On developing stylish academic writing

Every now and again, you come across a book that you wish you had read years ago. Stylish academic writing by a literary scholar and poet, Helen Sword (2012), is one of these. I really wish I had read this when I first went to college. This book would have saved me much heartache, although … Continue reading On developing stylish academic writing

Finishing off the dissertation

All over the world, doctoral students are working to complete their doctoral research before presenting their thesis or dissertation (depending on what part of the world you reside in) to examiners. In the final throes of developing one’s writing, sometimes it is easy to lose sight of things. One issue that I have noted in … Continue reading Finishing off the dissertation

Tools for writing up qualitative research

There are numerous guides on writing, as well as resources to assist with the task of writing up qualitative research studies. Both writers and qualitative researchers have lots to say about getting started with writing, keeping writing, and representing the findings of qualitative research. Some time ago, I listened to a webinar entitled “Lose the … Continue reading Tools for writing up qualitative research

Academic Writing Month: AcWriMo 2018

In case you missed it, November is Academic Writing month! Even though this starts at the beginning of the month, there’s still time to get started and keep going. And if you don't have others in your locale to support your writing, there are plenty of resources to be found. Here are a few... Emerald … Continue reading Academic Writing Month: AcWriMo 2018

Responding to peer review

Every now and again, I receive a peer review from an anonymous reviewer that makes me want to give up writing. Fortunately, this does not happen too often, otherwise I may have given up writing a long time ago (some reviewers are tough!). In the most recent instance in which this occurred, I printed out … Continue reading Responding to peer review

Finishing touches for the academic writer

A while back I was consulting a book called Finishing touches for the Handweaver by Virginia M. West. This book provides instructions for how to finish handwoven fabrics using various hemstitching and fringes. I consulted the section on ladder hemstitching in order to complete the stitching needed for the hems of the towels I was … Continue reading Finishing touches for the academic writer

Influential qualitative researchers: Laurel Richardson

Sociologist Laurel Richardson is well-known for her writing about writing. In numerous texts, she provides plenty for students of qualitative research to think about (Richardson, 1990; Richardson, 1994b; Richardson & St. Pierre, 2005), along with practical suggestions for how writing is a “method of inquiry.” Richardson also proposes the use of “creative analytic practices” or … Continue reading Influential qualitative researchers: Laurel Richardson

What do journal editors want?

When a manuscript is rejected by a journal editor, it is easy to feel discouraged, and even give up on a manuscript altogether. Don't despair! Another question to ask is:  what is it that journal editors want? In fact, rather than being a mystery, there is much insight into what journal editors want to be … Continue reading What do journal editors want?

Two pieces of advice in conducting qualitative research

One year when I had not done such a great job of scheduling my time, I found myself writing my conference paper the week before the conference. Have you been there? (Hopefully not!) My panic increased as I kept reading more and more literature that informed the argument that I was making (while failing to … Continue reading Two pieces of advice in conducting qualitative research

Publishing qualitative research

A study is not really completed until it is published and available to others to read. But how do researchers begin to publish? In this blogpost, I provide some ideas and resources to help with navigating the journey from a publishable manuscript to a published manuscript.  Entering the conversation How does one enter a discussion … Continue reading Publishing qualitative research