Academic resources can help make academic writing easier or less challenging. There are a range of tools and resources that make writing on academic topics less difficult for you.
Although there are no shortcuts to being a good academic writer, books, online resources, and other tools can make the journey smoother. Most people find scientific or academic writing difficult. And this is not only true for scholars and students who do not have English as a first language.
It's true for everyone. This includes native speakers who are talented writers and even scientists who just want to stay in the lab and carry out experiments and who hate the idea of putting pen to paper.
The only solution to the challenge of writing well and doing so constantly is practice. Constantly practicing how to write well and seeking and accepting advice from mentors will go a long way toward making you a competent academic or research writer.
However, besides practice, you should rely on academic resources that are free or cheap, easy to access, and useful. Here, to make your academic writing journey as smooth as possible I compiled a short list of books and free online resources that are easily accessible.
Tools to improve your academic writing
My definition of a good academic resource or tool for research or academic writing boils down to three things: affordability, relevance, and value. Of course, it would be best if all these resources were free.
But unfortunately, the books highlighted are not.
If you're lucky and have access to a good library, you might be able to borrow it without paying for it though. The academic resources that are highlighted include books on grammar and punctuation, videos on how to best conduct your academic research, and online blogs and websites.
The resources that I selected were based on:
How much they appeal to academic students
How holistic and comprehensive the information they provide is
How updated the resources are
How approachable these resources are
In short, I selected resources that had students and beginning scholars in mind. I hope you enjoy them and find them useful.
What academic resources are typically useful?
In general, any academic resource or tool that makes academic writing easier to do and that sheds light on how the process works is useful. This includes:
1. Grammar and spelling checkers. These help to identify correct errors in your sentences. These errors include punctuation, tense, word choice, brevity, etc. Grammar and spelling checkers include Grammarly, PerfectIt, Scribendi Ai, and Scribbr AI Proofreader.
2. Citation and referencing tools. These are also known as reference management software. They help you create the correct format for your citations and references while keeping a record of all these sources. They include Mendeley, Zotero, and EndNote among others.
3. Writing guides and manuals. These provide detailed and practical advice on how to go about your academic writing in terms of planning, structure, citation styles, formatting styles, and so on. Examples of these include the APA style guide, CMoS, MLA, and so on.
4. Writing centers and tutors. These can provide you with feedback that is constructive and tailored to address your weaknesses as a student of writer. To have access to face-to-face personal tutors would be lucky. However, such tutors and courses are also available online.
The seven resources that we have selected all fall within one of those categories.
1. The Scribbr Knowledge Base
This is an academic resource from Scribbr, a proofreading company. Scribbr is a company that offers academic proofreading and editing services to students and scholars. However, in addition to the services it provides, the company runs both a YouTube channel and a "Knowledge Base" on academic writing.
The Scribbr Knowledge base is nothing short of exhaustive. They have an answer or solution for almost every academic writing issue that you can think of. This includes tips on how to write various sections of your thesis or research paper (e.g., the Introduction, the literature review, the methodology, etc.), punctuation, grammar, best citation practices, and so on.
The blog includes probably several dozen articles and makes sure to provide a thorough and meticulous treatment of each problem. The articles are also very manageable in terms of the way they are written. Each article is broken down into segments and is highly skimmable.
They also make sure to include a table of contents for each article. The Scribbr Knowledge Base is divided into three main sections: Researching, Writing, and Citing. Researching includes articles on how to properly conduct the research process and how to write various sections of your research paper, thesis, or dissertation.
The Writing section focuses on language rules, academic style, and other types of writing such as grad school applications and college admission essays. Lastly, Citing includes the importance of avoiding plagiarism and details on the various citation styles.
How it helps
You’ll like the Scribbr Knowledge Base because it's:
Exhaustive. It treats each topic covered meticulously with examples and detailed explanations.
Easy to navigate. The articles are easy to go through and well organized into highly navigable and skimmable segments.
They speak from a student's perspective. The articles are written for beginning students and scholars. In short, they never overwhelm. They are careful not to let you get over your head in too-complicated academic speak.
Serious. Despite being so approachable and easy to read, the tone of the articles never becomes silly. For example, they have no funny pics of cats in graduation hats and holding pens.
2. Purdue Owl
The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) is an academic resource that appears to be run by the College Of Liberal Arts of Purdue University. The site includes much information on the various types of writing that students and scholars will encounter in their academic careers.
