Academic Writing

Developing your Academic Writing Skills: Dr Marian Fitzmaurice & Dr Ciara O’Farrell This handbook offers you advice on how to approach your academic writing, especially in your transition from second to third level. We hope it will provide you with an overview of the knowledge, skills and good working practices needed to craft your academic writing. It will teach you how to apply the conventions of writing at university level; however, equally important is that you will gain the confidence to develop your own voice as an academic writer, a focus that underpins this handbook.

Supporting Academics to Write for Publication - A Holistic Approach (PDF, 830KB) Dissemination of knowledge from research-active academics has always been relevant in the academic landscape. However, with an increased focus on measurement of writing output, not only for individual promotion but institutional excellence, the pressure on academics to publish with the highest impact is greater than ever. The literature recommends that universities support the development of structured interventions to support academic writing, but also that a more holistic approach to academic writing support be adopted. This paper evaluates the Writing for Academic Publication Programmes offered by a research-led university which promoted exploration of the personal and emotional as well as the technical and intellectual aspects of writing. The paper also explores the types of writing support academics stated they wanted, such as being part of an active community of academic writers, being supported in overcoming the emotional barriers to their writing, and being shown learning strategies to help prioritise and manage their own writing more effectively.