This week we are editing our drafts for our critical review assignment and are asked to reflect on our how we usually format our writing, our reaction to style guides, and sentence, grammar, and punctuation issues that we may have identified in our writing. 

As a nurse with a science background, I have been accustomed to using APA format and have made great use of OWL Purdue website, APA Manual's, and most recently PERRLA online.  I find standardization very helpful in keeping writing organized, particularly when it comes to accurate citations.  Without the use of the guides, there would be too much variability in our work and it would take away from the professional nature of work submitted.  Without guidelines, writing would be less organized in an academic community.

As I review my work this week and incorporate feedback from other students, common tendencies of mine are to have longer sentences and to soften my writing at times.  As I go forward with my second and third drafts, I'm conciously trying to be more direct with my sentencing as well as clearer with my point of view. I also at times misplace my apostrophes with my s', which I have to edit closely when I'm not tired.  Word does not always catch these mistakes, therefore it is up to me and my peers to review this closely.  I find printing a hardcopy of my writing is the best way to catch these mistakes and clean up my work before final submission.