This they refer to as the Purdue Online Writing Lab. They have sections on General Writing, Graduate Writing, Job-Search Writing, and so on. These sections are useful.
However, to be honest, there's nothing particularly impressive that makes most of them stand out from the sea of university online resources that you can access on the World Wide Web. Instead, the Purdue Owl shines in regards to its detailed explanation of the various style guides, including APA, MLA, and CMOS.
The site takes time to explain the updated citation and reference rules for each of the major style guides it features. And makes sure to provide a wealth of samples. In addition to this, they provide templates for sample papers, PowerPoint slide presentations, and classroom posters.
How it helps
For me, the Purdue Owl is not an engaging enough blog for students and scholars, but I like it because it's:
A quick reference guide. You can use this resource on the go or rather while working on your academic writing or when editing and proofreading to make sure you are on point using the featured reference guide.
Has easily accessible templates. Sometimes it's best to see an actual example of a document written according to a style guide than going over a bunch of rules scattered all over the place. And Purdue Owl includes template documents for each major style guide, which you can download or view in an embedded window on the webpage.
Detailed style guide. The website provides minute and obscure details on the rules for each style guide.
3. The Scribbr YouTube Channel
Now, we're back to an academic resource by Scribbr again. This time let’s take a look at their YouTube channel. The YouTube channel is an extension of the Scribbr Knowledge Base. It stars Jessica, who provides bite-sized and detailed explanations of various aspects of research.
This academic resource is among the best that YouTube University, if we can call it that, has to offer. The style of the videos is overall cute, colorful, and lively, with upbeat and uplifting music in the background.
It is everything you get from the Scribbr Knowledge Base in video form, except that it takes a lighthearted approach while explaining complicated aspects of research writing.
How it's useful
The Scribbr YouTube Channel is a good resource to lift your mood if the weight of academic writing and research gets too heavy for you. You'll like:
Jessica, the host. This is the name of the main (or only?) presenter on the channel, and she sells it well. She gives the impression of being "one of us," with "us" here being a fellow student. A stuffy, gray-haired professor explaining to you how to write an essay in a "professorial tone" can be intimidating. Jessica's approach is lively, nice, and fun.
The excellent graphical presentation. The graphics used in the videos are quite simple and effective. They are more or less colorful PPT presentations with colorful animations and lettering that are well integrated into the story being told by the host.
The fact that it makes writing and research look so easy. Jessica takes complicated research writing issues and breaks them down so well. She doesn't just talk about "How to write an essay outline" or "How to write an effective hook." She goes heavy into topics such as "How to design an experiment" and makes it look easy.
4. Grad Coach TV
Grad Coach TV is another academic resource that exists as an engaging YouTube channel. It is similar to the Scribbr YouTube channel but differs in its approach. It is more somber but still approachable. Their videos include many different presenters and are minimal and well-produced.
They are not as fun as the Scribbr videos, but they are easy to follow, provide a wealth of information on the research process and academic writing, and are efficient in their delivery. In their case, somber does not have to mean boring.
In our opinion, they are not engaging enough to keep students constantly glued to the screen as with Jessica in the Scribbr YouTube channel. However, they do give the tone and impression of being down to business and helping you get your research completed.
Perhaps it's because they also provide actual grad coaching services, where sit down one-to-one with students and train and aid them in completing their theses and dissertations. In that regard, they resemble corporate training courses for current employees.
How it helps
Grad Coach TV reflects a more corporate tone and will best appeal to students who are planning to find work in the corporate world. You'll like the following about them:
Corporate style. Especially if you are an MBA student or any other type of student who is seeking to work in the corporate world.
Offers of practical help and services. The Video channel is backed by links to free webinars and dissertation and thesis writing courses.
Hired help. In addition to their free resources, they also provide face-to-face coaching sessions and services. Their YouTube videos give you a good idea of what that would be like. So, you get a chance to judge before you sign up.
5. Clyde Warden's MOOC courses
The MOOC course offered by Professor Clyde Warden is a unique academic resource. It is a complete university course on how to write your thesis designed for masters and Ph.D. students. Clyde Warden is an American professor in the Marketing Department at National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan.
The majority of people who take this course are learners who use English as a second language (ESL). ESL learners struggle to write English in general. They struggle even more in writing academic English. So, this was designed just to suit their needs.
What is MOOC? MOOC stands for "massive open online course." They are classes designed to deliver learning content to anyone online interested in taking a course. Professor Warden's MOOC course does not hold anything back. It is not watered down for YouTube or for ESL learners who struggle to learn English.
