Otkogon
Chair:
Contribution
Nursing has been acknowledged as an academic discipline in Finland since 1986. In new disciplines writing has been an effective tool in constructing the culture of a new research community. Since 1989 the first scientific journal “Hoitotiede” in nursing in Finland has been the main publication forum for Finnish nurse researchers. Traditionally, scientific writing in nursing research has been focused on ’how to get published’. In developing a new science it is important to understand also the nature of the scientific writing, i.e., writing genre. In terms of writing genre it is possible to describe the inner nature of the articles published in a scientific journal and also its development during the history of the journal.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the genre of the scientific articles published in ‘Hoitotiede’ during its history (1989-1990, 1997-1998 and 2006-2007.) The time periods represented three historically different phases in academic nursing research in Finland. The aim is to bring a critical approach into writing in nursing science and discuss the dominant conventions of scientific writing in nursing.
The research questions were:
1. What kind of genre of scientific writing has been, and developed in the journal “Hoitotiede” during twenty years of its history?
2. What kind of writing and research community in nursing has emerged in Finland?
The approach in understanding writing genre in this study is based on cultural-historical activity theory. According to this approach (Leontjev, 1978; Engeström, 1987) new interactions with the present environment arise from a dialog with the cultural past, preserved in, e.g., texts. The solitary writer is a part of some activity system that gives motive to individual acts of composition. Genre is then seen in local and dynamic terms (Russell, 1997). Researchers acquire the genres used in some activity system, as one interacts with people involved in the activity system and the tools. Genre is then seen in local and dynamic terms (Russell, 1997).
Method
Based on activity theory, we focused the analysis of genre in the contents of the articles as well as the activity systems of authors and their communities. We analysed the peer-reviewed articles published in Finnish Journal of Nursing Science during years 1989-1990, 1997-1998 and 2006-2007. The time periods represented three historically different phases in academic nursing research in Finland: the birth of the first scientific journal in nursing, organizing publisher and profiling the journal. Total number of 28 journals, which included 103 peer-reviewed articles, was analyzed.
Expected Outcomes
The Finnish Journal of Nursing Science has grown in the amount of journals per year. Moreover, the amount of peer-reviewed articles published in it has increased during its history. There is also a growing tendency to write in research groups and multidisciplinary research teams, while the research projects have developed into larger and multidisciplinary projects. The personal and the students of the Finnish departments of nursing form the research community publishing in the journal. Only few researchers outside this community are involved in authors. The articles were structured according to the traditional conventions of scientific writing. The analysis showed the need for critical discussion about scientific writing in nursing.
References
Leontjev A. 1978. Activity, consciousness, and personality. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. Engeström Y. 1987. Learning by expanding: an activity theory approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-konsultit. Russell D.R. 1997. Rethinking Genre in School and Society. An Activity Theory Analysis. Written Communication, Vol 14, No 4, 504-554.
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