Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: March 11, 2022

W. Somerset Maugham once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” Some may say this applies to all writing efforts, however this week’s collection of articles from around the web attempts to address some of the common issues you may be facing as an academic author.

With resources on how to start, dealing with self-doubt, writing processes, and peer review, you can garner some helpful advice to move your project forward. Further, resources on women in publishing, open access, open research, and publishing research directions frame some of the trends in academic publishing today.

As you write this week, write your own rules and enjoy the process. Happy writing!

Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: March 11, 2022 Read More

Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: February 14, 2020

Since this week’s collection of posts from around the web falls on Valentines Day, we hope that you find something to love in the links below, beginning with stories of inspiring women in science.

Of course, love requires risk, and it’s important to be cautious with matters of the heart, so it may be worth exploring things like public engagement, personal statements for PhD programs, and open access agreements a little more before committing yourself to them completely. Finally, collecting memories and continuing to improve your relationships is essential for long-term success, and we see these practices in action through SAGE Research Methods curation features and the review of OhioLINK’s affordable textbook initiative which close our list.

As with love and relationships, our research and writing efforts may require exploration of options, putting ourselves out there, and being heartbroken a time or two before finding out where we belong. However, as Jim Valvano said, “Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first steps to succeeding.” Happy Writing!

Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: February 14, 2020 Read More

Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: January 11, 2019

The new year. A time for resolutions and habit forming. Hopefully this year, writing is a habit you are working to develop. In the words of Lawrence C. Connolly, “Writing is something I do everyday. If I waited for inspiration, I’d never get anything done.” While this may be true, we hope you find inspiration and resources to further your writing in the following collection of posts from around the web.

We start with some non-writing new year’s resolutions and academic trends before exploring the balance of work and research as well as of work and home lives. We continue the collection with online resources to identify and highlight women experts, examine the joy of kids for the teacher-scholar, and address the double-bind theory of scholarly publishing. Finally, we revisit the discussion of problems with textbook costs and free alternatives as well as a new problem of printing delays in academic book publishing.

Whatever this next week has in store, we hope you find time to write everyday and to move forward on your projects toward your goals for 2019. Happy Writing!

Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: January 11, 2019 Read More

Hunger, home and history: Our legacies as academics

My Irish ancestors who came to America in the late 19th century called July “the hungry month” because the stored food from the year before was used up and the new crops were not yet in. I remember during summers as a child how my mother, a philosophy professor, would eat chips by the pool and say, “I don’t know why I’m always so hungry in the summer.”

I grew up to become an academic and writer and when I researched this history, I was able to make connections between my family history and our globe’s larger, collective histories.

Hunger, home and history: Our legacies as academics Read More

12 Week program inspires writing, research, teaching of women educators

TAA member Cassie Premo Steele contacted us today to tell us about a great new program for women academics she is offering called “The Feminar”. This 12-week program will inspire the writing, research and teaching of women educators and allow them to connect with women academics worldwide.

The program, which runs March 23-June 12, 2015, includes:

12 Week program inspires writing, research, teaching of women educators Read More