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Author: Sarah Lang

Don’t give them reasons to disqualify you by saying this [Applications in Academia 101, A Survival Guide, Part 6]

The last post offered some advice on better understanding academic CVs. Now I’d like to highlight one critical mistake I’ve made in the past and recently observed in others: handing someone a reason not to fund you. I will discuss the general conundrum and why it happens more often than…

Revising your draft into a publishable journal article in 12 weeks [Book Review]

Another very useful book about academic writing that I want to discuss with you is Wendy Laura Belcher’s Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (Second Edition, University of Chicago Press, 2009/2019). This book is a practical workbook and has gone through many iterations,…

Does writer’s block exist in academic writing?

We have been talking about academic writing quite a bit recently, so I wanted to discuss another obvious question: Does writer’s block exist in academia? Academic writing isn’t like fiction writing (in my opinion) A common misconception, in my opinion, is that people often mix up academic writing and fiction…

Writing advice for PhD students. Part 4

This is the final part of a mini series on writing advice for PhD students. The tips here aren’t all directly related but mostly, they are about timing. In part 1 I shared some random tips and book recommendations. In part 2, I explained the different stages of academic writing…

Writing advice for PhD students. Part 3

In this series of blog posts (part 1 and part 2), I summarize what writing advice I would recommend my younger self. Although I’m not fully sure nobody ever told me this stuff but I just didn’t listen. Anyway, maybe somewhere in this series is some advice that speaks to…

Writing advice for PhD students. Part 3

In this series of blog posts (part 1 and part 2), I summarize what writing advice I would recommend my younger self. Although I’m not fully sure nobody ever told me this stuff but I just didn’t listen. Anyway, maybe somewhere in this series is some advice that speaks to…

How to write a lot [Book Review]

Here’s my review of Paul J. Silvia, How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (APA LifeTools). I loved it so much that I listened to the audiobook three times in a row. In short: read it, I loved it Overall, I have to say, this…

What reviewing books taught me about how to procrastinate less

Here are the key takeaways from various authors on overcoming procrastination that I talked about in earlier posts or book reviews: From Steven Pressfield (“Turning Pro” & “The War of Art”): Procrastination is a form of stress relief and can be like addiction, characterized by passive, easy, and guilt-inducing behaviors.…

Revolutionary thought for the summer break: You work best when well-rested

Brace yourselves, I have something revolutionary to say. You work the best when well-rested. When you’re well-rested, you’re not constantly running on a low battery and about to crash; you have enough energy to keep going. In that battery-always-almost-empty state, you’re irritable, make bad decisions, procrastinate more, do things that,…

How to stop procrastinating on academic writing (it may be simpler than you think)

I spent the weekend meditating at a silent retreat and had a big insight during a work meditation session (where you attempt to do household chores with awareness) that I wanted to share with you because I think it’s relevant to many of us struggling with procrastination and the fear…

Endings are hard: How to write a strong conclusion [Book Review]

Nobody knows how to write good conclusions. So for the second post in my recap of Joshua Schimmel’s Writing Science (part 1), I will unpack how to write a strong conclusion—according to Schimmel anyway and adding a few experiences of mine. But honestly, trust him, not me. I don’t know…

What I learned about Writing Science [Book Review]

At a recent professional development workshop, I was recommended Writing Science by Joshua Schimmel (Oxford University Press: Oxford 2011). I learned so much! Initially, I didn’t expect much because it’s for scientists and not the Humanities – but it was extremely helpful nonetheless. Thus, I decided to make notes of…

How to energise and condense your writing [Book Review]

In this post, you will learn how to energise and condense your writing according to Joshua Schimmel’s Writing Science. His advice really isn’t secret or particularly mind-blowing but I’m making all those mistakes on a regularl basis. Sometimes it’s good to have the rules spelled out. To energise your writing,…

Why I’m disappointed by Slow Productivity [Book Review]

I was disappointed by Cal Newport’s latest book ​Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout (2024). In this blog post, I will share my takeaways from this book, why I was disappointed and why you may or may not be, too. This book review is quite long and…

[Book Review] A world without email

Today, I want to give a brief reivew of Cal Newport, A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload (Penguin 2021, see also the author’s website). The summary situates the work as follows: Modern knowledge workers communicate constantly. Their days are defined by a relentless barrage…