A reflective paper is an attempt to convey one’s thoughts about understanding and reflection on any part of the course material. As the word suggests, reflection is an attempt to convey what all the student could gather from what the teacher has taught. Although it is an informal writing assignment, a reflection paper still has to include certain things to serve its purpose. A few steps have to be followed for writing an effective reflection paper that will ensure that the paper was written of good quality.
Reflection is generally informal. There are no hard and fast rules that you have to follow, but the essence of a reflection paper needs to be fulfilled, which can be done by the following steps-
Identify and jot down the main themes for making your reflection paper outline. The themes should relate broadly to your topic. No need to get into details at this point. This is the first step, so your thoughts and opinions need not be that refined.
Now start being more peculiar. Start by jotting down all the things that have stood out in your view from the course material. Also, note down why these things have stood out. You can take this from lecture notes or the teacher’s audio lectures given to you. For writing a reflection paper, you can also take these notes from your experiences. These experiences may be in the form of images, sounds, or any other experience.
Explain what you experienced, what you read, and most importantly, what you understood from the paper.
You can also make a list of your thoughts to avoid losing track of your thoughts.
Instructions: Write a 2 – 3 page Reflection Paper after reading Examining the Psychosocial Implications of Mental Health and Cancer Care and Ageism and Us – More to Consider (read pages 8 – 11). Writing a reflection will not require you to have any additional research or articles, but you would need to go through the content in the attached article – on which you have to write the reflection. The ideas you get on the subject matter being discussed would be the reflection. The reflection should come as a critical reflection of what you have read and understood and not just a descriptive analysis of the topic. You can opt to look out for an academic reflection paper example for better understanding.
Social Work Today Newsmagazine (link below):
https://moodle.sus.edu/webservice/pluginfile.php/860263/mod_assign/intro/Reflection%20Paper.pdf
What your reflection paper should include (Paper Structure/Grading Rubric):
Cover page
Word document; Times New Roman – 12 font.
Use personal thoughts and stories. Plagiarism is unacceptable in any academic environment.
Double-spaced the entire paper.
Develop your personal observations of the event itself. Try to include as many details as possible.
Express yourself as freely as you want. A reflection paper is based on personal insight, so there are barely any rules to respect while writing it.
APA reference page (only this news magazine article should be on the Reference page – use your APA manual to correctly cite the article/source).
How To Write An Introduction For A Reflection Paper?
Start with the introduction. Mention the topic you are writing the reflection on. The introduction should start with your expectations from the course material or lecture. If you are writing about an experience, explain what you had heard about the experience. End your introduction with a thesis statement that explains what the lecture and experience taught you. This should be brief but clear.
After that, write the conclusions and why you came to that conclusion in the body portion of the reflection. This part should start with a topic sentence. This should be in the form of a claim, the claim should be backed by a reason supported by evidence. The claim should end with a warrant. According to reflection writing instructions, it should have a logical ending that explains the claim, reason, and logic behind the conclusion. Every conclusion should start in the same manner as mentioned above. This should contain what you understood, why you came to the conclusion you did, and what are the particular contents.
How To End A Reflection Paper?
The reflection paper should end at the conclusion, which should succinctly sum up all the ideas and feelings you have. The main conclusion should be in accordance with all the ideas mentioned above. It should be written in such a manner that any person who reads the conclusion should be able to understand the whole experience and reflection on the paper.
How To Write A Reflection Paper In APA?
A reflection paper is different from a research paper and a critical paper. It has a set format that is to be followed and which is discussed above. To write APA style reflection paper, follow the APA referencing guidelines.
How To Conclude A Reflection Paper?
A conclusion should reflect what you gathered by reflecting on the reading or experience and what you could have done better, and how you can improve the reflection next time. You can also suggest how better course material would have helped you. Also, restate the thesis statement, summarize all the ideas and thoughts, and give suggestions. Make sure that your conclusion reflects the views mentioned in the body as much as possible.