Five top tips for successful grant applications
Follow these five top tips for writing a successful grant application.
Getting quality feedback on your work-in-progress
It is vital to get quality feedback on your manuscript by approaching the right person for each aspect of your writing: an expert on the subject to check the content; your supervisor or a colleague to check the argument; a trusted friend with good writing skills to check the grammar and punctuation.
Encapsulate the essence of your argument
It is helpful to get a colleague or fellow student to read through the work to see if the argument is clear.
What’s your investment in your writing?
To find your voice as an author, whether you are writing a thesis or a novel, bring your own subjectivity to your work: the filters that colour everything you think, see, remember and value - and your curiosity. This is your investment in your writing.
Getting ‘distance’ from your writing
Always set aside your writing for at least 24 hours and come back to look at it with fresh eyes.
The role of the protagonist
One of the most successful tools for doctoral students is to envisage the role and nature of the protagonist: that is to say, the character (or discipline; or theory; or interpretive paradigm) that undergoes the most profound change during the course of the work.
Encouraging creativity in your essay writing
When writing an essay it is easy to get so concerned about following the academic ‘rules’ that creativity goes out of the window. How can you encourage your self-expression and creativity, while still following the conventions? Here is one suggestion…
To plan or not to plan?
Are you a 'constipated' or a 'splurge' writer? Although there is no right or wrong way to write, if you are embarking on a long piece of work such as a dissertation, it is advisable to devise a tight structure before you start drafting.
Just do it
If you find it hard to start writing, don't worry. Just start by scribbling down your ideas to get into the flow. You can rewrite and edit your work later to ensure it is accurate.
Managing your time during the long game
The key to managing your time when you're writing a dissertation or a book is to break down the task into manageable chunks and to fit the work comfortably around your other commitments.