Process of researching, organizing and drafting the formal report

Assignment 3:1 and 3:2 allowed us to explore how to research, organize and write the formal report. With working full time and taking four courses it was feasible to consider a research project that could be conducted without having to pile on additional time commitments. For the research proposal assignment, I chose “green” dentistry as it applies to my current practice at Flagship dental and it will be applicable to my Dental Hygiene business in the future. I am motivated to do my part in reducing the carbon footprint at home and at work.

The secondary research is yielded a lot of interesting information regarding “green” dentistry. There was a significant amount of research on energy conservation, water conservation and reducing Amalgam waste. My report is focused on green alternatives for PPE (gloves and masks), the current sterilization program, plastic barriers, disposable cups, and saliva ejectors. The research available is limited to plastics. I am continuing to research and review more articles that could provide credible secondary research support for the “green” alternatives in question.

The primary research yielded limited data as I was denied consent from Vancouver Dental Professionals group on Facebook to disperse the survey. Only half of the staff at Flagship Dental were willing to participate in the survey as well. If there was more time, I could recruit more participants for the research to yield a robust data set. However, for the sake of the assignment I will have to make inferences about my research question based on the limited data I have.

Organizing the information from the survey was not too difficult. I have had the opportunity to write many research papers over the last year and therefore the organization of information was easy to do. MLA format guidelines from UBC library website were followed for proper formatting of references, in text citations and the paper in general. I did have a difficult time with Qualtrics in creating graphs and displaying the information in a meaningful way. This could be due to limited data points and the nature of the questions asked in the survey.

Writing of the formal report draft was a somewhat overwhelming as I had a few other papers due around the same time. I was unable to submit the draft for peer review in a timely manner. Now that I have received the peer review feedback and have more time on my hands, I can focus on producing a well written paper.

Peer Review Process

For unit 3, I peer reviewed the work completed by Dylan Flach while she peer reviewed my work. The process allowed for some much-needed insight into improving my work. I learned how to make things stand out, be mindful of grammar and how to articulate my thoughts better. Dylan used writing techniques that led to a clear, concise, and well-read assignment. I was able to learn from her and use some of her techniques within my formal report draft revisions. She pointed out (with examples) how I can write my sentences with a YOU attitude while being clear and concise. She was generous with her critique and pointed out ways I could link sentence to explain to the reader what some of the points under “scope” mean. There was some ambiguity and grammatical errors in my work. Most importantly, Dylan was very good at providing positive comments about the assignments as well. This is something I can do better for others when I peer review their work. Overall, the peer review process was extremely helpful as we both provided each other with constructive feedback to improve our writing skills.

Revision Process

Integrating the feedback into my original work will allow for removal of unnecessary parts of the assignment. The focus will be on removing any ambiguity and writing a clear, concise, and well-read paper. I am still working on the revisions from Dylan’s peer feedback and my own review. I will ensure I address any grammatical errors by reviewing my work a couple times prior to submission. Overall, I am in a good position as my writing skills are not below average. I believe unit 1,2, and 3 have furthered my technical writing skills. I look forward to the future assignments for more opportunities to improve my technical writing skills. And I look forward to changes the research project will bring forth in my dental hygiene practice.

Attachment : First draft of formal report Trisha-Bhamra-Formal-report-draft-