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Category Archives: argument
writing like those I admire
That half conscious state between sleeping and waking seems to be the time that I begin to compose a blog post. I often wake up relatively early with a half formed idea. I then work on it idly, gradually waking … Continue reading
Posted in academic book, academic life, academic writing, argument, authority in writing, de Certeau, reading
Tagged academic writing, books, Pat Thomson
4 Comments
a little worry about methods ‘assignments’
In the last two weeks I’ve spoken to three doctoral researchers about writing on methodology and methods. They were in the social sciences, and this post is written from that perspective, although I suspect it may apply to some humanities … Continue reading
Posted in argument, assignment, methods chapter, research methods, thesis
Tagged argument, assignment, methodologies, methods chapter, Pat Thomson
11 Comments
our paper on academic blogging: using powerpoint as a planning tool
Thesis Whisperer and I have been researching for a paper we are giving at a forthcoming conference. it’s about academic blogging and you can read our initial abstract here. We divided the researching task into two and Inger ‘found’ and … Continue reading
writing from the PhD thesis: letting go
I often meet post PhD people who are stuck. Even though they are now doctored, they are not over the Big Book. Some of them are stuck in thinking how they might get something, anything, out of the thesis. A … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, Big Book, Dr, publication plan, publishing
Tagged Pat Thomson, post PhD, publication planning, publishing, writing from the PhD
12 Comments
how to read an academic book closely – part three – sucking the stone
There are some books that are important to your study and some that are critical to your ongoing research agenda, and some that you just love. There are also some writers whose work you want to know in great detail. … Continue reading
Posted in academic book, argument, authority in writing, Pat Thomson, reading, reference, terms, theory
Tagged academic book, intertextuality, Pat Thomson, reading, terms, theory
3 Comments
how to read and note an academic book – part two – slicing and dicing
So you’ve now picked out the book that you want to read in some detail. As I’ve suggested, you don’t want to read every book in the same way. There are some that can immediately be skimmed, others engaged with … Continue reading
Posted in academic book, argument, backward mapping, note-taking, reading, structure
Tagged academic book, argument, backward mapping, noting, Pat Thomson, reading
1 Comment
rules for conference presentations
Having just returned from a conference where the presentations were a little mixed – to say the least – I was reminded of the reality that conference presentations are not the same as the conference paper. The paper is the … Continue reading
Posted in argument, audience, conference papers, conference presentation, powerpoint, so what
Tagged Anthony Weston, argument, conference presentation, Pat Thomson
9 Comments
‘signposting’ your journal articles and chapters
Many early journal writers are asked to put more signposting into their articles. Indeed, journal editors often list lack of signposting as a reason for requesting revisions. So what is signposting and why is it needed? Signposting is the … Continue reading
Posted in argument, crafting writing, journal, signposts
6 Comments
three stages of empirical analysis
It is often helpful to think about data analysis as needing at least two – and often three - stages. Stage One: Descriptive. What is there here? A summary of the data is generated – for example through thematisation of interview transcripts … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument, crafting writing, empirical analysis
1 Comment
research as an argument
One of the things that doctoral researchers sometimes find difficult to ‘get’ is that the thesis is not a report of a set of findings with a discussion and a conclusion tacked onto the end. It is an ARGUMENT. An … Continue reading
Posted in academic writing, argument
6 Comments
