Developing Research Writing

Developing Research Writing is designed to encourage, inspire and improve the advisory practice of providing writing feedback. This book provides insights and advice that supervisors can use to advance their support of their research students’ writing and, at the same time, survive increasing supervisory demands. Book parts are framed by empirical supervisor and doctoral student experiences and chapters within each part provide multiple approaches. The carefully chosen contributors are specialists on research writing and doctoral pedagogy, who guide the reader through the key stages of providing feedback. Split into nine key parts the book covers: starting a new supervision with writing in focus; making use of other resources along the way; encouraging style through control of language; writing feedback on English as an Additional Language (EAL) writing; Master’s and Honours smaller projects’ writing feedback; thesis by publication or performance-based writing; maintaining and gathering momentum; keeping the examiner happy; writing feedback as nudging through identity transition. The parts cohere into a go-to handbook for developing the supervision process. Drawing on research, literature and experience, Developing Research Writing offers well-theorized, yet practical and grounded advice conducive to good practices.

This is not a standard guide to writing a dissertation, thesis, project report, journal article or book. Rather, this book will help researchers who are dissatisfied with the typical recipe approaches to standardised forms of writing-up and want to explore how academic writing can be used to greater effect. Writing Research Critically shows that writing up is not just about ‘presenting findings’ as if the facts would speak for themselves. As the authors show there are certain vital skills that any writer needs to develop within their academic writing, such as the ability to: develop critical understanding and a personal academic voice question assumptions and the status quo frame the background and transgress the frame read between the lines when reviewing the literature strengthen interpretations and conctruct persuasive arguments challenge and develop theory and explanations develop ideas that create possibilities for realistic action Packed with examples from a range of writing projects (papers, dissertations, theses, reports, journal articles and books), this book provides a practical and refreshing way to approach and present research. Through case studies the authors offer a step-by-step guide from the early stages of planning a writing project, whether an undergraduate paper or a professional publication, to the polishing processes that make the difference between a merely descriptive account to an argument that intends to be critical and persuasive. Written in a clear accessible style this book will inspire a wide range of researchers from undergraduates to postgraduates, early career researchers and experienced professionals working across a wide range of fields, and demonstrate how research can have more impact in the real world.

Academic literacy is no longer considered a by-product of academic socialization but a complex set of skills that need to be developed actively. This book addresses the questions of how academic and professional writing skills can be fostered in our multilingual and multicultural societies and how these skills can be measured.

Pam Denicolo and Lucinda Becker recognize the importance of developing an effective research proposal for gaining either a place on a research degree program or funding to support research projects and set out to explore the main factors that that proposal writers need to attend to in developing successful proposals of their own. Developing Research Proposals will help readers to understand the context within which their proposal will be read, what the reviewers are looking for and will be influenced by, while also supporting the development of relevant skills through advice and practical activities.

This is not a standard guide to writing a dissertation, thesis, project report, journal article or book. Rather, this book will help researchers who are dissatisfied with the typical recipe approaches to standardised forms of writing-up and want to explore how academic writing can be used to greater effect. Writing Research Critically shows that writing up is not just about ‘presenting findings’ as if the facts would speak for themselves. As the authors show there are certain vital skills that any writer needs to develop within their academic writing, such as the ability to: develop critical understanding and a personal academic voice question assumptions and the status quo frame the background and transgress the frame read between the lines when reviewing the literature strengthen interpretations and conctruct persuasive arguments challenge and develop theory and explanations develop ideas that create possibilities for realistic action Packed with examples from a range of writing projects (papers, dissertations, theses, reports, journal articles and books), this book provides a practical and refreshing way to approach and present research. Through case studies the authors offer a step-by-step guide from the early stages of planning a writing project, whether an undergraduate paper or a professional publication, to the polishing processes that make the difference between a merely descriptive account to an argument that intends to be critical and persuasive. Written in a clear accessible style this book will inspire a wide range of researchers from undergraduates to postgraduates, early career researchers and experienced professionals working across a wide range of fields, and demonstrate how research can have more impact in the real world.

This book shows scientists how to apply their analysis and synthesis skills to overcoming the challenge of how to write, as well as what to write, to maximise their chances of publishing in international scientific journals. The book uses analysis of the scientific article genre to provide clear processes for writing each section of a manuscript, starting with clear ‘story’ construction and packaging of results. Each learning step uses practical exercises to develop writing and data presentation skills based on reader analysis of well-written example papers. Strategies are presented for responding to referee comments, and for developing discipline-specific English language skills for manuscript writing and polishing. The book is designed for scientists who use English as a first or an additional language, and for individual scientists or mentors or a class setting. In response to reader requests, the new edition includes review articles and the full range of research article formats, as well as applying the book’s principles to writing funding applications. Web support for this book is available at www.writeresearch.com.au