Research Manuals and 'PhD level' writing

[1000Plateaus]

Hi, I am a 1st year PhD in philosophy. I recently met with my advisor to discuss my research topic after I had submitted a proposal document to him. One of the things he mentioned was that (based of this said document), I needed to ensure that my writing was at the PhD level. Now, content aside, I was wondering if there are any helpful writing manuals for students working on a dissertation? How do I go about learning what constitutes 'PhD level writing'?

After my meeting I picked up a copy of 'A Manual for Writers,' the famous Kate L. Turabian guide, and it is useful but I am wondering if any other PhD students out there have some tips for improving academic writing?

[ck926]

I know this may not be extremely helpful as it isn't a specific source, and I'm sure it's something you're already doing for other purposes, but what I found to be most helpful was just reading tons of journal articles. Paying close attention to the structure and flow of these papers helped me to understand what is expected as far as academic writing goes.

[1000Plateaus]

Thank you, that's actually a good idea. I will give it a try.

[rising_star]

You can also read books published by academic presses to familiarize yourself with PhD level writing. And write, write, write, write, write. Then revise a bunch.

[juilletmercredi]

I agree with reading the journal articles to get an idea about what graduate-level/professional-level writing looks like.

 

But if you want advice about how to write (like the process), I recommend How to Write a Lot, by Paul Silva, and The Craft of Research, by Booth, Colomb, and Williams.

[Crucial BBQ]

To take a shot in the dark, I would guess your Prof means that the days of writing a term paper the evening before it is due are over; it is time you learn the process of revision, critique, and more revision.  

 

One reason why I did not began college until the age of 23 is that I had originally intended on making a career in Hollywood...as a screenwriter.  I went to seminars, workshops, and "community classes" taught by those in the industry.   A few of the more important aspects of the process are:

 

1.  Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.  You can always write something better.  Always.  At some point you will have to stop, though, else you want to remain in constant revision.  Even if you think your piece could not possibly be improved upon a fresh pair of eyes will see where it can. 

 

2.  You really can condense four pages of writing into one paragraph or less and say the same thing if not more. 

 

3.  Books, training, and advice will only take you so far.  The only way to really become a good writer, let alone a decent one at that, is to write, a lot.  There is an axiom out there which states that great writers only publish 10% of their writings.  Even Stephen King gets scrutinized by editors and rejected from publishers. 

 

The above was reinforced through four years of writing for the student newspaper. 

 

Regarding journal papers; in the biological sciences, each journal has its own unique writing style, tone, formatting, and so on.  While reading journal papers may give one an idea of content I am not sure if they make good guides for style. A better place to look may be the university's own repository of past thesis/dissertation papers.