This article is republished with permission from the GEMM blog.

By: Amanda Holdman, MS student, Geospatial Ecology and Marine Megafauna Lab & Oregon State Research Collective for Applied Acoustics, MMI

“Never use the passive where you can use the active.” I recently received this comment in a draft of my thesis. While this pertained to a particular edit, it has since become my motto for writing in general – to stay active in writing. I knew before beginning this process, from my peers, that it takes time to write a thesis or dissertation, and usually much longer than anticipated, resulting in late caffeinated hours. My roommates have recently moved out, making it a perfect opportunity to convert my home into a great evening office. I needed fewer distractions so I unplugged the TV and set up a desk with ideal conditions for writing. I’m in a race against time with my defense set for only a month away, and getting into good writing habits has helped me smooth out a lot of the writing stress, so I figured I could share those tips.

1. Write sooner

Most of the writing can be actually be done before all the data have arrived.

The writing process can be daunting due to its size and importance. In the beginning I tended to wait until I thought I had researched enough about the topic. But, I have now learned not to wait until all the data is in and the results are clear to start writing. Some researchers might argue that results are needed before one can put the proper spin on the introduction, but spin isn’t quite needed for a first draft. Most of the writing can be actually be done before all the data have arrived. For example, I didn’t need to know the results of my observations before writing the manuscript about them; the rationale for having done the research doesn’t change with the results, so a draft of the introduction can be written without knowing the results. The methodology also doesn’t depend on the results, nor does the analysis that will be performed on the data, so a good framework for the results section can be written before all of the statistical tests are run. And before I know it, I have almost a full draft, just with quite a few gaps.

2. Write Continually

Productivity begets productivity, so don’t stop writing. It keeps my mind working and my project moving. I try to write a little every day or set a goal word limit. (500 words a day is easily obtainable and you feel proud at the end of the day). Writing as frequently as possible for me has helped to reveal gaps in my knowledge or understanding. Vague and disoriented writing tends to reflect a vague and disorganized thought, leading me to dig through the literature for more clarity.

3. Figure out how you write and edit

Some people are better writers when they first put their thoughts on paper and plan to go back and fix awkward sentences, poor word choices, or illogical sentences later. My perfection has always plagued me, so I always edit as a write, with one goal only: to make sure I’ve expressed the idea in my head clearly on the page. I don’t move on until the sentence (or thought) makes sense with no ambiguity in the meaning. Clarity of thought is always the aim in writing a manuscript, yet it is very difficult to come back to a section of writing days or weeks later and sort out a mess of thought if I don’t clarify my writing while the thought is still fresh in your head. This means I am constantly re-reading and revising what I’ve written, but also hopefully means that when I submit something to my advisor or committee it only needs simple revisions, thereby saving time by getting as “close to right” as I could the first time around.

4. Develop a routine

It’s important to learn when and what makes us productive. For me, writing in several short bursts is more efficient than writing in a few, long extended periods. When I try to write for long hours, I notice my concentration diminishing around the hour mark, so I try to take frequent 15 minute breaks. For me, the most productive parts of the day are the beginning the end. It’s important to build momentum early, and have a routine for ending the day too. At the end of each day, I always leave myself something easy to get started with the next day, so I wake up knowing exactly where I am going to start.

5. Find a template

Usually, when we decide on a date and deadlines for the final draft of our thesis due, we’re so frantic and pressed for time trying to get all the content, that we forget about the time it takes to make a draft pretty. My last HUGE time-saving tip is to find a colleague who has recently turned in their thesis or dissertation and still has their final word document. You can save time by reusing their document as a template for margins, page number position and other formatting guidelines. Everything you’ve written can easily be pasted into a formatted template.

6. Keep your motivation near

Finally, always try to keep the end result in mind. Whether it be holding a beautifully bound version of your thesis or a first author publication, keeping motivated is important. Publishing is not a requirement for completing a thesis but it is an ultimate goal for me. I know I owe it to myself, the people who I have worked with along the way, those who have supported me in some way (e.g., my committee), and to the funders that have helped pay for the research. Plus, to have a competitive edge in the next job I apply for, and to get the most leverage possible from my masters training, it is important for me to finish strong with a publication or two. Visualizing the end result helps me to take action to finish my thesis and advance my career.

Now, I think it’s about time to stop writing about writing a thesis and get back to actually writing my thesis.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottsm/8638336589/

Image Credit: Scott Sherrill-Mix on Flickr

— Today’s post is by Michaela Willi Hooper, Scholarly Communication Librarian at Oregon State University Valley Library

Do you conduct research? If you’re a graduate student, chances are the answer is “yes.” And if so, you might spend days in the lab or weeks analyzing data. I encourage you to spend a small fraction of that time exploring the options available for disseminating your research. Where you publish can change how often your article is read and cited. It can affect how it’s weighed by future tenure and promotion committees. One thing you definitely want to avoid is publishing in “predatory” journals.

Definitions & the landscape of scholarly communication

To understand predatory journals, you must first be familiar with open access (OA). Open access advocates believe that research findings, particularly those that are government funded, should be freely available to all. The OA movement began to gain traction in the scholarly community in the early 2000s in response to what many perceived to be a crisis in academic publishing, particularly STM journal publishing.

Before the OA movement, the subscription model dominated. Subscribers, either individuals or organizations like libraries, covered most of the costs. Even though this model prevented many people from accessing scholarship, it went largely unchallenged until publishers began raising prices to the extent that even wealthy universities, like Harvard, were unable to afford the content their researchers needed. OA advocates see this as doubly outrageous since academic researchers write and vet the content in journals. In essence, these publishing companies assume copyright for academic works and then sell them back to the institutions and individuals who produced them. I won’t go into further details here, but I’ve provided you with some resources (Ash; Panitch & Michalak; SPARC) if you want to read more about the scholarly communication landscape.

