Becoming an Academic Writer : 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing

by Patricia Goodson

• ISBN13: 9781452203867
• ISBN10: 1452203865
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-19
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

This book helps academic writers gain control over writing and publishing, master specific aspects of academic writing, and improve their productivity. Patricia Goodson offers weekly exercises and tools to achieve these goals. The exercises are theoretically-grounded and empirically-based, comprising a set of behavioral principles (e.g., writing regularly, separating generating from editing) and specific practices (weekly exercises) which ensure success. The author draws on research on writing and productivity in college settings, together with insights into the practice patterns of elite performers (such as Olympic athletes), to develop a set of key principles. This book uniquely combines these successful principles with a set of original exercises applicable to the writing needs of college professors and students.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xix
About the Author	p. xxi
Get Ready to Practice	p. 1
The POWER Model	p. 3
The Theory Behind POWER	p. 3
The Research Behind POWER	p. 4
Talent Development and Elite Performance: The Psychology Literature	p. 6
Talent Development and Elite Performance: The Neuroscience Literature	p. 7
Practicing Academic Writing	p. 9
Notes	p. 10
Electronic Sources	p. 10
References	p. 10
Practice Becoming a Productive Academic Writer
Establish and Maintain the "Write" Habit	p. 15
Think About It…	p. 16
Seeing Yourself as a Writer	p. 17
Embrace the "Write" Attitude	p. 17
Manage the Contingencies	p. 18
Practice	p. 19
Schedule Your Writing Sessions	p. 21
Increase Your Writing Time in No Time	p. 23
Write Quickly, Edit Slowly	p. 25
Organize Messy Drafts	p. 28
Keep and Share a Writing Log	p. 31
Read About Writing	p. 34
Document Your Writing Projects	p. 36
Write to Learn (Anything, Including How to Write)	p. 39
Notes	p. 42
Electronic Sources	p. 42
References	p. 42
Practice Building Academic Vocabulary	p. 45
Think About It…	p. 46
Increase Your Vocabulary One Word at a Time	p. 51
Use New Academic Words	p. 54
Build Your Own Professional Dictionary/Glossary	p. 57
Electronic Sources	p. 60
References	p. 60
Chapter Four-Polish the Grammar	p. 61
Think About It…	p. 62
Learn From the Masters	p. 65
Identify Patterns of Problems	p. 67
Practice Grammar Rules	p. 69
Copy	p. 71
Note	p. 74
Electronic Sources	p. 74
References	p. 74
Get Feedback	p. 77
Think About It…	p. 78
Types of Feedback	p. 80
Get Feedback on Early Drafts	p. 82
Get Feedback oh Middle Drafts	p. 85
Get Feedback on Final Drafts	p. 87
Get Feedback Regularly	p. 90
Schedule Reading Appointments	p. 93
References	p. 94
Edit and Proofread	p. 95
Think About It…	p. 96
Tighten the Paragraphs	p. 98
Make It Flow: Organize	p. 102
Clear the Clutter	p. 106
Use a Thesaurus and a Reverse Dictionary	p. 114
Pay Attention to Word Placement	p. 118
Cut It in Half	p. 122
Read Aloud	p. 124
Copyedit: Proofread Line by Line	p. 126
Note	p. 129
Electronic Sources	p. 129
References	p. 129
Practice Writing Sections of Journal Articles, Research Reports, and Grant Applications
Exercises for Writing Introductions, Purpose Statements, or Specific Aims Sections	p. 133
Think About It…	p. 134
Map	p. 137
Dump	p. 140
Craft the Purpose Statement	p. 142
Develop the Rationale	p. 146
Present the Literature Review	p. 149
Lay Out the Theoretical Framework	p. 150
Check It	p. 152
Checklist for Introductions	p. 152
Notes	p. 153
Electronic Sources	p. 154
References	p. 154
Exercises for Writing the Methods Section	p. 155
Think About It…	p. 156
Practice Describing	p. 158
Describe the Research Design	p. 160
Describe the Sample	p. 162
Describe the Measures	p. 163
Describe Data Collection and Data Management Procedures	p. 165
Describe the Data Analysis	p. 168
Note	p. 169
References	p. 169
Chapter Nine-Exercises for Writing the Results/Findings Section	p. 171
Think About It…	p. 172
Picture the Findings	p. 174
Describe the Most Important Findings	p. 176
Checklist for Results/Findings Sections	p. 177
Summarize the Least Important Findings	p. 179
Note	p. 179
Electronic Sources	p. 180
References	p. 180
Exercises for Writing the Discussion or Conclusion Section	p. 181
Think About It…	p. 182
Question the Results/Findings	p. 185
Connect the Dots: Other Research	p. 187
Connect the Dots: Relevant Theory	p. 189
Guide Your Reader Into the Future	p. 192
Confess Limitations	p. 195
Notes	p. 198
References	p. 198
Exercise for Writing Abstracts	p. 199
Think About It…	p. 200
Write an Abstract in 20 Minutes	p. 203
References	p. 205
Afterword	p. 207
Appendix: Additional Resources	p. 209
Author Index	p. 213
Subject Index	p. 217
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