Category Archives: revision

revise – by connecting academic reading with academic writing

Posted on December 28, 2020 by pat thomson

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 →

revising like a reader

Posted on December 7, 2020 by pat thomson

Academic writing is generally intended to be persuasive. The writer – let’s say that’s us – wants to put a proposition to the reader, and convince them that what we have presented is credible. Our writing is worth taking seriously … Continue reading →

Posted in reader, revision, revision strategy | Tagged Pat Thomson, reader, revision, revision strategy | 3 Comments

revision – writing without protection

Posted on August 24, 2020 by pat thomson

Academic writers need to let their readers know that they know what they are talking about. But feeling and talking like an expert is not easy – in fact, it’s often the exact opposite of how you think about yourself. … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, Peter Elbow, protective scaffolding, revision, revision strategy | Tagged Pat Thomson, Peter Elbow, protective scaffolding, revision, revision strategy | 3 Comments

this, they, it, those, these – a revision strategy

Posted on July 27, 2020 by pat thomson

One of my pet peeves is reading sentences which contain an ambiguous pronoun. The pronoun stands alone, isolated. The lonely goatherd on the hilltop. Sentences that start with, or contain, an unattached this, they, it, those, these seem to expect the reader … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, grammar, revision, revision strategy, syntax, thesis revision, vagueness | Tagged academic writing, Pat Thomson, pronouns, revision, revision strategy, syntax, vagueness | 11 Comments

groundhog day in bookland

Posted on June 22, 2020 by pat thomson

The lockdown has disrupted our lives in ways we couldn’t have anticipated. Some changes are big. Some little. One of the little things that has affected me is to do with book publication. You may have noticed that many academic book … Continue reading →

Posted in academic book, academic writing, book writing, pandemic, revision | Tagged book, book writing, pandemic, Pat Thomson, revision | 1 Comment

tracking the path to research claims

Posted on January 6, 2020 by pat thomson

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 argument, claims, evidence, Pat Thomson, revision, thesis | 1 Comment

a festive gift from patter – a checklist for revising methods chapters

Posted on December 23, 2019 by pat thomson

PhDers sometimes find writing the thesis methods chapter a pretty tedious business. But the methods chapter is a key part of the examination process – it shows that the researcher knows how to research. You see, examiners make their decision … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, data, data analysis, methodology, methods, methods chapter, research methods, revision, revision strategy, thesis revision | Tagged data analysis, methodology, methods chapter, revision, revision strategy | 5 Comments

the revision cave

Posted on October 28, 2019 by pat thomson

Well, my current book is nearly done. But I was wondering, the other day, why writing a book never gets any easier. I’ve written quite a lot of books. This one is actually the twenty fourth, although about eight of … Continue reading →

Posted in academic book, academic writing, book writing, revision, thesis revision | Tagged academic writing, book, book revision, emotional labour, revision, thesis revision | 8 Comments

revise and resubmit

Posted on March 25, 2019 by pat thomson

Yep. Those dreaded words when you get the email back from the journal. R and R. Anything but Rest and Relaxation. Groan. In essence, the message says We have considered your paper and we have decided that – well it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, journal article, reviewer speak, revise and resubmit, revision | Tagged journal, Pat Thomson, reviews, revise and resubmit | 4 Comments

starting the PhD – learning new vocabulary

Posted on January 28, 2019 by pat thomson

Scholarly work often involves learning new words. You know this right? Sometimes it even seems that in order to be considered a scholar you have to speak in words no one else can understand. Well that’s the stereotype. But let’s … Continue reading →