Category Archives: introduction

introductions – establishing significance

Posted on April 1, 2019 by pat thomson

Introductions have to do a lot of work in a short space of time. The beginning of the conventional journal article, for instance, has to tell the reader what the paper is about and why it is important. And do … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, introduction, location, significance, Stephen Pinker | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘internationalising’ a journal article

Posted on October 9, 2017 by pat thomson

Thankyou for your paper… blah blah blah revisions… blah blah… You need to make sure that your paper speaks to an international audience. It’s not uncommon to get this kind of reviewer feedback on a journal article, particularly in the … Continue reading →

Posted in conclusion, internationalising, introduction, journal article, literature review, now what, so what | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

vignette variations

Posted on May 29, 2017 by pat thomson

I was recently asked for an example of the use of vignette. Here it is.  There are many ways to write a journal article besides the standard Introduction followed by a Literature Review, Methods, Results and Discussion and Conclusion. While there are … Continue reading →

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use a vignette – #wakeupreader

Posted on May 4, 2017 by pat thomson

Most readers, even academic ones, like a bit of a story. And a vignette is just a bit of a story, a condensed version. A vignette is brief, evocative and descriptive. It provides information about key points of an event … Continue reading →

Posted in #wakeupreader, creative writing, introduction, narrative, Uncategorized, vignette | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

paper not working? try the “what’s the problem?” approach

Posted on January 16, 2017 by pat thomson

Ever find yourself with a draft of a journal article that you’re just not happy with? Can’t put your finger on what’s wrong? Well you’re not alone. The being-disgruntled-with-a-paper-but-unsure-of-the-reason syndrome is the most common problem I see in writing workshops. Unhappy … Continue reading →

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introducing a literatures paper

Posted on March 28, 2016 by pat thomson

The Introduction to a literatures paper has a specific job to do – the reader needs to be convinced that the review is needed, that is, the paper has a purpose and it is important for them to read it. The reader also … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, introduction, literature review, literature themes, literatures paper, warrant | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

is your research or your paper needed? #knowhow

Posted on August 5, 2015 by pat thomson

A successful research proposal or published academic paper or book almost always justifies its own existence. Omitting the reasoning that produced the bid, project paper or book can lead to bid failure and paper rejection. A research project In order … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, conclusion, introduction, research funding, research proposal, so what | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

the call back – journal know-how

Posted on June 15, 2015 by pat thomson

Good comedians are masters of the call back. A call back is where the comedian tells a joke late in the set which recalls a joke told earlier on. The audience experiences a sense of familiarity. It’s as if they … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, call back, introduction, journal article | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

the thesis introduction

Posted on June 2, 2014 by pat thomson

The old adage “first impressions count” really holds true when it comes to thesis introductions. After the title and the abstract, the introduction is the first thing the examiner sees. They/we do form an opinion – sometimes quite a strong … Continue reading →

Posted in introduction, outline, thesis, thesis statement, thesis warrant | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

book writing, day three

Posted on March 17, 2014 by pat thomson

It was a pj kind of day. That’s a day where you eat breakfast , but don’t actually get out of your nightgear until you’ve done a substantial slab of writing. So picture us sitting side by side, a bit … Continue reading →

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