The writing workshop : write more, write better, be happier in academia

Research is all about writing, but most PhD programs don't teach students how to produce the writing needed to get a PhD, publish research, or win fellowships and grants. Plus, the academic environment can feel as cold and harsh as the South Pole. But just as penguins form social huddles to survive the Antarctic winter, researchers can form writing groups to help them learn how to write more, write better and be happier in academia. The Writing Workshop tells you everything you need to know about forming and running a successful writing group, and provides invaluable tips on how to become better at and more comfortable with academic writing. Written by a professor of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, this friendly guide is aimed at early-career researchers such as PhD students, postdoctoral scholars and new faculty members. Chapter topics include: How to form and run a writing workshop; how to plan research and writing projects over the long (one to five years), medium (ten to fifteen weeks), and short (one week) terms; how to establish and maintain a regular daily(ish) writing practice; how to write a literature review, research article, funding proposal or presentation; and how to revise for clarity at the document, paragraph, sentence and word levels. There are templates to help students set writing goals and log their writing practice, plus in-class exercises to help writers learn to hear the difference between effective and ineffective writing. Running through the book is the theme of well-being, and the idea that creativity comes from self-compassion rather than self-punishment. Writing is not only a way of producing scholarly output, but also a way of thinking, learning and generating new ideas. A regular writing practice grounded in a supportive community is something that every early-career scholar deserves and, with this book, it's something every early-career scholar can have Preface to the Print Edition Acknowledgments Introduction Community Practice Instruction 1. The Workshop Structure your meetings Create social accountability with a shared writing log Reframe rejection Adapt and grow 2. Planning Your Time Think like a founder Build your individual development plan Build your term plan Build your weekly plan 3. The Practice of Writing Question your beliefs about writing Draft with kindness Revise to continue your thinking Revise for the reader 4. Literature Reviews Understand literature reviews Build your reading list Read strategically Write the literature review 5. Scientific Articles Understand the IMRaD structure Start by making great figures Draft an article from meta-material to methods Present and discuss your results 6. Proposals Asking for money Understand the funding game Write the proposal 7. Presentations The elevator pitch The poster The talk Practice your presentation 8. Paragraphs Understand “hamburger” paragraphs Manage information flow within the paragraph Make it clear what you’re referring to Use signposting as needed 9. Sentences Understand readability Write readable sentences Understand imageability Write imageable sentences 10. Words Choose simple and specific words Be kind to your readers Omit needless words Epilogue References Credits Index About the Author