Articles from our Newsletter

Stylish Academic Writing: How to Write Reader-Friendly Prose

February 28, 2013

Have you ever marveled at those researchers who are not only prolific, but whose articles make a real contribution to your field? Have you ever struggled to write an article and felt like you didn’t have the words, or that you weren’t sure how you could make your writing more clear? Or have you read …

What it’s like to be a grant reviewer (and how to make your reviewer’s life better)

November 29, 2012

As you develop your next grant, I’d like to ask you one thing: have you really considered what it’s like to be your grant reviewer? Most grant writers don’t give that nearly enough thought. They write as if they’re submitting their proposal to some big, anonymous “machine” at the other end that simply sorts, collates, …

Enter the Conversation: Find Your Voice in the Scholarly Literature

October 5, 2012

Does the literature review section of your project intimidate you? Is it hard to figure out what to include and why? Are you unclear about what your readers need to see? You can get beyond your hesitation to write the review of literature by imagining yourself in an ordinary conversation. Entering a Conversation How do …

What on Earth Are Poms???

September 7, 2012

“Do you pom?” “How long?” “How many?” “Alone or together?” “Where?” Do you hear other academic writers asking questions like this? Do they confuse you entirely? You are not alone! Why do we in Academic Ladder like Poms? Academic writers all over the world are adopting The Pomodoro Technique® and you hear about it in …

Stock Your Cupboards: Guides to teaching effectively and efficiently

August 9, 2012

As an academic writer, you are teaching and learning all the time. You learn from other scholars in your research; you teach your strategies for effective writing in the Writing Club or other context. Teaching an academic course is probably also part of your life. It may be far in the future, or a current …

Clean Your Tools! A Review of Guidebooks for Academic Writing

July 13, 2012

Demystify Stylish Writing in 12 Weeks! No, that is not really a title!! We are excited about Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword, a new book for academic writers. It joins others you have heard us recommend. Summer in the U.S. finds us reading or rereading books about our work. Today we will review a …

Enter the Conversation: Find Your Voice in the Scholarly Literature

June 15, 2012

Are you intimidated by the review of the literature section of your project? Is it hard to figure out what to include and why?  You can get around that if you imagine yourself in an ordinary conversation. Entering a Conversation How do you enter a conversation? When you are new to a group of people, …

3 Secrets to Doing Well this Summer, Even if You’re an Academic

May 18, 2012

Ah, Summer! At last, many of us academics have the promise of unstructured time……… and the peril of goals. Yes, we were often the children who loved school. After all, we kept on going for years! Yet we treasured summer vacation for its slower pace, tempting activities, exciting adventures, idle laziness. Summer in an academic …

Making Writing a Habit, Not a Decision

April 19, 2012

Lessons from bestselling book “The Power of Habit,” by New York Times writer Charles Duhigg. Linking brain science, data analytics, and marketing strategies with an engaging style, Charles Duhigg explores the role of habit for us as individuals, for companies, and for our society. As academic writers, we can understand ourselves better, and build better …

Write Better By Talking

March 22, 2012

We Write Alone Writing is a solitary process. It must be. You’re writing your own ideas. Yes, you are in “conversation” with other scholars, but your writing is your individual contribution to that conversation. But writing can be very isolating, can’t it? If writing is your primary activity, your days can be pretty lonely. If …

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