Katherine Firth et al., "How to Fix Your Academic Writing Trouble: A Practical Guide" (Open UP, 2018)
Feb 9, 2024
auto_awesome
Katherine Firth, an Australian academic dedicated to enhancing scholarly writing, discusses common writing challenges and the misconceptions surrounding audience engagement. She emphasizes the importance of identifying a specific audience rather than writing for a vague group. Firth also addresses the hurdles faced by multilingual scholars and the psychological transitions from student to researcher. Through practical advice, she inspires academics to redefine their writing as a collaborative tool for knowledge transfer, fostering confidence and effective communication.
Academic writing necessitates embracing a scholarly identity, where individuals mimic confident scholars to build essential writing skills and expertise.
The inherent challenges of writing signify the critical process of knowledge creation, pushing scholars to articulate and defend innovative ideas against established norms.
Understanding the audience is vital; writers should specifically target individuals or groups to enhance the clarity and engagement of their communication.
Deep dives
Identity and Academic Writing
Academic writing involves significant identity work, as individuals must adopt the persona of a scholar. This process of mimicry is crucial to developing confidence and expertise in writing. By acting as if they are already skilled scholars, individuals gradually assimilate the necessary skills and mindsets required for producing academic work. Thus, writing is not merely about conveying information, but also about embodying the identity of a researcher.
The Nature of Writing Challenges
Writing is inherently challenging as it requires creating new knowledge and arguing against established concepts. When writing becomes easy, it often indicates that one is not pushing the boundaries of knowledge. The struggle in academic writing reflects the complexity involved in articulating and defending new ideas. This ongoing challenge is essential for scholarly development and should be embraced rather than avoided.
Reading as an Integral Part of Writing
Effective academic writing is closely linked to reading, as it involves critical engagement with existing research. Readers must interpret and re-represent knowledge, making reading a complex participatory process. This relationship underlines the importance of critical thinking while reading, which directly affects the quality of writing. Scholars should focus on developing their reading skills alongside their writing to effectively communicate their understanding of the subject matter.
The Role of Communication in Academia
Understanding the intended audience is crucial for effective academic writing. Writers should identify specific individuals or groups, such as peers or examiners, and tailor their communication to meet their needs. This focused approach helps create connections between the writer's ideas and the reader's understanding. By addressing specific readers, the challenges of articulating complex ideas can be mitigated, leading to clearer communication and a more engaging narrative.
The Need for Enhanced Supervision and Support
The current system often places excessive demands on academic advisors, who are expected to provide guidance in various areas, including writing. With numerous responsibilities, many supervisors lack the time or training to effectively mentor students in writing and communication. Establishing dedicated roles for writing support within research groups can address this gap, enabling better communication and fostering the development of adept academic writers. Enhanced training for both supervisors and emerging researchers would lead to improved academic writing and research outcomes.
Listen to this interview of Katherine Firth, academic at, Australia. We talk about the necessary trouble that people have when they write new knowledge. We also talk about the unnecessary trouble that people have when they imagine that this first sort doesn't exist. Firth is the co-author of How to Fix Your Academic Writing Trouble: A Practical Guide (Open UP, 2018).
Katherine Firth : "Most people write to the computer screen. They write perhaps to their supervisor. But they don't actually have a concept of an audience beyond that, or their concept is just so huge and diffuse — Everybody in the whole wide world! Well, I really don't think that everybody in the whole wide world is particularly interested in this very technical paper on, you know, electromagnetic radiation. But there are, of course, people who care about this. You just need to identify who those people are, and then write to them. Expect those people to listen to you. Maybe go, when you're at conferences — go and talk to those people and see how when you explain things in one way, they really get it, but when you explain it in another way, they really don't. Then use in your writing the way that works."