Category Archives: academic writing

Anticipation

Posted on April 15, 2024 by pat thomson

Patter will be blogging from the QPR – Quality in Postgraduate Research conference later this week. it’s in Adelaide South Australia, and it’s QPRs 30th birthday. My keynote is done and on a stick, my what-to-wear questions resolved, and my … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing | 2 Comments

research as – is – creative practice

Posted on April 1, 2024 by pat thomson

It’s easy to get the idea that research is all about developing a plan, and then doing what you plan. A bit like this. Develop. At the start, you read a lot to help you work out your question or … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, creative practice, creativity, research, research as process, research bid writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

On MAL-attribution

Posted on March 25, 2024 by pat thomson

I was recently reviewing a paper and saw my own work cited. Very nice, you might think. However, I was cited for saying a thing that I didn’t say – a thing that I would never ever say. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, citation, reference, reference list | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

key words – contribution

Posted on March 4, 2024 by pat thomson

The dictionary definitions of contribution are: When scholars talk about contribution it might be 3. A contribution might be a piece we have submitted to an edited collection, a text book, an anthology of cases or an encyclopaedia. But the … Continue reading →

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Why journal articles are rejected

Posted on January 29, 2024 by pat thomson

This is an old post from May 2013. I get asked about rejection a lot so it seemed worth recycling it. There are some very common reasons why journal papers get rejected, often by the editor. They don’t even make … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, journal article, rejection | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

There are no writing “rules”

Posted on January 15, 2024 by pat thomson

Look.  I don’t really want to start the new year off with a rant. But I just can’t sit on this any longer. I’m climbing onto my soap box now, taking up my megaphone and shouting. THERE ARE NO RULES FOR … Continue reading →

Posted in conventions, IMRAD, journal article | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

festive season

Posted on December 17, 2023 by pat thomson

It’s tempting to see the next little while as a space free from work, a space that gives you time to work. Well, of course you can do this if you want to, if you need to. For people who … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing | Tagged | 3 Comments

Saving words – check your citations

Posted on September 18, 2023 by pat thomson

It’s amazing how much citations can add to your word count. Before you know it, you’ve amassed a few hundred words just filling in brackets. Of course you need citations. You can’t just leave them out. You can’t just assert. … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

too many words for my reader

Posted on August 28, 2023 by pat thomson

Some texts just read as too long. Maybe they do have a load of words – that chapter at 18k. That paper at 10k. But some chapters, papers, books and dissertations read long even if they are within word limits.  Sounds strange, … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, nouny, passive voice, reader, revision, the point, too many words | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

when opportunities knock

Posted on June 19, 2023 by pat thomson

This week I’m in Lisboa. Sounds idyllic? Wish you were here? I’m here for a summer school. This is an annual event, tied to my field of work. Doctoral, post doc and more experienced academic researchers come together to share … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, Summer School | Tagged , , | 3 Comments