Writing on Academic Writing
A few weeks ago I wrote a brief Instagram post about an academic writing book I reference frequently, Dr. Wendy Belcher’s, Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks. In graduate school, I purchased Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks, first edition, and it changed my life. Graduate schools (including doctoral programs), rarely teach their students the technical, social, and political skills needed to get your work out there and published. As a result, many of us flounder for years trying to figure out how we can climb to the crest of “magical publishing mountain” (ha!).
My solution has been to read a diverse number of books and articles on a variety of technical and theoretical approaches to writing. In the early ’00’s, many of the most popular academic writing books focused on how to set-up good writing practices and habits. Most of these writing books ignored fine-grained details of the technical how-to of academic writing. There was a lot of advice on writing every-day, but very little advice on how to organize a social science journal article before submitting it for publication.
Thankfully, that is changing! Several folks have asked me to recommend the academic writing books I’ve found most useful over the years. This is a tricky endeavor because each book on my list has served me at different times for different reasons. What was useful while I was writing my dissertation was not necessarily useful while writing my first book manuscript. So I encourage you to take my list as a jumping off point. Try to borrow your book of interest from the library first, or at the very least, check the table of contents. After all, the texts that serve my writing needs may not serve your exact writing needs!
With that said, below, find a list of my most recommended academic writing books.
- Successful Academic Writing: A Complete Guide for Social and Behavioral Scientists, by Anneliese A. Singh and Lauren Lukkarila
2. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (2nd edition), by Wendy Belcher
3. Stylish Academic Writing, By Helen Sword
4. Becoming an Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing, by Patricia Goodson
5. Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing, by Robert Boice
6. Write to the Top! How to Become a Prolific Academic, by W. Brad Johnson and Carol A. Mullen
7. Write No Matter What: Advice for Academics, by Joli Jensen
8. Getting it Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books (3nd edition), by William Germano
9. Write it Up: Practical Strategies for Writing and Publishing Journal Articles, by Paul J. Silvia
10. The Clockwork Muse: A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations, and Book, by Eviatar Zerubavel
peace.
Alex Moffett-Bateau / Prof MB (she/they) holds a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago and BA in political science + African American Studies from the University of Michigan. She is an assistant professor of political science at the City University of New York. Their research and writing focus on extra-systemic and subversive politics. Her manuscript in progress argues, in order to accurately understand the political engagement of Black women living in poverty, a fundamental expansion and redefinition of what is considered, “political” is needed. Prof MB is a public speaker, consultant, and podcaster. She is a political knowledge worker whose focus is on Black feminist + disability justice political education. Prof MB is originally from Detroit and now makes her home in New York City.
This is a great list! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading my blog! I am so glad the list was useful to you :).