How to Keep a Research Journal | Lex Academic Blog
For many, especially early career researchers, the research journal remains a mystery. In this blog post, Dr Nicole Brown, author of Making the Most of Your Research Journal, outlines some key tenets of research journaling.
A Short History of the Footnote | Lex Academic Blog
Footnotes divide opinion. Noel Coward once said that ‘having to read footnotes resembles having to go downstairs to answer the door while in the midst of making love’. Is the footnote, then, a scholarly facilitator or a self-indulgent textual thwart?
Insider Tips on Getting Published in English-language Journals | Karen Englander, Ph.D. | Lex Academic Blog
When English is your second language (and even when it isn't), passing through a journal's peer review process can be challenging. What is an author to do to improve their prospects of sailing through peer review? We have some ideas.
Lex Academic x Utilitas
We are delighted to be officially partnering with the journal Utilitas, offering its submitting authors a 15% discount on our esteemed philosophical editing services. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/utilitas/information/instructions-contributors
How to Surmount ‘Blank Page’ Syndrome | Lex Academic Blog
One of the biggest challenges of undertaking an extended piece of research, whether it’s facing your PhD or fulfilling a brief from a publisher, is simply getting the words down. There is nothing more daunting than a large word count to fulfil, especially if English is not your native language. Here are a few pointers about getting into good, manageable writing habits.
How to Get a Book Contract as an Independent Researcher | Lex Academic Blog
Acquiring a book contract is often a lengthy process. However, a good idea, a clear sense of your book’s argument and contribution to scholarship, as well as a well-researched target market, will make all the difference in finding the right publisher.
Insights into independent research: Moving out of traditional academia and how to keep your research engaging | Lex Academic Blog
A level of social stigma exists around independent academic research and researchers. And these biases die hard. Here, we look at the challenges and opportunities that exist within this liminal academic space.
Decoding a Book Proposal Form | Lex Academic Blog
Publishers' book proposal forms can feel broad and vague with not a huge amount of guidance on what each of the questions and sections is asking of you. With that in mind, Liza Thompson of Bloomsbury thought the most useful thing to do would be to work through the main sections of a proposal form and hopefully ‘decode’ them.
‘Coming Out’ as Working Class in Academia | Lex Academic Blog
'Since my "coming out", I’ve been told by middle-class academics I don’t belong in academia. And people I’ve known most of my life have accused me of being a class traitor.' We spoke to Dr Paul Craddock about getting on (and getting along) in academia.
Mastering the Move from PhD to Postdoc/Junior Lecturer: A How-To Guide | Lex Academic Blog
Planning your move from PhD to postdoc can come at a time when you are time-poor, burnt out, and struggling to remember why you ever wanted an academic career. In this post, we enumerate a few things to remember at this time of fraught (but thrilling) transition.
Mastering the Move from Master’s to Doctoral Study: A How-To Guide | Lex Academic Blog
After admission to a PhD program, many students may find themselves struggling to navigate new expectations for study. Once installed firmly at a workspace, what should a new doctoral student do?
The Necessity of Subject Matter Expertise for Academic Translation | Lex Academic Blog
Mistranslations are often funny...until they're not. Here's our view on why it's worth hiring a subject matter expert to translate your text.
Why a Great Thesis Doesn’t Always Make a Great Book | Lex Academic Blog
One of the most common reasons why publishers reject proposals for PhD-derived monographs is that they give the impression that the author does not understand the difference between a thesis and a book. In this post, we will look at some of the differences.
On Writing ‘I’: The First Person in Academic Prose | Lex Academic Blog
The use of the first person ‘I’ has traditionally been associated with arrogance and poor scholarship. Today, however, the first person appears regularly in academic writing, particularly in the humanities. In this post, we dissect the arguments against writing ‘I’ and suggest occasions where it might be used productively.
‘What’s in a name?’: How to Title Your Publications | Lex Academic Blog
A well-crafted title generates more reader engagement, increasing the citation rate and impact of a publication. For many of us, though, coming up with a title is challenging. In this post, we will share a few tips on titling publications.
