PUBLISHING ACADEMIC RESEARCH | Complete Your Scholarship, Thesis, or Dissertation, Maintain Your Mental Health, and Enhance Your Academic Career

Are you starting the semester feelings of excitement, exhaustion, regret, or somehow all three at once? What happens when the energy of a new academic year gives way to the realization that the semester may not look quite the way you imagined?

Hey co-authors! Another fall semester is upon us! But the excitement of a fresh beginning is  can quickly give way to frazzled energy, regret for things left undone, or homesickness for ...

Are you having trouble starting a new project? Do you feel like you're drowning in a sea of scholarship?

Hey co-authors! Today, I talk with Dr. Nichole Harken, who is the  associate professor of instruction and internship director for the University of Northern Iowa's Communication and Media Department.  She's also the creator of the Project Next Step and author of the book of the same name, and has a podcast called The Next Step: ...

Who exactly are you writing for when you’re writing an academic article, chapter, or book? What if the fastest way to make your writing clearer, more confident, and more compelling is to stop imagining an “audience” and start imagining a single person?

Hey co-authors! One of the most common problems in academic writing is trying to write for everyone. But, when your audience is abstract or generalized, writing can...

Have you ever followed all the "correct" writing advice and still struggled to make progress? What if the problem isn't your writing ability, but the writing process you've been told to use?

Hey co-authors! Most writing advice assumes that writers can sustain attention, manage time consistently, and move through projects in a predictable, linear fashion. For people with ADHD, that's often not how the brain works. In this episode, w...

Have you ever wondered what your name really means when it appears beside someone else's on a manuscript? Is coauthorship simply dividing the work, or is it something much deeper than shared writing?

Hey co-authors! Too often, scholars assume everyone shares the same definition of what it means to be a coauthor, only to discover conflicting expectations, uneven workloads, ethical dilemmas, and frustration along the way. We explore ...

Why is it so hard to start writing when you know exactly what needs to be done? What if your lack of progress is a perfectly normal human response to difficult cognitive and emotional work?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore the psychology behind writing resistance and uncover why reluctance is not a sign that you're a bad writer, but a predictable part of the creative process. You'll learn why writing often feels emotiona...

How do you apply for tenure and/or promotion with confidence when so much of the process feels uncertain? What if the biggest obstacle to a successful application isn't your record, but the story you're telling yourself about it?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore one of the most significant milestones in an academic career: applying for tenure and/or promotion. The process is a deeply personal moment where years of work, ...

What if the moments when you're not writing are actually the moments that make your writing better? Could stepping away from your research sometimes be more productive than forcing yourself to stay at the keyboard?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we challenge one of the most deeply ingrained myths in academia: the belief that productivity is measured solely by visible output. Many scholars feel guilty whenever they're not writing,...

What do you do when you discover someone else has already published the idea you've been developing for months or even years? How do you recover when a project that once felt groundbreaking suddenly feels redundant?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we tackle one of the most discouraging experiences in academic life: discovering that someone else published on what you thought was your idea. For many scholars, this moment triggers di...

 How does a pile of disconnected notes become a polished dissertation chapter, article, or book? Why does every successful research project seem to have to pass through a stage that feels completely out of control?

Hey, co-authors! In this episode, we explore one of the most misunderstood realities of academic writing, the role of chaos. Many students assume strong writing begins with clarity, confidence, and a perfectly organized ...

Have you ever thought about developing a podcast as a part of your scholarship? Do you worry about what others might say if you’re not doing so-called “real” research?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, I talk about my journey from my doctoral program into podcasting. I look into some of the problems that might face you if you are thinking of starting a podcast or other types of social media scholarship. I also offe...

Have you ever wondered why your research seemed to move effortlessly in graduate school, only to stall once you became a professor? Have you been recently hired or are looking to go on the market soon and want to know how your research will be a part of your job?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore one of the biggest transitions in an academic career: starting a research agenda as a new professor. While new faculty are ofte...

Have you ever felt like no matter how much you read you still feel behind? Or have you ever finished an article and realized you understood the content, but had no idea how to integrate it into your own argument?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore one of the biggest hidden shifts in writing: learning to read like a researcher instead of a student. We unpack why many scholars drown in reading and detail how researchers read...

Do you get told to “write for your reader” but don’t really know what that means? Have you given a presentation that you felt hit all the right details, but didn’t seem to interest the audience?

Hey Co-authors! Today I get a chance to talk with Stanford Professor Jack Baker, on his new book : Communication by Design: An Engineer's Guide to Sharing Your Research. Whether you’re in engineering, STEM, or ...

Have you ever felt stuck trying to choose a research topic, not because you lack interest, but because it seems like you want to study everything? Or have you been told your ideas are too big for a single article, thesis, or dissertation?

Hey, co-authors. In this episode, we explore why many authors unknowingly have weak topics that end up creating friction across every stage of a project, from the literature review to the methods ...

Have you ever read an academic article or chapter that technically said all the right things, but still felt impossible to keep reading? Or have you ever looked at your own writing and wondered why it feels flat, repetitive, or disconnected?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore the concept of narrative tension in scholarly writing, that invisible force that pulls readers from one paragraph, section, and chapter to the next. ...

Have you ever spent an entire day “getting ready” to write… and somehow ended the day without writing a single paragraph? Have you spent four hours reorganizing Zotero folders instead of writing?

Hey Coauthors! In this episode, we explore one of the most pernicious forms of avoidance: productive procrastination. We discus how preparation feels often feels like the responsible, strategic, and committed thing a wri...

Have you ever had what seemed like a dozen ideas for a book, but never moved past the title? Or have you had your heart set on one idea, but just can’t seem to make meaningful progress on it?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we talk about the scholarly monograph as a focused intellectual project built on clarity of argument, strong positioning, and a clear scholarly identity. And, we discuss how to stay anchored when distract...

Have you ever wondered why so many edited volumes fall apart before they’re ever submitted? And what does it actually take to turn a strong idea into a coherent, collaborative collection?

Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore how to create, submit, and publish edited volumes We discuss how the challenge of the edited collection is its emphasis on organization, coordination, and management. We walk through a step-by-step...