Many graduate students are at a loss when starting literature reviews. How do you start? What literature do you start with, and where do you find it? How do you know when you are done? I’ve put together a series of guides for writing a literature review, and here is the first. What challenges do
We are all guilty of it: getting caught up in academic jargon or using words that only a handful of people would recognize at first glance. It’s not surprising, because we generally write for people just like us – people with PhDs engaged in similar disciplinary specialties and literatures. We expect that our readers are
Much of the advice around writing productivity focuses on maintaining a daily practice of writing. For many, a daily practice means either writing for a set amount of time every day, or committing to put a specific number of words to paper. While both of these strategies are useful – and necessary so that you
Developmental editing or consulting is a process where I work with you to bring a project from its initial unfinished state to a fully articulated manuscript. I help you to hone in on what needs to be done, then I supply you with the tools to do it. This can include mapping out a plan
There have been many times where I have sat to make a daily to-do list and somewhat mindlessly added a list of tasks, with no real sense of what these tasks would result in on a daily basis. I blame this partially on the structure of my planner. It has a calendar and blank note
We have all experienced this moment. You’re in your office, settling in to write, grade papers, or what have you. Suddenly, a colleague strolls in, sits in the chair next to your desk, and begins to chat about, well, you don’t even know what they’re saying because you’re looking at the clock and thinking about