Tag Archives: citations

making your writing authoritative – a citation revision strategy

Posted on April 19, 2021 by pat thomson

Readers expect academic writers to know what they are talking about. We meet that expectation by grounding our writing in good scholarship – and making it sound authoritative. Authoritative. You can see the words author and authority contained within authoritative … Continue reading →

Posted in authority in writing, citation, citations, laundry list, revision, revision strategy | Tagged citation practice, citations, Pat Thomson, revision strategy, writing with authority | 8 Comments

editing your writing – lessons from chefs?

Posted on March 8, 2021 by pat thomson

You can pick up helpful ideas from the most unlikely places. Like cooking shows. Yes I watch cooking shows, it’s one of my guilty pleasures. I’m sure I’m not the only one, given their popularity. Sometimes they offer more than … Continue reading →

Posted in citations, editing, revision, revision strategy | Tagged citations, editing, Pat Thomson, references, revision | 8 Comments

writing a journal article – how many references?

Posted on July 1, 2019 by pat thomson

I’ve been asked about how many references go in the literature section of a journal article. A supervisor had offered a view – one reference per sentence is best, perhaps two. But, the person asking me said, they had seen papers … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, citation, citations, journal article, literature review | Tagged citations, journal article, Pat Thomson, references | 7 Comments

for the reader – citations, reference lists, tables of contents and indexes

Posted on April 16, 2018 by pat thomson

Most of us understand that citation is about locating our work in the field. We cite to show that we understand the field, that we know who counts and we understand what previous studies are important. We cite to show … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, citation, footnote, index, reference, reference list | Tagged citations, footnotes, index, Pat Thomson, reference list, references | 8 Comments

bibliography v. reference list … just semantics?

Posted on June 8, 2017 by pat thomson

So here’s the thing. What’s the difference between a bibliography and a reference list? I was always taught there was an important difference between a bibliography and a reference list. The reference list is the stuff you actually cite in … Continue reading →

Posted in bibliography, citations, reference list | Tagged bibliography, citations, Pat Thomson, reference list | 7 Comments

writing a highly cited paper – a sceptical view

Posted on December 18, 2014 by pat thomson

I’ve been somewhat irritated recently, as I’m sure most academics have been, by the increasing interest that our universities have in citations. Citations count in league tables. We – academics – are increasingly told that we must focus more on … Continue reading →

Posted in citation, metrics, Stephen Ball | Tagged citation indices, citations, metrics, Pat Thomson, scholarship, Stephen Ball | 5 Comments

what’s at stake for an early career researcher in going for publication in a top ranked journal ?

Posted on March 18, 2012 by pat thomson

I often get asked in workshops whether early career researchers should aim to get into a top journal. I want to give the first two parts of my answer in this post. My first response – WHO IS SAYING THIS … Continue reading →