What is the role of MLA in modern research publishing? Chicago and APA occupy so much of the space within modern scholarship that MLA sometimes seems like an afterthought. This is mostly a misperception, however. This style guide sets the standards for modern English usage in academic and pedagogical contexts. Read more…
If Chicago is the generalist’s handbook, APA is the one-stop shop for technical writers. Some of the same principles do cross-apply between these two manuals. Most notably, the rule that in-text citations and reference footnotes do not mix holds across almost all manuals. While Chicago sets the standards for publishers Read more…
The Chicago Manual of Style might just be the mother of all manuals. Not only is it one of the oldest style guides around, but it is possibly the most comprehensive. And why not? It was after all designed by publishers for publishers. Given the scale of technological changes in Read more…
Why do style guides seem so arbitrary? And, why are they so discipline dependent? Why is MLA format often taught in secondary schools, and not one of the other methods? In an age where intellectual property is king and anxiety over plagiarism is high, everyone understands the need to cite Read more…
The citation generators that came out of online note-taking software like Zotero and Evernote were a revelation. They removed much of the mystery regarding the placement of colons in reference notes, or the order in which authors should be listed. They cut down significantly on the time and effort spent Read more…
Conclusions are possibly the most universally hated part of writing. Even for writers who follow a fairly standard formula or outline, conclusions can pose problems: How do you summarize a large amount of information effectively? How do you make sure you don’t just repeat content? How do you leave readers Read more…
A frequent request I hear from clients is to ensure that their manuscript establishes a clear narrative arc. All research tells a story about why it is necessary, how it was executed, and how it contributes to both industry and inquiry. A worthwhile editor will help you to refine this Read more…
It’s a cliché, but when it comes to organization, you can always do worse than, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.” While everyone understands the value of a good outline before writing, you can import snippets of that Read more…
The precision demanded by technical research makes academic and professional research presentation notoriously dry. For writers looking to add flair to their prose, the thesaurus is a natural place to turn to look for some more lively vocabulary. The only problem with the thesaurus is that it can swiftly turn Read more…
Sometimes in the middle of editing a paper, I come across a table, a phrase, or a graphic that, while not wrong per se, forces me to stop and take a good look at it. Something is just off. Usually, what I’m trying to put my finger on is that Read more…