Writing takes up a lot of our time as graduate students, but it is not always easy. Luckily, the challenge of writing is universally shared by grad students and writers, some of whom have taken the time to share their tips for making it a bit easier.
- Writing is a habit -- or it should be. Katie Shives gives you 7 Reasons to Write from the Start (GradHacker; and in the comments Rhiannon follows up with some anthro-specific advice).
- Have you created a Dissertation/ Thesis/ Major Research Paper timeline? For tips on how to complete a "Dissertation Audit" and create a grounded timeline to completion, check out Kathryn Allan's How to Create a Dissertation Timeline
- Ashley Sanders discusses how and why to organize Writing Boot Camps.
- If you are stuck writing or feel like you are writing too slowly, the the folks at Gradhacker and at the Academic Muse blog offer suggestions for working through your block.
- If you are looking for inspiration, click through the short reflections on writing by anthropologists and sociologists collected by Durham University's Department of Anthropology in Writing on Writing. This ongoing project includes selections from anthropologists such as Marilyn Strathern, Tim Ingold and Anna Tsing.
Not all writing is of the same kind. Here is some varied advice for different types of writing:
- Advice on writing Peer Reviews is available from the Chronicle of Higher Education, from GradHacker, and from the LSE Impact blog (with 12 steps laid out for novice peer-review writers).
- Comprehensive Exams take different forms. The advice in this GradHacker post seeks to offer something for everyone.
- Blogging can be a way to find your voice, keep up with your writing practice, and possibly increase the impact of your research or engage with issues that are important to you as we write in this post on Blogging for Research. Check out this piece by Sophie Lewis for advice on How to write a blog post.
- Conference papers and posters can be a challenge for novice and veteran presenters alike. We'll be updating this section soon, but for now, check out our post on Writing better Conference Abstracts and crafting better Posters. You might also want to check out this article from the Guardian on how to get the most out of conferences.
In terms of sharing your insights, publication is an important outlet. Here are some tips on how to publish:
- If you want to publish in academic journals, here are some useful tips from Medium on Thirty one things to consider when choosing which journal to submit your paper to
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If you have any resources for graduate students that would add to this page, we would love to hear from you. Contact the team at anthro everywhere! by email or tweet us @anthrolens
Last updated: 11 October 2017
