Writing about your own work is sometimes tricky. There are ‘secretarial’ text issues involved in using your own work. I’ll talk here about how you refer to yourself and the work, and the vexed question of self-plagiarism. writing your work into the text The advice on self citation often suggests that you refer to yourself by […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Citing yourself – in the text
You can’t cure students’ ills by typing on your computer
Recently, I found myself in my doctor’s office with an ever-growing list of concerns. My doctor spent most of the consultations asking me questions while facing her laptop, typing out what I said. Then one morning, I woke in excruciating pain and was unable to stand. When I called my doctor, the person who answered […] … learn more→
Beating the AP class scam
With college tuition perpetually increasing, parents are highly motivated to cut costs. One way to cut costs is to enroll kids into “AP courses” in high school. Advanced Placement courses provide college credit, at least if the students can pass the AP exam…and there’s the rub, as that test costs around $100 to take. Because […] … learn more→
6 traits of life-changing teachers
Michael Foley, my high school Shakespeare teacher, was a known tyrant. As underclassmen, my friends and I would walk past his closed door, peer in the narrow vertical window, and see him gesticulating wildly at some hapless senior, blood vessels popping in his forehead. We were genuinely terrified. I would eventually discover that Foley wasn’t […] … learn more→
PhD career capital
My sister is fond of reminding me that, in 1992, after returning from my first overseas trip to Europe, I told her I wanted a career where I could “get on and off planes and talk to people for a living”. It’s appropriate then, that I write this post while flying high above the red […] … learn more→
Has the print book trumped digital? Beware of glib conclusions
While just a few years ago, headlines predicted eBook supremacy and the demise of the paper book, that’s now reversed. They’re now saying the Kindle is clunky and unhip and paper books are cool and selling well as eBook sales crash. But are today’s claims any more accurate than those of 2012? The latest round […] … learn more→
Citing yourself – how much is too much?
Should you cite yourself? Ever? Never? Sometimes, and if sometimes, when? And how much? When does sometimes become just too much altogether? There are mixed views on self-citation. Some people think that it’s quite unseemly to cite yourself at all – it’s nothing but ruthless self-promotion and bragging. And of course, there are people who do […] … learn more→
How universities can earn trust and share power in the bitter post-truth era
James Baldwin, the author, playwright and social critic, whose life is depicted in the remarkable 2016 film I Am Not Your Negro, once said: “It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” Alongside Baldwin’s commentary, the work of Hannah Arendt teaches us about the […] … learn more→
State University recruiter: “I sell worthless degrees”
“An Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living.” –Plato Studying higher education as much as I do, I have no choice but to question what I am doing. I see the massively rising student debt, I see the Poo Bahs raking in ever more money, see them crying about the lack of money in the system…and […] … learn more→
The best academics make the best heads of department
Many academics feel privileged to be working in a university. “Knowledge workers” like us, it is often said, are intrinsically motivated: driven by the internal rewards of their work. This contrasts with those who might be more motivated by extrinsic factors, such as pay or other awards. But, as we all know, even the most […] … learn more→
