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LOOKING FOR POSTS ON WRITING FOR JOURNALS? REVISING AND EDITING? GIVING FEEDBACK AND REVIEWING? READING? GIVING A CONFERENCE PAPER? VISIT MY WAKES ON https://wakelet.com/@patter- abstracts academic blogging academic book academic writing argument authority in writing blogging blogging about blogging books book writing chapter co-writing conclusion conference conference papers conference presentation contribution crafting writing data doctoral research early career researchers editing ethics examiner feedback introduction journal journal article literature mapping literature review literature reviews methods chapter peer review PhD public engagement publishing reader reading research research methods revision revision strategy supervision Tate Summer School theory thesis time Uncategorized voice writing
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Category Archives: contribution
planning a paper
Last week I was in Norway running a three part workshop on planning a journal article. The workshop was based around a Tiny Text abstract. As a planner myself, I use Tiny Texts for sorting out the contribution argument … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, contribution, journal article, planning, planning a paper, Tiny Text
Tagged academic writing, argument, contribution, journal article, planning
7 Comments
a thesis (often) needs A Big Idea
Everyone knows that the thesis has to make a contribution. No probs. Well yes, there are actually probs. At the end of the research it can be hard to find one. Contribution, where is it? You’re exhausted from generating all … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, Big Idea, contribution, thesis
5 Comments
thesis knowhow – “the contribution” can create coherence
My Nordic colleagues often say that the thesis has to have a red thread, a line of argument that holds things together. So what’s this red thread? Think of the red thread as a sturdy rope that guides the reader … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, coherence, contribution, thesis, thesis warrant
Tagged argument, coherence, contribution, Pat Thomson, red thread, thesis
7 Comments
writing course – common problems in the Results/Discussion Section
It’s always as well to know what can go wrong when writing a journal article. And there are multiple areas in any paper to think about. Just because there seem to be fewer conventions for the Results/Discussion section doesn’t mean … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, contribution, discussion, headings, results
Tagged academic writing problems, journal article, Pat Thomson, results
5 Comments
preparing for the PhD oral exam
As a supervisor it is part of my job to help doctoral researchers prepare for their viva. I’ve not done one myself, as Australian PhDs are typically examined by means of a long report from two or three examiners. However, … Continue reading
three reasons why editing a book is a good idea
Is it worth editing a book? I’ve been asked this question a couple of times recently. It’s actually not an easy question, as you might guess. That’s because the answer depends on all kinds of things, including where you are … Continue reading
Posted in academic book, collaboration, contribution, editing, profile
Tagged collaboration, connection, editing books, Pat Thomson, profile
7 Comments
who wants to read about my place?
I’ve recently been in Iceland working on an academic writing course. The participants were doctoral researchers. They came with data that they wanted to turn into a peer reviewed paper. The majority of them were doing PhDs by publication so … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, contribution, conversation, journal, local, PhD by publication
Tagged contribution, international, journal, local, Pat Thomson
5 Comments
quotations – handle with care
Quotations are dangerous. The way that you use quotations can give away whether you think you are still writing as a student, or writing as an expert scholar in your own right. Student assignments are often heavily strewn with quotations. … Continue reading
Posted in authority in writing, contribution, quotations
Tagged Pat Thomson, quotation, writing with authority
13 Comments
the literature review – how old are the sources?
I recently had an email from a colleague asking me what I would do if I was examining a thesis and the vast majority of the literatures were over ten years old. Would this be a problem? What would I … Continue reading
Posted in contribution, literature review, location
Tagged age of sources, contribution, literature review, location, Pat Thomson
22 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 authoritative writing, claims, hedges, Pat Thomson
8 Comments
