Articles from our Newsletter

Is it possible to be an academic and a parent?

February 26, 2010

Hello, Jayne London has run an extraordinarily successful group within the Academic Writing Club that is for ABD parents.  (And by “successful,” we mean successfully defended dissertations!)  We’ve decided to expand this idea by offering a group for faculty who are parents.  We thought that many of you, both ABD and faculty, would enjoy an …

Are You an Academic or a Mouse?

January 21, 2010

Hello, Do you scurry around doing what others want or need you to do, putting their priorities first on your agenda? Do you give extra time to those students who want to talk to you for more than their allotted time, or drop whatever you’re doing whenever your email pings? Or perhaps you spend what …

Write or Rest During Your break? Here’s a Plan!

December 3, 2009

Hello! Aaah – The holiday break.  For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s time to sail away to an exotic location*, or more likely to collapse and then visit relatives. But many academics are torn about whether and how much to write during the holidays.  On the one hand, they’re exhausted from the …

Five Top Statistical Mistakes That Derail Research

October 29, 2009

Hello! We are pleased this month to be able to feature an all-new article by Statistics Consultant and Expert, Karen Grace-Martin.  If you don’t need statistics for your research, then you can skip this newsletter, unless you want to be very impressed by (or feel sorry for) your colleagues who do need to use statistics …

“Clarity” — great insights from a Writing Club member

September 9, 2009

Hello! Today, I found out that my book needs to be done for my third-year/mid-career review, 11 months from now. “As close to being done as possible” is an option there in the wings, but if I want to take my place in this department, it needs to be done and to represent the very, very best …

Some inspiration for the August writing blues

August 13, 2009

Hello! Even though the Academic Writing Club has many tools to encourage people to keep up with their regular writing, sometimes motivation can ebb. Perhaps a weekend away distracts a grad student from his work, or a professor realizes that she has a number of revisions to do in a chapter. Both situations can lead …

8 Ways to Simplify Overly-Complex Writing & Thinking

July 9, 2009
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Hello! Hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying your summer. I had surgery a short while ago and am still in the recovery process (thanks to those who have sent their well wishes!) and so I wanted to share with you an ‘oldie but a goodie’ – one of my favorite articles which was …

It Takes a Village to Write a Dissertation or Publish

April 22, 2009
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It Takes a Village to Write a Dissertation or Publish From the first day of graduate school until you retire as full professor, you unwittingly take in subliminal messages such as these: “There are a lot of things you should already know about how to be successful.” “If you don’t know these things, then maybe …

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April 21, 2009

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Ten Ways to Grow a Backbone

March 18, 2009

Ten Ways to Grow a Backbone “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anais Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin, volume 3, 1939-1944 “Oh, good,” I said to myself, “Here are some of the books I ordered.  I hope these are the ones about dealing with back pain.”  The first book on …

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