Recent content by Annie

Printing it out is key. I tried doing everything on my laptop and kept getting distracted. Having the physical paper with red pen? That’s when I actually started understanding what they wanted. Also, categorize it like you said. I use a spreadsheet. Column A is "Easy," Column B is "Painful."...

I had this exact problem with my thesis. My advisor finally said: "Your paper isn't getting better. It's getting different. Stop." That was the wake-up call. If you're not sure whether a change improves it, it probably doesn't. The law of diminishing returns kicks in hard after the third or...

The professor who said “follow the journal” is 100% correct. But since you’re writing for a class and not submitting to a specific journal, I’d actually suggest you look at the reading list your professor assigned. If most of the readings are in APA, use APA. If they’re in AMA, use AMA. That’s...

Basically a critique is you playing detective. 🕵️‍♂️ You gotta figure out if the research actually proves what it claims to prove. For CS/engineering, look hard at the evaluation section. Did they compare against reasonable baselines? Or did they cherry-pick? Profs want to see that you spotted...

Arnie, I'm in a program where AI use is explicitly allowed if disclosed. But I've also had professors who consider any AI use a violation. The difference is in the syllabus. One professor gave us a whole policy: brainstorming = yes, drafting = no, editing = ask first. Another professor said "if...

Femina, I defended my master's thesis last year and my DMP was literally two pages: where I store files, how I anonymize participants, who has access, and what happens to the data after graduation. My advisor required it. It's not about bureaucracy—it's about protecting yourself if someone...

I used to think that writing was the last step of research — you do the science, then you write it up. But reading about "The Scientist's Guide to Writing" made me realize I've had it backwards. The book emphasizes "writing more easily and effectively throughout your scientific career" — note...

My biggest struggle isn't grammar or structure — it's motivation. I sit down to write and suddenly everything else seems more interesting. The "Scientist's Guide to Writing" claims to "encourage habits that improve motivation and productivity" and includes "a wealth of exercises" along with...

The third edition of "The Scientist's Guide to Writing" has a "new chapter on AI writing tools that discusses the benefits and pitfalls of using LLMs" as well as the "legal, ethical, and professional implications scientists need to consider before working with them" . This is exactly what I...

I'm a biology grad student and I love research but HATE writing. My advisor recommended "The Scientist's Guide to Writing" by Stephen Heard, now in its third edition . It promises to explain "essential techniques that students, postdocs, and early-career scientists need to write more clearly...