Five Tips for Making Your Writing Shorter

writing

Author: Kate Epstein, editor, EpsteinWords It happens all the time: you write an article that is the right length for a particular outlet, and then you learn you’re going to have to shorten it for some other journal or book. It’s exhausting, I think, to imagine how to take a paper you were happy with … Read more

Seven Times in Your Writing Process When an Editor Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

edit writing

Author: Kate Epstein, of EpsteinWords NCFDD does so much to help their members succeed. They help you plan out your route and set goals and meet them. But when you are journeying those last few miles toward getting one more line on your CV, an editor may be a really valuable companion. If you think … Read more

Do You Measure Up?

measuring tape

Author: Kerry Ann Rockquemore, PhD It’s been quite a journey over the past five weeks of our collective work to overcome academic perfectionism. We calculated the costs of perfectionism, we learned what the cycle of perfectionismlooks like and how to disrupt it, and we explored concrete strategies for overcoming perfectionism in teaching, service and writing. I love that so many of you experimented with … Read more

The Costs of Perfectionism

nobody is perfect

Author: Kerry Ann Rockquemore, PhD Originally posted on Inside Higher Ed. One of the most pervasive problems I see among academic writers is perfectionism. It’s so ubiquitous and manifests in so many ugly ways that I’ve decided to dedicate a five-part series to overcoming academic perfectionism. And yes, there’s a unique flavor to academic perfectionism and … Read more

Some Thoughts on Writing a “Winning” Book Proposal

sticky notes

Author: Badia Ahad, PhD As a graduate student, I had a lot of difficulties writing the dissertation. I was told by my readers that I needed to “bolster” my language, that my analysis could be pushed “further,” and that my arguments were too diffuse. These kinds of criticisms are not uncommon for dissertation projects, but … Read more

Moving from Associate to Full Professor: Advice and Lessons Learned

lessons

Author: Joy Gaston Gayles, PhD I have been a full professor for a year now. Recently, I was asked to reflect on my experience, given that less than 2% of full professors are African American women. As the first African American in my program area and department to reach this milestone, and one of less … Read more

Writing While Living the Life of an Administrator

administrator writing at computer

Author: Barbara Risman, PhD Nearly all university administrators are really faculty in disguise. We take jobs in administration for a variety of reasons. Whether we are a Department Head, Associate Dean, Dean or Provost, most of us want to both do our jobs well and remain active in our fields as researchers and writers who publish … Read more

Some Thoughts on Writing a “Winning” Book Proposal

winning

Author: Badia Ahad, PhD As a graduate student, I had a lot of difficulties writing the dissertation. I was told by my readers that I needed to “bolster” my language, that my analysis could be pushed “further,” and that my arguments were too diffuse. These kinds of criticisms are not uncommon for dissertation projects, but … Read more