Category Archives: reading

not reading everything

Last week was the first week of teaching. New class. New co-teacher. And for the third year running, the course has been redesigned. From a mix of online and face to face, to all on line, and now all face … Continue reading

Posted in literature mapping, literature reviews, reading, scan-reading | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

the bibliomemoir – a musing

The bibliomemoir is a thing. The bibliomemoir is an autobiographical account of a life told through a discussion of books. Books that mattered to the writer and are connected to key events in their life. I have three bibliomemoirs on … Continue reading

Posted in bibliomemoir, books, library, reading | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

should you highlight the paper you’re reading? 

The short answer to the question is… maybe, it depends. Not a yes or a no. That’s because should you highlight is not a simple question. Unless you are a marker addict of course, in which case the answer is … Continue reading

Posted in highlighting, note-taking, reading | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

everyday annotation

Last week I stumbled across the book Annotation, written by Remi Kalir and Antero Garcia. As the title suggests, the book is all about the history and practices of annotating texts. And probably because the book is from the MIT … Continue reading

Posted in annotation, footnote, marginalia, note-taking, reading | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

refresh your writing ideas

Reading is key to developing your understandings of what makes good academic writing. Anthropologist Ruth Behar (2020) suggests that academic writers shouldn’t stop at the classic texts in their discipline, but also read other genres. She says We need to read poetry … Continue reading

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what’s all this reading about then – starting the PhD

When you begin the PhD you will be told to read, and read a lot. But you’ll find not any old approach to reading will do. It’s a particular kind of reading that’s expected. So it’s important to get a … Continue reading

Posted in literature mapping, literature review, PhD, reading, Reading, starting the PhD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

starting the PhD? 25 things to consider

Are you just starting a PhD? Worried? Excited? Nervous? Fear not.:There’s lots of support and help available to you. Your institution is likely to provide an induction programme where you’ll find out about all the internal procedures and timelines you … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, reading, reading routine, routine, starting the PhD, writing regularly, writing routine, writing to learn | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

academic writers as readers

Many academic writers are avid readers. That’s because there is a strong connection – not causal, but surely correlated, she says hastily – between reading and writing. Reading and writing are mutually beneficial, they feed each other. I was thinking … Continue reading

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reading groups/journal clubs are a good idea

There’s a lot written about the benefits of academic writing groups, writing rooms and writing retreats. But not so much about academic reading groups. And yet, they can be just as beneficial.  Being in a reading group puts you in … Continue reading

Posted in "outstanding" publication, conversation, learning and talking, reading, talking, talking writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

revise – by connecting academic reading with academic writing

How do you know what to do when you are revising your writing? Revision always involves making a judgment about your own work. You become a self-evaluator. But what criteria do you use? Art educator and philosopher Elliott Eisner (1976, … Continue reading

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