Writing a reflection journal is one of the most challenging tasks because you cannot fill the paper with some evidence or take parts from a similar research topic. Reflection journals have a different purpose. Simply put, you must provide personal contributions and reflect on things that took place or discuss things that you have learned or heard in the classroom or during the lecture. Our team at Nerdify is happy to share professional tricks that help us to improve every reflection journal that comes our way! You do not have to use them all but combine at least some of them to improve your writing and provide exactly what your college professor expects to see!
- Start with a reflection journal structure outline. Nothing can beat the situation when you do not have a structure for your reflection journal. It is especially relevant for Nursing students who must discuss interaction with the patients or describe their shadowing experience. The typical structure for a reflection journal will contain an introduction, explanation of the purpose or an experience that took place, the key elements that have been challenged, the methodology used, and the lessons that have been learned. If you fill in at least 1–2 sentences in each part, you only have to extend each paragraph to get things done!
- Use topic sentences for each body paragraph. The topic sentences must represent the main idea of what you plan to say. If the experience that you describe is negative, start with a sentence that will sound like “Due to insufficient materials” or “The poor organization of services has caused”. The same relates to the opposite experience. You must use reasoning and argumentation. According to our experts at Nerdify, such reflection journals always show confidence and receive better grades due to their tone and clarity. Let your target audience know right away regarding what will follow and you will always succeed!
- Focus on the lessons you have learned. The general purpose of any reflection journal is to discuss the concepts that have been mastered as a result of a certain experience or something you have read. It means that you must reflect or explain what you have felt or understood. While it may be quite challenging for most students, ask yourself about how it has made you feel or what has changed in your life since then. You can even write that you thought that work as an ER nurse would be always stressful, yet you have learned that good team cooperation made things much easier and even had kind-natured fun.
- Prompt VS no prompt given aspect. The Nerdify members have seen reflection journals that came with a writing prompt and with none at all, which is why we recommend checking twice with your grading rubric to understand what is being asked. Sometimes it helps to narrow things down and focus on a single aspect. If you do not have any prompt, follow the same rule, and write about the most important or a reason why this reflection journal takes place in the first place. If it is meant to help you understand the court hearing or some marketing relations concept, write about it, and discuss its strengths and weaknesses in your humble opinion.
- Reflection stands for analysis. This part is often interpreted wrong, which is why reflection often turns into a review of scientific concepts or repetition of what has been written elsewhere. Nerdify recommends using analysis because it is what reflection journal writing is for! Use your analytical skills and think over why something has been good or bad, brainstorm the reasons why something has worked or appeared very far from your initial expectations. Just imagine that you are telling your best friend about it all, only using the proper language as you do!
- Strong conclusion matters. The most important part that every college professor will examine is the conclusion because it must contain the summary or the most important lesson that you have learned. It is like the final movie scene with an explanation. The same goes for the reflection journal — it must have a strong conclusion that explains things clearly and provides good reasoning.
How Personal Can You Get?
Since a typical reflection journal must be written in the first person, you have a right to state your thoughts with the use of occasional sources if you need them as a supporting reference. Normally, you do not need any quotations unless you have been asked to provide some, which means that the core content that is written represents your opinion and thoughts. Keep within the moral norms and do not use slang expressions since it is a research paper that must show your grammar skills, knowledge, analytical skills, and personality.