Digital publishing has reduced printing costs, but reviewing and publishing research is still expensive. Without paid subscriptions, many OA journals rely on article processing charges (APCs) paid for by the authors. This is where we finally arrive at predatory journals.

I like Berger & Cirasella’s definition:

“These are OA journals that exist for the sole purpose of profit, not the dissemination of high-quality research findings and furtherance of knowledge. These predators generate profits by charging author fees . . . that far exceed the cost of running their low-quality, fly-by-night operations.”

Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at the University of Colorado Denver, coined the term “predatory journal” and maintains a list of journal publishers he considers predatory. He has made his criteria public. Some maintain that Beall’s criteria include practices that shouldn’t be labeled predatory and might simply characterize less established publishers who don’t have the resources to put into web development and editing.

I think it’s important to note two other things. First, only a small fraction of OA journals could be considered predatory. There are many reputable, high-impact OA journals. Second, OA alone has not led to predatory publishing. Low-quality research and publishing existed before OA, and the pressures of current systems of tenure and promotion also encouraged the rise of these academic scams. Predatory journals certainly do exist, and their numbers have been on the rise in recent years.

My tips on how to avoid these scams and choose reputable journals

Identify reputable OA publishers with the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). DOAJ members are expected to follow a set of best practices.

If it’s an OA journal, see if the publisher is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). This is a strong indicator of the publisher’s good faith and dedication to quality.

Use Beall’s list to identify unscrupulous publishers. But take it with a grain of salt, particularly if it is contradicting the DOAJ and OASPA lists. For criticism of Beall’s list, see Crawford; Berger & Cirasella; Murray-Rust.

Self-archive. Many subscription journals now permit researchers to post a version of their article on their personal website or the university’s institutional repository (IR). This means you can often reap the benefits of publishing in prestigious subscription journals, avoid APCs, and make your research available to all. You can use SHERPA/RoMEO to identify the self-archiving policies for specific journals. OSU has a robust IR (ScholarsArchive@OSU) where you can easily upload your scholarly work. The IR can also help you fulfill any funder mandates to make your work publicly available.

Evaluate the journal yourself. Questions like those provided by Think. Check. Submit. and Butler’s checklist (at the end of this Nature article) can help you be confident you’re choosing to entrust your hard work to the right venue.

Seek advice. Your advisors can be great resources for identifying reputable journals.

And please remember, I’m also happy to talk to you about these decisions. Let’s make sure that you escape these predators and live another day on the grassy plains of academia.

Writing is one of the best and one of the worst parts of being a graduate student. For most of us writing does not come naturally but, as researchers, there are several important reasons why we do it.

• Writing helps us synthesize information which leads to a better understanding of our topic
• It helps identify the holes in our reasoning
• It serves as a conduit for sharing information and ideas with others for the purpose of critique as well as adding to the growing the body of knowledge in our field.

Start with the reasons

The first, and perhaps largest task of any writing project is to decide what your paper’s thesis is and how you will argue it.

Make a list and include:

• The purpose of the paper
• The desired outcome
• The argument you will use

Keep this list in a place you can easily find it for future referral. When you feel a bit lost on your path or wonder if the detour you have taken is worth the extra mileage, a quick review of these three items will either confirm you path or reset your direction.

Create your working outline

Next, write a very high level outline of your manuscript. You can start with the main sections such as the introduction, conceptual framework, data and methods, results, discussion and conclusion. As you think more about your project add more detail until you have a set of key points under each section. At the top of each section estimate how many pages it will be and how long it will take to write a rough draft. For example, introduction–two pages/three days.

Make a plan

Starting with your deadline and moving backwards make a timeline of tasks. This will help you plan how much you need to get done each day. I find it satisfying to mark things off a list so I break tasks into small parts that can be done in a few hours to a day, which helps me feel I’ve made progress each week. This approach will make your writing project more manageable but it will also allow for you to know when you can walk away and not feel guilty.

Most importantly, set aside time everyday to write, even if its just 15 minutes. If you wait until you have a large chunk of time you will a) never write and; b) spend most of your time trying to remember where you were the last time you sat down to write.

Finally, a word or two about procrastination, the first time it happens don’t worry too much. Take a break and come back to it later. If it persists try making a list of tasks only for that day or try to break your writing into smaller amounts of time punctuated with something short but enjoyable such as a chat with a colleague or a quick review of Facebook (don’t get to engaged in Facebook, remember this is a quick break not an alternative writing project). If you procrastination continues you may want to talk with a friend about having a writing challenge with regular meetings to check in with each other or talk with your faculty advisor about techniques she has used that have helped.

Where to get help

The Graduate School also has several resources to aid students as they write. One of the best resources is the Graduate Writing Center at 123 Waldo Hall on the Corvallis Campus. Students can make an appointment to work directly with a member of the center’s team.

In addition, the Graduate Writing Center also has drop in hours at the Graduate Student Success Center, 203 Memorial Union, from 1-4 every Wednesday. Students can use this time to work with the GTA from the writing center on an issue you may be having with your writing or drop by and discuss writing strategies.

This fall we offer a workshop series led by Chris Nelson from the Graduate Writing Center. Chris has conducted research writing seminars and workshops to graduate students and international students, implemented Writing in the Disciplines (WID) and Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approaches in tutoring and training, and conducted outreach to departments to tailor writing support to their needs. The first workshop led by Chris will be October28th. Register and find out more about this series.

If you remember nothing else remember that it’s OK to ask for help with writing—even the best writers struggle.

— Tori Byington, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Success, Oregon State University