Instead, the course is a complete and comprehensive program offered in one of the top national universities in Taiwan, which is tailored to meet the needs of learners.
How it's useful
The online MOOC courses discuss two major style guides thoroughly: The APA Manual and MLA. It's a practical course that teaches every detail of each style guide while giving actionable advice on how to write your thesis or research paper. You'll appreciate:
How manageable the information is. The videos are all broken down into presentations that are no more than five minutes long.
The student-friendly nature of the course. The course was designed for ESL students who struggle with English. So, it's super easy to follow while not watering anything down in terms of academic integrity.
Its ESL-friendly nature. The course supports ESL learning by including captions in English and Chinese, and sometimes even Vietnamese and other languages. This is great as there are many ESL students learning English courses in their home countries or abroad.
6. The Best Punctuation Book, Period
This is an excelelnt resource for anyone interested in learning how to properly use punctuation. Are you a non-native speaker who believes that not having English as a first language stands in the way of you properly understanding English punctuation? Well, don't fret. You're wrong.
Most native speakers also have no idea about proper punctuation either. The Best Punctuation, Period by June Casagrande serves as a useful or indispensable guide on how to understand and practice proper punctuation.
It takes care to differentiate punctuation usage between various writing styles, including book style (B), News and business style (N), Science style (S), and Academic style (A).
The book is available both in a print version and a Kindle version. For a more detailed understanding of the book, of course, you should buy it. However, you can also chek out our review of it here: The best punctuation book, period: A book review.
How it helps
The book is a small gem, to be honest, and here is a list of the things that you’ll love about it:
The book's versatility. It can be applied by academics in more than one field of writing and teaches the correct punctuation etiquette for each field of letters.
Its ease of use. The book is well-structured and easy to read and follow. It's ideal for quick referencing.
Its exhaustive nature. The book just about covers every punctuation mark used in everyday writing. This only reinforces its usefulness as an essential reference guide while editing and proofreading your work.
7. How to write and publish a scientific paper
The last resource on our list is also a book: How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. It's a book written by Barbara Gastel and Robert A. Day. This book attempts to bridge the wide gap between science and writing.
The authors of this academic resource believe that researchers should appreciate the importance of writing and that poor writing skills should not be allowed to stand in the way of a learned scientist making his or her contribution to the world. It is a message that is delivered in humor and style.
The book is divided into eight major sections, with numerous subsections in each. The book tells a clear story, and its style has you turning pages as if you were reading through a thriller, which one does not expect from a book on research writing.
It begins with the meaning, purpose, and historical background of science, which is followed by detailed steps of the writing process. Information on how to deal with publication and its "aftermath" is also provided.
How it's useful
This book serves as a guide for all researchers and delivers an important message while doing so in humor and style. You'll love:
The humor. The book is littered with hilarious and appropriate cartoons that highlight the absurdities that researchers too often have to deal with. The author's sense of humor is fun and can sometimes be positively wicked.
The fact that it covers everything. This book not only teaches the process of actually writing. It also teaches about ethics, how to deal with troublesome reviewers, how to do presentations, how to publish, and how to write for a non-academic audience.
Its readable writing. The authors believe that "The key characteristic of scientific writing is clarity" (Gastel & Day, 2016, p. 3). They live by what they preach. The book is easy to read and delivers its message with power and humor.
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Academic resources support your academic writing
It bears saying again that there are no shortcuts to being a competent academic writer. It takes much practice and dedication. However, equipping yourself with the right tools will help make that journey easier and perhaps even a little more fun.
In addition, I have also talked about hacks that you could use to improve your academic writing productivity. They include:
Developing a writing schedule
Relying on good examples of academic writing to model your writing after
Making outlines before you write
Using ergonomic devices
Developing healthy exercise habits between work breaks
Practicing "deep work"
To learn more about effectively employing these hacks, you can check out that article here.
Academic writing might be daunting. However, research and research writing are processes and challenges that if properly met can make you a better scientist or learner and carry you to a better comprehension of the world around you.
Also, besides the resources that I have mentioned here, you are free to browse my blogs here for support. You can also contact me for any questions relating to your academic writing. That means questions related to your research paper, thesis, journal paper, or anything else.
Good luck with your research writing!
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2024, August 10). 7 Useful Academic Writing Resources. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/academic-writing-resources |
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