Category Archives: claim

tracking the path to research claims

All researchers make claims about their work. Remember the phrase staking a claim? That’s what we are actually doing when we claim something. We are metaphorically placing a marker in a field that we are prepared to stand on, stand … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, argument, claim, claims, evidence, revision, revision strategy, thesis, thesis revision | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

some more issues with citations

One of the hallmarks of academic writing is the citation. There is very little other writing which bristles with brackets, or sits on a hefty foundation of footnotes. So it’s probably worth just noting the things to watch out for … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, balance, citation, claim, Goldilocks principle | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

making authoritative claims

Compared to – let’s say journalists for argument’s sake – we academics are generally a lot less prepared to say anything for absolute certain. Why do we do this? Do we simply love complexity and being vague? Well of course … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, authority in writing, claim, contribution, hedges | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments