Research Guides: Scholarly Communication Support: Planning, Conducting, Disseminating, Promoting, & Assessing Research: Academic Writing

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Subjects: OER: Open (or Free) Educational Materials, Scholarly Communication

Guidance on Academic Writing

Author Guides (from Taylor & Francis Publishing)
From Preparation (choosing a journal, publishing ethics, etc.) and Submission (checklist, cover letter, etc.) to Review, Production, Publication, and Beyond Publication.
Elsevier Researcher Academy
Online lectures and interactive tutorials on many topics, including how to write great papers, preparing your manuscript, the journal publishing cycle, Impact Factor & other bibliometrics, publishing ethics and peer review, and even how to get your research noticed more often.
How To... Guides (from Emerald Publishing)
Topics such as how to write a lit review, how to proofread, how to write an abstract, and more.

From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader by Stuart Greene; April Lidinsky
Call Number: LB2369 .G745 2021 (4th floor)
Publication Date: 2020
Readings from across the disciplines, combined with a step-by-step approach you can apply to your own writing inside and outside of academia.
How to Use Storytelling in Your Academic Writing by Timothy G. Pollock
Call Number: LB2369 .P65 2021 (4th floor)
Publication Date: 2021
Every article is a story, and employing the techniques of effective storytelling enhances scholars' abilities to share their insights and ideas, increasing the impact of their research. This book draws on the tools and techniques of storytelling employed in fiction and non-fiction writing to help academic writers enhance the clarity, presentation, and flow of their scholarly work. Pollock describes the structure, techniques and tools of storytelling, and shows the reader how to apply them in writing sections of an article.
Revise: The scholar-writer's essential guide to tweaking, editing, and perfecting your manuscript by Pamela Haag
Call Number: Read Online
Publication Date: 2021
Drawing on before and after examples from more than a decade as a developmental editor of scholarly works, Pamela Haag tackles the most common challenges of scholarly writing with user-friendly advice, warmth, humor, sympathy, and flair.
Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishig Success (2nd Edition) by Wendy Laura Belcher
Call Number: Z471 .B45 2019 (3rd floor)
Publication Date: 2019
Combines expert guidance with a step-by-step workbook. 2nd edition includes more targeted exercises and checklists, as well as the latest research on productivity and scholarly writing. Each week, readers learn a feature of strong articles and work on revising theirs accordingly. Every day is mapped out, with tasks, templates, and reminders.
Crafting Scholarship in the Behavioral and Social Sciences by Robert M. Milardo
Call Number: H61.8 .M56 2015 (4th floor)
Publication Date: 2014
Explores writing, editing, and reviewing in academic publishing. Highlights include: - Describes writing quantitative and qualitative reports, theory and literature reviews, books and chapters, grants, and book reviews. - Identifies common writing and publishing problems and solutions. - Addresses how to write each section of a journal article. - Includes examples of published work. ...And more
Handbook of Research on Scholarly Publishing and Research Methods
Call Number: Read Online
Publication Date: 2014
Examples of chapter topics include:
- Preparing book proposals for scholarly publishers
- Creating a support structure for academic writing
- Dancing with the data: arts-based qualitative research
- Measurement development and validation in research: statistical techniques and illustrations
- Teachers as researchers: participatory and action research
...and many more!
The Little Guide to Getting Your Journal Article Published by John Bond
Call Number: Read Online
Publication Date: 2022
Includes chapters on literature reviews, writing your article, adding figures and tables, editing, and more.

SHSU's institutional membership in NCFDD gives all faculty, staff, and students access to their wealth of resources for succeeding in academia.

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After activating your membership and signing in, browse the Library tab or search the site for webinars and resources on topics such as:

Are You Ready To Get Unstuck?
Overcoming by Understanding Academic Writer’s Block
Writing through Writer's Block: Turning Research Obstacles into Insight
Imposter Syndrome
How to Write an Article in No Time
Writing as Metaphor: Discovering a Writing Process That Works for You
Developing Writing Rituals: A Key to Jumpstarting and Maintaining Productivity

Tips for Communicating With, [About], and For LGBTQI+ Communities
"When communicating with, about, or for LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, and other) communities, it is important to consider the unique needs and barriers these populations encounter."
Writing Respectfully: Person-First and Identity-First Langauge
"Focus on what will create the most respect in your situation and with your audience."

Inclusive Language in Science
The recorded presentation below by the Technical Editor for Style at The BMJ "explored the role of inclusive language in science, including how thoughtful and deliberate choices in wording can help to promote diversity, reduce bias, and ensure that individuals are valued and respected. Relevant challenges in science editing and publishing were discussed and practical tips and resources were provided to help empower participants to have conversations and make decisions about potentially sensitive topics."

Traditional Abstracts

Writing an Effective Abstract: An Audience-Based Approach By Faye Halpern and James Phelan, for Inside Higher Ed, 23 February 2017
Your essential ‘how-to’ guide to writing good abstracts Suggests a checklist, which offers a structured set of suggestions for what an abstract should include, and what should be kept to a small presence.
The not-always-obvious ‘infrastructure’ of journal articles: Abstracts and textual linkages by Dannelle Stevens, on the TAA's Abstract blog, 2 May 2017 - This short but informative piece focuses on the structure of the abstract and the repetition of key constructs across the title, gap and purpose statement.
TooWrite Abstracts
A method and tool for writing abstracts. Sign up for free.

Graphical Abstracts

What is a Graphical Abstract and Why Do I Need One for My Paper?
How to Make a Graphical Abstract for Your Scientific Paper
Dr. Anna Clemens
Graphical Abstract in Scientific Research
Jeyaraman, M., Ratna, H. V. K., Jeyaraman, N., Maffulli, N., Migliorini, F., Nallakumarasamy, A., & Yadav, S. (2023). Graphical Abstract in Scientific Research. Cureus, 15(9), e45762. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.45762

Example of a graphical abstract:

School bullying is not a conflict [Graphical abstract] by Vinoj Chamilka Liyanaarachchi is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

How to Write the Background of Your Study

Infographic from Editage! - 6 Differences between a study background and literature review

table comparing a study background and a literature review according to a series of six questions

Basics of Literature Reviews (Walden Univ.)
Learn How to Write a Review of the Literature From the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center
Writing a Literature Review and Using a Synthesis Matrix By the NC State University Writing and Speaking Tutorial Service Tutors, fall 2006.
How To... Write a Literature Review Guide from Emerald Publishing
Hacking the Literature Review: Opportunities and Innovations to Improve the Research Process By Jennifer Lubke, Virginia G. Britt, Trena M. Paulus, and David P. Atkins, in Reference and User Services Quarterly, summer 2017. Details a proposed "paperless literature review workflow" to help manage online research when conducting and writing a literature review.

Foundations of Academic Writing: Learning to review research literature (Second edition) by Julie Combs
Call Number: LB2369 .C63 2022 (4th floor)
Publication Date: 2022
Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review by Andrew Booth; Anthea Sutton; Mark Clowes; Marrissa Martyn-St James
Call Number: LB1047.3 .B66 2022 (4th floor)
Publication Date: 2022
From deciding how much literature to include to managing your data, assessing your sources, and writing results, it outlines a step-by-step process that works with any data. To help you choose best approach for your research, this book includes: worksheets, checklists, decision aids, templates, etc.
Writing Literature Reviews by Jose L. Galvan; Melisa C. Galvan
Call Number: Read Online
Publication Date: 2017
This useful guide educates students in the preparation of literature reviews for term projects, theses, and dissertations. The authors provide numerous examples from published reviews that illustrate the guidelines discussed throughout the book.

How to Write the Methods Section of a Research Paper by Dr. Dhriti Bhattacharyya, 18 Sep 2018, for Editage Insights

Although the video below discusses theses and dissertations, the steps described are useful for writing a methodology section in any context.

How to Write the Conclusion of a Research Paper

A lay summary explains your research for a general audience.

In a Nutshell: How to Write a Lay Summary By Christopher Tancock, 30-Nov-2018. Why “translating” your research for a general audience can bring many benefits – and how to do so.

R Pubsure
Pubsure reviews your uploaded manuscript and identifies language issues, reference problems, and more. Although a paid version is available with more bells and whistles, even the free version can be a great tool to help polish a manuscript before submission.
Paperpal
Free AI tool checks grammar and language in academic writing. A plugin for Microsoft Word is also available.