Category Archives: thingification

what is “measured” writing?

Posted on May 13, 2019 by

I was recently part of a small discussion on another social media platform where someone reported that their supervisor had said their writing wasn’t sufficiently “measured’. Without seeing the actual work it was pretty hard to understand what the supervisor … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, argument, boosters, disciplines, hedges, measured writing, nominalisation, passive voice, stance, thingification | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

thesis to book: you may need to change your writing ‘voice’

Posted on July 21, 2014 by

Unlike thesis examiners, academic book publishers are looking for something that is, above all else, a decent read. A first book is by definition written by an author who isn’t widely known, so publishers will be particularly keen to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Helen Sword, nominalisation, signposts, thesis, thingification | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

holiday question 2: Why do we make researching into nouns?

Posted on December 23, 2013 by

Every now and then I wonder why it is that we talk about research processes as things. Our research uses interviews, not we interview. Or we opt for surveys rather than we survey. Or there are focus groups, rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in Michael Billig, nominalisation, nouny, participant observation, participating/observing, research methods, thingification | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

a thinking tool (tt) for academic writing: front and backloading

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

I ‘ve decided to post more on some of the thinking tools that I routinely use in my own writing and in conversation with early career researchers. You’ll see them off and on over the next few months. I’m going … Continue reading →

Posted in backloading, blank spot, blind spot, collocation, frontloading, signposts, thingification, thinking tool | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments