GUIDE TO WRITING AT3 – THE ESSAY
Select a case study from given options (see 02 – Essay Case Studies.pdf)
and address the following points:
1) Identify the ethical issues at stake in your chosen case study
2) Establish and defend an ethical perspective on the issues
3) Discuss the ethical issues from the perspectives of:
 The requirement to respect human dignity & human rights;
 Your future profession’s codes of ethics/ professional conduct & professional
standards;
 One ethical theory you have studied in the unit; &
 The principles of health care ethics
4) Make recommendations for professional practice
2
A week by week plan
Week Activity MyNotes
1 Read assessment task & marking criteria. Prepare to jot down
ideas & note the sources from where you read those ideas each
week. It is very helpful to record your references as you use
them. Don’t waste valuable time later on looking for
references/ sources that you have not already recorded
2 Choose a case study that addresses concerns that are most likely
to involve members of your future profession.
Identify one or more ethical issues in the case scenario.
Consider the issue(s) in the light of the professional codes of
conduct, code of ethics (if relevant), and professional standards
3 Choose one ethical theory (e.g. deontology – duty-based ethics
or virtue ethics) from which to draw theoretical support for
your discussion/ argument(s). This is required on the marking
rubric under the section: Analysis of ethical issues and conflicts
4 Consider the issues you have identified in relation to the
notions of human dignity & human rights. Jot down some ways
of applying them in your discussion
5 Consider the issue(s) from the perspective of the principles of
beneficence, non-maleficence and respect for patient
autonomy. What if those principles conflict? Consider, also,
confidentiality, privacy and veracity (truth-telling). You don’t
have to be able to solve the conflicts between the principles yet
– just be aware of them at this stage. You may wish to at least
acknowledge/ mention this awareness in your essay
6 Consider the conflict(s) in relation to the principle of justice (if
relevant). What would the law/ professional tribunals require?
Prepare questions on the essay for this week’s tutorial class
7 By week 7, you should have a plan for how to go about writing
the essay. If you require assistance with essay writing, go to the
ACU website, or click on here:
https://www.studentportal.acu.edu.au/ACUInfo/ss/academic-skills-unit
3
A QUICK OVERVIEW ON ESSAY WRITING
 In an essay, you are attempting to answer a question.
 In this essay, you will be asking, in general: what does a health care professional do when faced
with particular ethical issues and conflicts. You go about answering that question by
considering it from a range of perspectives (as set out in the assessment task)
1) Your essay should have:
 an introduction in which you identify the case study you have chosen, outline the
essay discussion, briefly specify the main points, and briefly state your proposed
recommendations for professional practice
 a body in which you work through the required perspectives in order to answer the
essay question. Each paragraph should address one idea only. Keep working through the
perspectives until you have considered the ethical issue(s) from all the required
perspectives and made some recommendations for professional practice. Remember:
all the ideas you use should be supported by reference to the literature/ course
material.
 A conclusion in which you bring together your main points and provide an answer to
your question. Do not introduce any new material in your conclusion – just sum up the
discussion and make a final comment to lend strength to your argument.
 A reference list formulated in accordance with the APA referencing convention (6th
edition). Remember: only include those references you have actually used in your essay
(as indicated by in-text citations). Always use credible, peer-reviewed sources – you will
lose marks if you use non-peer reviewed sources (e.g. consumer websites, informal blogs
etc)
2) Ensure that your name and student number is on each page of the essay, use size 11 font,
double space your essay, and remain within the 2,000 word limit (+/- 10%).