Many of us compartmentalise different types of writing. Creative writing is for novelists, poets, playwrights, and so on. Research writing is done by people who are not creative writers. It consists of monographs, journal articles, book chapters, reports, and so on. Then there are a bunch of research tasks we don’t really think of as […] … learn more→

Two comments that supervisors often write on doctoral texts are (1) “add link” and (2) lacks flow”. But what do these comments actually mean? In this post I’m going to provide a couple of very basic pointers to flow and linking for any reader who isn’t sure what these terms are about. I’m not going […] … learn more→

It might seem surprising, but federal research funding isn’t just for scientists. A component of many federal grants that support basic research requires that discoveries be shared with nonscientists. This component, referred to as “broader impacts” by the National Science Foundation, can make a big difference for K-12 students and teachers, museumgoers, citizen scientists and other people […] … learn more→

We very often start out on a research project with a BIG question. Or a big problem or puzzle. Why do people think that there is no climate crisis? Why are universities not funded properly? How can we cope with increasingly turbulent weather? How can we ethically use AI in teaching?  You get the idea. Add […] … learn more→

“Theories are like toothbrushes,” it’s sometimes said. “Everybody has their own and nobody wants to use anybody else’s.” It’s a joke, but when it comes to the study of consciousness – the question of how we have a subjective experience of anything at all – it’s not too far from the truth. In 2022, British neuroscientist […] … learn more→

Writing a paper or setting up a piece of research often involves a problem or a puzzle. You’ve identified something that needs to be sorted and you’re just the person to do it. At the start, problems tend to present themselves as  either practical – there is something that is going on that is difficult/inequitable/could be […] … learn more→

Ever been told not to repeat yourself in your writing? Or been told that repetition is a complete academic no-no? Well, that’s not entirely true. But before I explain why, I must make a slight digression. Bear with me. It’ll come together in just a minute. It can be helpful for academic writers to consciously […] … learn more→

Gaining research funds is always tough, but some people are having it tougher than usual at the moment. In late 2024, the New Zealand government cut all Humanities and Social Science funding from the Marsden Fund, their main research funding program. Since coming to office in the United States, Donald Trump has cut funding in a […] … learn more→

Part-time postgraduate study can be an isolating experience, with students often having to balance their research with careers, family, or care commitments. Factoring remote working into this mix can leave postgraduate researchers (PGRs) without an established community to work within. This post shares insights from a writing retreat we developed as part-time PGRs, for part-time […] … learn more→

“Masks are incapable of containing the transmission of COVID-19, concludes a study by USP” , reads the headline of an online magazine. It was reproduced by several anti-vax influencers without scientific training, including former president Jair Bolsonaro . The study mentioned in the article was published in the scientific journal BMC Public Health , but it has several methodological flaws. The magazine […] … learn more→