In the first four articles of this series, we examined The What: Defining a research project, The Where: Constructing an effective writing environment, The When: Setting realistic timeframes for your research, and The Who: Finding key sources in the existing literature. In this article, we will explore the fifth, and final, W of academic writing, The Why: Explaining the significance of your research. [Read more…]
The Why: Explaining the significance of your research
May 7, 2019 By Leave a Comment
The most useful textbook & academic posts of the week: June 1, 2018
June 1, 2018 By Leave a Comment
This week’s collection of useful posts from around the web begins with strategies for designing scientific posters, academic blogging, loving the PhD life, and dealing with reviewers’ comments. We then look at some innovative approaches to academia worthy of consideration, including how the success of LeBron James in professional basketball can be used as a model for academic success, tips for research commercialization, and the use of data citations as additional citations in our research.
As A.D. Posey reminds us, “reading sparks writing”, so we close our list this week with a list of open access best sellers that might just spark your writing in the week ahead. [Read more…]
Can writers be social online?
April 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Social media or social web? I posed that question last year in a guest blog for the British site, Discover Society. Given recent scandals involving hacking and profile misuse on commercial social media sites, I’d like to revisit this question as it pertains to academic and textbook authors. To what extent should we post original writings on social media sites?
First, let’s distinguish between social media and social web. Social media can be defined as: “commercially-owned online platforms or applications that allow for interactions between users who can create, archive and retrieve user-generated content. [Read more…]
8 Academic blogging questions answered by veteran blogger Mark Leccese
February 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Academic authors can reap many benefits from blogging, says Mark Leccese, author of The Elements of Blogging: Expanding the Conversation of Journalism, and the blog The Elements of Blogging, in his recent TAA webinar, “Blogging for Academics: A Journalist Turned Academic Offers Tips, Techniques, Inspiration and a Few Warnings”. Here are 8 questions Leccese answered during the webinar that illustrate not only the benefits of blogging, but how academics can best reap those benefits. [Read more…]
Featured Member: Embracing change in an evolving textbook industry
February 23, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Kevin Patton, the author of 10 anatomy and physiology textbooks or manuals in over 40 editions, shares his views and strategies on how to adapt and remain relevant and successful in the fast evolving textbook industry.
TAA: At this stage in your writing career, where do your developmental interests lie in terms of your current text projects?
Kevin Patton: “Presently I am passionate about using current learning theories to adjust the construction of my textbooks, including text, illustrations, and learning enhancements. There is an ongoing explosion of research helping us better understand how people read and learn. Classrooms and textbooks need to keep up with best practices. [Read more…]
The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: February 5, 2016
February 5, 2016 By Leave a Comment
“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it 
strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
—W. Somerset Maugham
Do you sit and write religiously at the same time every single day? Disciplined like a marathon runner is to running every morning? Sometimes discipline and routine come easy. We have a goal that we want to achieve or a passion we are pursuing. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to be disciplined. We have to force ourselves to show up every day. Rewards and fast approaching deadlines do this well. Even frequent breaks and a change of scenery can help. But what other strategies do you use? What do you do on those days when anything at all seems more appealing than sitting to write?
Happy writing! [Read more…]
The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: November 13, 2015
November 13, 2015 By Leave a Comment
This week celebrated University Press Week. 
Even if you missed most of what this week offered, you can still join in on the live panel discussion It’s Not Scary: The Art of Getting Published with a Scholarly Press, today, Friday, November 13 at 12 p.m. ET, to gain “tips and strategies for working with scholarly presses on every step of the publication process—from proposal to sales and marketing.” You’ll also find a few articles highlighting university presses below (and of course other great articles on writing and publishing!).
Happy writing! [Read more…]
The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: October 23, 2015
October 23, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Have you ever heard of an inspiration or vision board? It’s a collage of images, quotes, and affirmations of your dreams and goals. Creating a vision board that illustrates what you want to achieve in your writing career could motivate you and inspire you on days when you need it most to get you writing. Use it to gather quotes from authors that inspire you, journal covers that you wish to be published in, or positive comments from reviewers. Learn more about how they work and how to make one here: The Reason Vision Boards Work and How to Make One. If you do create a board, or if you already have one, post it in the comments below for all of us to see! Happy writing and happy visioning! [Read more…]
The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: September 11, 2015
September 11, 2015 By Leave a Comment
I’d love to write a light-hearted opening paragraph, 
but my mind is too consumed by the thought of what today represents. Instead, all I’ll say is, take a moment to remember and reflect on the events of this day in 2001—the horror we felt and how we came together as a nation. I encourage you to take a moment of silence in honor of all who lost their lives, lost a loved one, or were otherwise impacted by the events of this day.
We will never forget. [Read more…]
