Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: June 19, 2020

As we prepare for the official start of summer this weekend, sights may be set on vacations, rest, and relaxation in the academic “off season”, but as evidenced by Meggin McIntosh’s session yesterday in TAA’s Summer Webinar Series, much can be accomplished during this time, especially for those of us focused on writing.

Our collection of articles from around the web shares advice on finding time to write, planning your calendar, and developing a sense of purpose and routine. It continues with research considerations for what to read, practices in the covid era, digital defenses, and tips for becoming an indie researcher. Finally, we close with some global topics of large-scale open access agreements, combatting counterfeiting, and more inclusive and diverse publishing practices.

As Jim Rohn once said, “Remember when you see a man at the top of a mountain, he didn’t fall there.” Set your intentions this week, plan your writing time, focus on the long-term impact of your work, and happy writing!

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Increase your publishing success by understanding the metrics that matter

John Bond, Publishing Consultant at Riverwinds Consulting, brings more than 25 years experience in scholarly publishing to TAA’s Summer Webinar Series on Thursday, June 25th as he presents “Publishing Metrics: Understanding the Basics and Using Them to Your Advantage”.

Daily, Bond advises authors and publishers on creating and delivering great content. He is the author of 4 books and as a publisher has overseen the publishing of 20,000 journal articles and 500 scholarly books. In this 90-minute interactive discussion, he’ll give you a simple, approachable explanation of the common basic metrics and ways to use them to your advantage.

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How two co-authors have worked together successfully at a distance

All writing projects have their own challenges and opportunities. When working with a co-author, there can be additional challenges to ensure that the manuscript is completed in a way that ultimately reflects a single published voice while covering all of the required topic areas.

In this article, Rex Hartson and Pardha Pyla, co-authors of the award-winning textbook, The UX Book 2 (Morgan Kauffman Publishing, 2019), share our experience of success working together at a distance. We have offered the following insight on how to manage issues of version control, file sharing, managing “pen” ownership, change tracking, handing off the pen, and organizing difficult text.

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: June 12, 2020

Someone once said, “Be stronger than your excuses.” It is certainly easy to make excuses for not writing, not moving forward on our projects, not accomplishing our goals – especially in a time of disruption like we have faced for the past few months. Or in time of “vacation” if we have the summer “off”. But to be successful, we have to be stronger.

Our collection of articles from around the web includes an 11-year-old’s advice on busting excuses, summer planning strategies, and actionable steps for developing a routine, being creative, and training your brain. There’s also information on how to improve the academic writing process, to make your research meaningful, and to be excited by the practices that have emerged from the pandemic. Finally, we have questions to ask before signing a publishing contract and useful websites for writers.

Explore the links below, refuel your passion, and be stronger than your excuses! Happy writing!

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Revision as the road to success

The creation of great content (whether a book, journal article, dissertation, or something else) involves many stages. These stages include: concept creation and formulation, initial research or investigation, the actual research, gathering information and data, outlining the communications, writing the first draft, revising your writing, feedback from others, additional revisions, final checks, submissions, and release or publication. Revising your work might be the most crucial (and overlooked) step in the process.

Some may view it as drudgery. “I did all that research and writing and now I have to check the grammar!”

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How to surprise yourself with productive summer writing

Join the PhD of Productivity, Meggin McIntosh, on June 18th at 2:00pm ET for the TAA Summer Webinar, “Writing Productivity Shouldn’t Be a Surprise: Think Through Your Summer Plan with Wisdom, Intention, and Truthfulness”.

McIntosh, Professor Emerita (University of Nevada, Reno), is an author, coach, and workshop leader. She works with overwhelmed academics who would prefer to be overjoyed, instead. If you want to keep your “wits” about you this summer, i.e., your wisdom, intention, and truthfulness, attend this session to learn how to plan thoughtfully and with integrity.

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