I am sure that a few of you are already seasoned writers, whether in English or in your native language, but for many, writing is an arduous process. I say process, rather than task, because writing is not a one-time event. It is something that you do constantly and repeatedly. In other words, you revise your work many times and produce many drafts to polish the prose and improve its clarity. When you engage in this process, you are developing and strengthening your writing skills.
As researchers and teachers, we need to write clearly and concisely. For me, the biggest challenge is writing about my research using language that is easy for the general audience to understand. This is hard because I need to use words that the audience is familiar with instead of words, or jargon, that are commonly used in my discipline. Therefore, we need to develop different styles of writing. Writing is not only about expressing our ideas, but expressing them in ways that effectively engage our audience.
You can adopt various strategies to enhance your writing skills. The three that I recommend are engaging in peer review, joining writing workshops, and visiting the writing center.
Peer Review: Share your paper with your peers. They can offer a set of fresh eyes to look over your writing and give you valuable suggestions. When you revise your work, take their suggestions into consideration and incorporate them in your writing instead of ignoring them. Also read the papers that your peers write. This will encourage you to read carefully and practice formulating constructive feedback. You will also develop new skills in reading as a reviewer, and you may be able to increase your capacity to read your own work as a self-editor.
Writing Workshops: There are formal workshops around campus that you can join. For example, there is the Dissertation Boot Camp that the GRC offers. During its three-day structured writing time, you learn how to set your writing goals and establish a writing schedule or practice. There are also topical workshops you can join in which scholars, faculty, and students interested in specific topics or disciplines gather together to read each other’s work and give feedback.
GRC Writing Consultants: Writing consultants at the GRC are great resources, so take advantage! Whether you need help preparing your publication and conference papers, reviewing job-related materials, such as your cover letter and teaching statement, or applying for grants and fellowships, advanced graduate students in the Writing Center are available to provide feedback.
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Julie KimHome Country: U.S. / South KoreaSchool of Social Sciences
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