A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edition, by Kate L. Turabian. This is the basic go-to writing resource for researchers and scholars. It gives lots of good advice about the planning and production of academic texts. Sections include: Moving from a Topic to a Question to a Working Hypothesis, Finding Useful Sources, Planning Your Argument, Drafting Your Report, Revising Your Draft, and many other essential topics. It is essentially a shortened version of the Chicago Manual of Style for academic writers.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA 6th edition). An important resource for all writers using APA style for referencing, citing, and writing. Much of APA style can also be accessed online. However, I find having the printed manual at hand is useful not only for quick checks, it presents the entire style guide for your review. Read through it quickly before you start writing to get a better idea of major style points, not only about referencing, but about the writing style. Sections include Manuscript Structure and Content, Writing Clearly and Concisely, The Mechanics of Style, Displaying Results (great info. on formatting tables and figures), Crediting Sources, and Reference Examples.
The following are sources that can help you write more effectively with increased precision and clarity.
The Elements of Style by Strunk & White
All academic writers should read this before starting to write their first draft. You can read it in an afternoon, and in so doing, it can illuminate, with clear, straightforward examples, the traps many academic writers fall into and how to avoid them. Even experienced writers can reinforce and upgrade their already competent writing by taking a quick read-through.
Edit Yourself : A manual for everyone who works with words by Bruce Ross-Larson
A must-have source for all those serious about writing concisely and to the point. This will help you eliminate unnecessary words and reduce jargon. The final section lists common words/phrases alphabetically that can be altered and shortened for clarity. There are also many points of grammar and syntax that every good writer should know.
To The Point – A Dictionary of Concise Writing by Robert Hartwell Fiske
This is similar to the book above but more extensive. This big book has three sections: “Advice on Writing Concisely,” “Dictionary of Concise Writing,” and “Guide to Obfuscation: A Reverse Dictionary.” This is a valuable source for paring down hundreds and hundreds of common phrases and eliminating unnecessary words so that the writing flows for the reader rather than bogging them down.
Wordiness and Over-Nominalization – This is a single web page full of excellent advice and insight written by Dr. L. Kip Wheeler at Carson-Newman University, advising her students on how to improve, and often eliminate, over-long noun phrases. With clear examples, she shows you how to increase the number of active verbs in the writing and reduce the deadening effect of passive voice wherever possible. ESL writers especially should read and study this web page.
Academic Phrases
Check out this great site for hundreds of effective academic phrases you can adapt to your specific contexts.
For new mothers
Are you a new or soon-to-be new mother dealing with the pressures of academic writing? Check out these two links.
Doctoral Writing SIG – tips on writing sections of a dissertation or thesis, advice on grammar and academic vocabulary, the ins and outs of academic publishing.
Dr. Catherine Pope – lots of good advice on time management for research and writing projects, managing health and wellness, coping with the stress of writing.
Watch out for more resources and links to come!