Category Archives: reader

thesis to journal article – five things to remember

Posted on August 18, 2016 by pat thomson

Once you have winkled the topic of your paper out of its thesis shell, you need to select the journal that you want to publish in. And once you’ve made that decision, you need to remember these five things as you start to think … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, journal article, journal publication, reader, thesis to papers | 1 Comment

writerly, readerly and strategic – practices for getting published

Posted on January 12, 2015 by pat thomson

Last week I had to give a very short talk about my top tips for early career publishing. In very abbreviated form, here are the first three things I said about some important scholarly practices that underpin successful writing and … Continue reading →

Posted in journal, publishing, reader, readerly, readers, Roland, writerly | Tagged community of readers, Pat Thomson, publishing, readerly, Roland Barthes, the reader, writerly | 10 Comments

a drafting strategy

Posted on May 26, 2014 by pat thomson

I’m not a should-must-always person when it comes to academic writing. I think there are lots of ways to get scholarly authoring done and there are lots of ways for it to look and read. I always feel pretty uncomfortable … Continue reading →

Posted in planning, publications, reader, revision | Tagged academic writing, drafting, revision, write for publication, write for the reader, write for the writer | 17 Comments

should I number my thesis?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by pat thomson

I’ve just been in a university where doctoral researchers are issued with a thesis template. This automatically sets up the font, layers of headings and the section and subsection numbering systems. If doctoral researchers decide to use this template, and … Continue reading →

Posted in argument, epistemology, narrative, reader, thesis | Tagged academic writing, argument, narrative, Pat Thomson, reader, thesis, thesis numbering system | 9 Comments

anticipate the unexpected reader

Posted on January 13, 2014 by pat thomson

People like me, people who teach about writing, are always wittering on about the importance of writing with a reader in mind. This is important, we say, because if you write for a particular reader you can connect what you … Continue reading →

Posted in Caroline Bettell, ethics, Mark Peel, reader, readership, representation | Tagged Caroline Bettell, ethics, Mark Peel, Pat Thomson, reader, representation | 7 Comments

writing the thesis abstract

Posted on December 11, 2013 by pat thomson

The thesis abstract is the first thing that your examiner reads. It sets the tone of what is to come. On the basis of the abstract alone, before they start the text proper, the examiner will form some expectations about … Continue reading →

Posted in abstracts, examiner, reader, thesis abstract | Tagged examiner, Pat Thomson, reader, thesis abstract | 13 Comments

six differences between thesis and book chapters

Posted on November 25, 2013 by pat thomson

This post is in response to a question about chapters in books and dissertations. I do try to answer questions, although it sometimes takes a while! There ARE some key differences between a thesis and a book chapter – here … Continue reading →

Posted in argument, chapter, examiner, reader, signposts | Tagged argument, book chapter, examiner, Pat Thomson, reader, signpost, thesis chapter | 20 Comments

make your cv work for you

Posted on September 2, 2013 by pat thomson

I read a lot of cvs. This is because a big part of my job involves looking at applications for studentships, postdoctoral awards and bids for funding. Many of the bids I see have cvs which do not do their … Continue reading →

Posted in cv, public engagement, publications, reader, research funding | Tagged cv, cv readership, Pat Thomson | 3 Comments

keeping your thesis reader/examiner on track

Posted on March 21, 2013 by pat thomson

I’m currently reading my fifth doctoral thesis for the year. I realized a while ago that I’ve now examined at least fifty doctorates. I guess that’s a lot. I recently decided to go back to my examination reports to see … Continue reading →

Posted in dissertation, doctoral research, examiner, reader, signposts, thesis | Tagged keeping track, Pat Thomson, reader, signposting, thesis | 8 Comments

what do words want?

Posted on November 5, 2012 by pat thomson

In writing workshops I often come across people with conference and nearly final draft papers that they do not seem able to finish. The prospect of sending them out for review and possible publication just seems too hard, perhaps it’s … Continue reading →