When writing job letters clients often struggle to understand the distinction between their dissertation TOPIC and their dissertation CONTRIBUTION. In the first dissertation paragraph you talk about the content of your dissertation--main argument, … [Read more...] about Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Topic vs. Contribution
Postdoc Issues
The Postdoc App: How It’s Different and Why
For the next few months I will be posting the "best of the best" Professor is in blog posts on the job market, for the benefit of all those girding their loins for the 2013-2014 market. Today's post was originally published in … [Read more...] about The Postdoc App: How It’s Different and Why
List Addiction, Cont’d: The Dyad
List addiction is an epidemic among academic writers. I have a blog post about the subject (which I knew nothing about prior to my work in TPII), and I refer at least 50% of clients to that blog post at one point or another. What is it with … [Read more...] about List Addiction, Cont’d: The Dyad
How-To(sday): The Ten Commandments of Going on the Market as ABD
Dr. Karen is on vacation in Italy July 2012. During that time she is re-posting older blog posts her regular Tuesday and Thursday posting days. She'll recommence new posting some time in … [Read more...] about How-To(sday): The Ten Commandments of Going on the Market as ABD
Is Your Writing Better Than Waffles?
Last week, I was working on a client's materials. We were on something like draft #4 of her dissertation abstract, following on weeks of work on her c.v. and job letter. She'd been working hard, and her materials showed it. It was Sunday morning, … [Read more...] about Is Your Writing Better Than Waffles?
A Letter From a Reader (With Thoughts on What Professors Make)
I am interrupting regularly scheduled programming to share this email I received from a reader this week. I share it for several reasons. The first is as a follow-up to last week's post, "What's It Like to Work with the Professor?" In that post I … [Read more...] about A Letter From a Reader (With Thoughts on What Professors Make)