One of the most pervasive problems with academic writers is perfectionism. It’s ubiquitous and manifests in so many unfortunate ways. There is a unique flavor to academic perfectionism, and it is exacerbated by the culture of colleges and universities (particularly for tenure-track faculty members). Many perfectionists are painfully aware of their problem but many of … Read more
Author: Tasha Souza, PhD I run a monthly seminar for new faculty and, during one meeting, I had a smaller group of only women. We had time for general questions and they wanted to know more about the best ways to set themselves up well for retirement. I thought this a strange request, given they … Read more
Author: Julia Staffel, PhD At the end of November in 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a text-generating AI with never-before-seen capabilities of producing almost any type of text with the click of a button. Students immediately realized the potential of using it for their assignments, easily generating essays and code, while avoiding being caught by existing … Read more
Author: Carlita Favero, PhD When I think back to 2009 or so when I was starting my first professional pivot, I was at a point in my career where I was transitioning into the next expected phase, a faculty position, but I was seeking employment at an institution very different from the ones I had … Read more
Author: Anthony Ocampo, PhD Whether in the sciences or humanities, academics are so specialized in their niche that they often forget how to convey their knowledge to a general public. In fact, in academia, your success is predicated on your ability to be in conversation with other experts, not everyday people. When we’re doing our PhDs, we … Read more
It’s no secret that the semester presents many challenges for faculty. What we commonly see is: So the question is, how can we create a structure to overcome these challenges? Better yet, how can we create a structure to overcome these challenges and support our research/writing productivity and health/wellness? Here are 5 things you can do:
Author: Kerry Ann Rockquemore, PhD, Founder of the NCFDD March is a time in the academic year when it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, like time is flying by, and that our to-do lists will never end. It’s also the time when the day-to-day stream of requests and demands can begin edging out our commitment to … Read more
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
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
Author: Kerry Ann Rockquemore, PhD I have worked with many academic writers who feel guilty about not writing, overwhelmed by unrealistic goals, panicked about time and stuck in the rut of procrastination. Based on that experience, I know that there are several things you can do that will get you out of your rut and … Read more