Writing for Academic Success: A Postgraduate Guide is a practical and informative manual designed to assist postgraduate students with the rigors and uncertainties of academic writing. The book provides comprehensive coverage of a variety of writing styles in order to aid students from a range of different disciplines. The author focuses on general issues, such as fear of failure and unclear expectations, then moves on to a focused discussion on specific types of writing, as in research essays and article reviews, and concludes with advice for presentations and publications.
In her role as senior advisor to graduate students, Gail Craswell gained valuable insight into common questions and concerns about writing and she supplements the text with successful case studies from her experiences. The book covers a range of topics including overcoming writer’s block, working with tutors, gathering information, understanding a text, and protocol for diverse writing types. The major strength of the book is that it addresses the fact that many postgraduate students have never received formal training in academic writing and therefore may be unclear about expectations and protocol. Each chapter has developmental objectives and practical exercises designed to help the reader incorporate the new material into their study routine. Illustrations enhance the text for the visually inclined reader and a sample thesis outline gives clarity to the textual explanation.
The first section of the book deals with general writing concerns, while the second part addresses specific genres of writing. The beginning exposes the pressures and fears faced by a majority of postgraduate students and lists possible sources of support and encouragement. I found the first section to be the most useful for the basic advice on subjects integral to the writing process, such as tone, clarity, audience, improving sentence structure, and strengthening an argument. However, the inclusion of discussions on the use of spell check, the need for accurate punctuation, and the dangers of plagiarism tend to be overly simplistic for a postgraduate audience.
The second section provides information on specific genres of writing such as reports, literature reviews, exam essays, and thesis writing, and provides practical guidelines for each style. The strength of this section is in the clear definitions of each genre, discussion of expectations and conventions, and systematic instruction on how to actually write in a chosen style. The final discussion on oral and visual presentations does seem out of place in a treatise on writing and may not be relevant for some students, however; the section does contain helpful advice for assessing an audience and dealing with nervousness.
Writing for Academic Success: A Postgraduate Guide is clear in style and reassuring to students who may feel isolated in their struggle to write academic papers. The author is particularly encouraging to students just beginning their postgraduate coursework, because they may struggle the most with the unstructured and demanding environment of postgraduate study. I have no hesitation in recommending this book for students moving directly from undergraduate study, those who have been away from academia, or those inexperienced with research and written work. More experienced writers may find the advice to be obvious and may find it more beneficial to skip directly to the last portion of the book dealing with publication.
References
Craswell, Gail (2004) Writing for Academic Success: A Postgraduate Guide. (London: Sage Publications ltd.)
Erin Connelly - Since 2003 Erin Connelly has been a writer for university, government and nonprofit publications. She has edited submissions for "Nature," ...
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