Establishing an Online Writing Center for Health Professions Education

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the commonly-used modules of Online Writing Centers worldwide to establish the first Online Writing Center in the context of health professions education in Iran. Design/methodology/approach: This observational study was conducted during 2019-2021. In the initial round of search, we identified 61 eligible OWCs whose websites comprised 14 common modules. Then, we searched the top universities according to 2021 Times Higher Education World University Ranking. We probed the modules of the writing centers of the included universities by using a Google form. We identified the modules repeatedly appearing on the websites of the writing centers, and then reviewed the content of each module in order to find a common label which could later be used for constructing our online writing center. Findings: Our final search yielded 26 universities with 22 common modules. The researchers came to a consensus about the modules to be included and the labels assigned to them. Finally, a website was created, and the modules were included. Value of paper: Online Writing Centers scaffold students by giving feedback on word choice errors and assist them in producing grammatically accurate texts. The Online Writing Centers being designed based on the findings of this study can assist many researchers who intend to publish their scientific findings in English.