Penn Professors on Writing in Nursing
Professor Libonati
About the Professor
Professor Libonati teaches at the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. His field of study is physiology, specifically the physiology of the heart. Professor Libonati loves to write: he takes pride in his writing for nursing, and he writes poetry and other pieces for leisure (in fact, he is currently working on a novel). Professor Libonati considers Dr. Carl Apstein, his post-doctorate mentor, the greatest writer in his field of work.
Writing Tips
Professor Joseph Libonati does not have a specific handbook or style guide that he suggests for students. However, he does encourage anyone who wants to learn about writing to read works by Ernest Hemingway. When Penn students struggle with their writing, Professor Libonati suggests that they visit the university's Writing Center.
Important Criteria for Student Writing
In the ordered list below, there is a break between two sets of criteria. Professor Libonati considers the first set far more important than the second, stressing that students focus on original ideas, reasoning and evidence, etc. ahead of grammar and mechanics, proper formatting, and other such technical criteria.
- Organization
- Reasoning and evidence
- Having original ideas
- Demonstrating mastery of others' ideas
- Grammar and mechanics
- Following the assignments instructions
- Proper formatting (font, margins, etc.)
- Style
- Following the discipline's citation practices
Personal Writing Process
When Professor Libonati writes papers, it is generally graduate students who do the outlining and planning for the papers. Professor Libonati reviews those outlines and uses them to compose his research essays. Professor Libonati edits his papers numerous times (he never submits a piece in fewer than 20 revisions), often with the help of colleagues.
Links
Back to Writing in the DisciplineOther professors in nursing: Professor Curley
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