PUBLISHING ACADEMIC RESEARCH | Complete Your Scholarship, Thesis, or Dissertation and Maintain Your Mental Health

What if the moments when you're not writing are actually the moments that make your writing better? Could stepping away from your research sometimes be more productive than forcing yourself to stay at the keyboard? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we challenge one of the most deeply ingrained myths in academia: the belief that productivity is measured solely by visible output. Many scholars feel g...

What do you do when you discover someone else has already published the idea you've been developing for months or even years? How do you recover when a project that once felt groundbreaking suddenly feels redundant? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we tackle one of the most discouraging experiences in academic life: discovering that someone else published on what you thought was your idea. For man...

 How does a pile of disconnected notes become a polished dissertation chapter, article, or book? Why does every successful research project seem to have to pass through a stage that feels completely out of control? Hey, co-authors! In this episode, we explore one of the most misunderstood realities of academic writing, the role of chaos. Many students assume strong writing begins with clarity, con...

Have you ever thought about developing a podcast as a part of your scholarship? Do you worry about what others might say if you’re not doing so-called “real” research? Hey co-authors! In this episode, I talk about my journey from my doctoral program into podcasting. I look into some of the problems that might face you if you are thinking of starting a podcast or other types of social media scholar...

Have you ever wondered why your research seemed to move effortlessly in graduate school, only to stall once you became a professor? Have you been recently hired or are looking to go on the market soon and want to know how your research will be a part of your job? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore one of the biggest transitions in an academic career: starting a research agenda as a new pr...

Have you ever felt like no matter how much you read you still feel behind? Or have you ever finished an article and realized you understood the content, but had no idea how to integrate it into your own argument? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore one of the biggest hidden shifts in writing: learning to read like a researcher instead of a student. We unpack why many scholars drown in read...

Do you get told to “write for your reader” but don’t really know what that means? Have you given a presentation that you felt hit all the right details, but didn’t seem to interest the audience? Hey Co-authors! Today I get a chance to talk with Stanford Professor Jack Baker, on his new book : Communication by Design: An Engineer's Guide to Sharing Your Research. Whether you’re in engineering, STEM...

Have you ever felt stuck trying to choose a research topic, not because you lack interest, but because it seems like you want to study everything? Or have you been told your ideas are too big for a single article, thesis, or dissertation? Hey, co-authors. In this episode, we explore why many authors unknowingly have weak topics that end up creating friction across every stage of a project, from th...

Have you ever read an academic article or chapter that technically said all the right things, but still felt impossible to keep reading? Or have you ever looked at your own writing and wondered why it feels flat, repetitive, or disconnected? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore the concept of narrative tension in scholarly writing, that invisible force that pulls readers from one paragraph,...

Have you ever spent an entire day “getting ready” to write… and somehow ended the day without writing a single paragraph? Have you spent four hours reorganizing Zotero folders instead of writing? Hey Coauthors! In this episode, we explore one of the most pernicious forms of avoidance: productive procrastination. We discus how preparation feels often feels like the responsible, strategic, and commi...

Have you ever had what seemed like a dozen ideas for a book, but never moved past the title? Or have you had your heart set on one idea, but just can’t seem to make meaningful progress on it? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we talk about the scholarly monograph as a focused intellectual project built on clarity of argument, strong positioning, and a clear scholarly identity. And, we discuss how t...

Have you ever wondered why so many edited volumes fall apart before they’re ever submitted? And what does it actually take to turn a strong idea into a coherent, collaborative collection? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we explore how to create, submit, and publish edited volumes We discuss how the challenge of the edited collection is its emphasis on organization, coordination, and management. W...

Have you ever wondered what actually makes a textbook sell or why so many well-written ones never take off? Do you worry about how to balance writing about what you love with what instructors will adopt? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we unpack why textbooks succeed not just on quality, but on market fit and usability. We discuss textbook writing as an intellectual, scholarly, and economic endea...

Have you ever wondered why do so many strong theses or dissertations never turn into a single publication? Do you worry that once you finish your project, it will only go to collect dust on the shelf? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we reframe the dissertation or thesis project from being a standalone document, to viewing it as a portfolio of publishable work waiting to be refocused. We walk thro...

Have you ever wondered what life is supposed to feel like after the thesis or dissertation defense? And what it might mean if the moment you worked toward for years doesn’t feel as triumphant as you expected? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we talk about the post-defense emotional crash, the common feeling of being emotionally drained, unfocused, or unfulfilled once the defense is over. We explor...

Do you find yourself looking for ways to prepare for a dissertation defense, but feel like you don’t even know what your committee will ask? Have you ever wondered what separates a stressful thesis or dissertation defense from a successful one? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we demystify both the prospectus defense and the final dissertation defense, explaining what committees are actually looki...

Do you feel like you’re hopelessly lost in a maze of tables, quotes, and statistics in your results or discussion section? Or, that you’ve never been further away to completing your thesis or dissertation, even though you’re right at the finish line? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we tackle one of the most difficult transitions in your thesis or dissertation writing: developing compelling result...

Have you ever sat down to write and realized something just isn’t working, but you can’t quite tell why? Do you keep trying the same tricks to “get unstuck,” only to find that nothing seems to help? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we take a closer look at writing slumps during the thesis or dissertation. We explore five common “slump archetypes” and articulate why each one calls for a different w...

Have you ever sat down to write the method x`chapter of your thesis or dissertation and felt like you were supposed to justify every decision you’ve made since childhood? Or stared at your draft wondering why it reads more like a list of tasks than a clear explanation of how you conducted your study? Hey co‑authors! In this episode, we unpack why the method chapter feels so intimidating and show y...

Have you ever opened a blank document for your literature review and immediately felt like no matter how much you’ve read, it’s never quite enough? Or felt like with every reading, your project becomes less and less clear, until you’re uncertain what your project is actually about? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we demystify the introduction and literature review chapters and talk about why this...

Have you ever told yourself you'll write when you finally have a free full day? Or notice that you only make real progress on your thesis or dissertation when a deadline forces you into a writing sprint. Hey, co-authors! In this episode we talk about how to reach, maintain, and succeed in a steady rhythm of writing. We'll discuss how to: Develop your motivation, locus of control, and self-efficacy...

Do you keep getting told that your thesis or dissertation project is too big? Do you ever feel like your project’s topic is easy to see in your mind but almost impossible to detail to another person? Hey co-authors, in this episode, we talk about the difference between an interesting idea and a sustainable research project, including the common traps of over-curiosity, overcompensation, and mistak...

Have you ever hesitated to reach out to a potential advisor because you’re worried they will turn out to be a bad fit once it’s too late to change? Do you find yourself vacillating between choosing an advisor that you like interpersonally and the one that’s the most prestigious? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we’re starting a series on how to develop your thesis or dissertation starting with the...

Have you sat down to write, and before the words arrive, you ask, “Is this safe to say?” or  Is this worth the risk? Have you noticed that you second-guess your prose or are more hesitant with some ideas? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we talk about what it means to keep writing your research when scrutiny feels sharper, stakes feel higher, and self-censorship can quietly replace curiosity. This...

Have you ever noticed how clear, patient, and intentional you are when you teach and how dense, guarded, or overly cautious your writing can feel? Have you ever wondered why the skills you use effortlessly in the classroom seem to disappear once you open a blank document? Hey co-authors! In this episode, we’re talking about what it means to write research the way you teach. We explore why scholars...