Tag Archives: revision

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

getting to grips with ‘the paragraph’

Posted on November 5, 2018 by pat thomson

I was recently asked how I felt about paragraphs. “Well you know, all the feels” I might have replied. But I didn’t, largely because I don’t usually think about the paragraph. The question made me wonder whether I take the … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, argument, drafting, outline, outline by sentences, Outline move, paragraph, revision, revision strategy, topic sentence | Tagged argument, draft, outlne, paragraph, Pat Thomson, revision, topic sentence | 1 Comment

revising with a reader in mind – ten questions

Posted on October 29, 2018 by pat thomson

Academics write for different kinds of readers. We are often accused of writing only for each other, but this is no longer true. Many of us now write for many different kinds of readers – or audiences, as they are … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, audience, reader, readership, revision, revision strategy, thesis revision | Tagged audience, Pat Thomson, reader, revising for your reader, revision | 3 Comments

from description to analysis – a revision strategy

Posted on October 22, 2018 by pat thomson

PhDers are often told by their supervisors that their work needs to move from description to analysis. But what does this mean? Have you just wasted your time doing all that describing? Well, in short, no. The good news is … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, analysis, crappy first draft, data analysis, description, empirical analysis, revision, revision strategy | Tagged analysis, description, first draft, from description to analysis, Pat Thomson, revision | 5 Comments

check for ‘code words’ – revising your writing

Posted on October 8, 2018 by pat thomson

It is not uncommon for doctoral writers to get supervisor feedback saying they need to unpack an idea. But what does this unpack really mean – and how does a writer get in a situation where they have something that … Continue reading →