Why Research Outputs Should Be Open Access | Lex Academic Blog
Open access publishing is increasingly common and is often perceived as a more positive and inclusive way of disseminating academic research. In this post, we explore types of open access publishing and the benefits of this model.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Open Peer Review | Lex Academic Blog
Concerns about implicit bias in traditional methods of peer review, including double-blind, have prompted some journal publishers such as PLOS and Frontiers to implement an open peer review policy. In this post, we discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of this system.
Peer Review and Gender | Lex Academic Blog
Male academics outnumber their female counterparts as authors, journal editors and peer reviewers. To what extent is the peer review process responsible for this?
How to Write a Postdoc Research Proposal | Lex Academic Blog
In an increasingly competitive job market, securing a postdoc somewhere is probably the best option many recent graduates can hope for. Here's our how-to guide to writing a postdoc research proposal.
Peer Review Bias: What Is It, and What Causes It? | Lex Academic Blog
Although vital for ensuring the quality of publications, peer review is a far from perfect process. In this post, we discuss the concept of peer review bias, its forms and the ways different peer review processes enable and prevent it.
The Lex Academic Interview | Professor Lisa Bortolotti
The Lex Academic Interview | Professor Lisa Bortolotti Lex's co-founder, Professor Constantine Sandis, speaks with Lisa Bortolotti, Professor of Philosophy at Birmingham, about her incoming editorship of Philosophical Psychology and how to overcome bias in academic publishing.
From PhD to Monograph: How to Revise Your Thesis for Publication
Most early career researchers in the arts and humanities are encouraged to see their PhD thesis as a monograph-in-waiting – and with good reason. Here's our how-to guide to revising a thesis for publication and kick-starting an academic career.
Viva, Soutenance, Disputation: How PhD Students around the World Defend Their Thesis | Lex Academic Blog
In the UK, it's called a 'viva'. In the US, it's a 'defense'. Have you ever wondered how PhD students around the world defend their thesis?
How to Avoid Major PhD Corrections | Lex Academic Blog
As a follow-up to our recently published how-to guide to avoiding minor PhD corrections, we thought it would be useful to produce a post on major corrections. Here's some advice on how to avoid them.
How to Avoid Minor PhD Corrections | Lex Academic Blog
Passing your PhD with minor corrections is what most students aim for. But who wouldn't prefer to pass with no corrections? Here are a few tips for avoiding even minor corrections.
Cite Right: Harvard Style
Lex Academic's succinct how-to guide for citing in Harvard style.
Cite Right: APA Style
Lex Academic's succinct how-to guide for citing in APA style.
DIY Indexing for Academic Authors | Lex Academic Blog
Many authors use professional indexers like Lex Academic to get a difficut job done with efficiency and flair. With the right guidance, however, creating your own index can be both enjoyable and rewarding. Here's our how-to guide on indexing your own book.
Levelling the Linguistic Playing Field within Academic Philosophy | Lex Academic Blog
Stylistic norms for writing affect philosophers’ professional prospects in unfair ways, and what one thinks should be done about this may be tied to one’s conception of what philosophy is supposed to do. (This piece first appeared in Daily Nous.)
Cite Right: MHRA Style | Lex Academic Blog
Lex Academic's succinct how-to guide for citing in MHRA style.
“Publish or perish”: fact or fiction? | Lex Academic Blog
The perception that scholarly success depends on publishing frequently is pervasive across the disciplines. That this remains the case, despite the fact that there is an increasing body of evidence to suggest that ‘publishing’ can still lead to ‘perishing’, is worthy of investigation.
Is Indexing an Art or a Science? | Lex Academic Blog
As any author who has tried to compile their own index will tell you, it’s easy to underestimate the sheer amount of skill, knowledge and effort that goes into creating a first-class index. Like so many of the finer things in life, indexing is both an art and a science.
How a lack of authorial voice can lead to journal rejection | Lex Academic Blog
Developing a compelling authorial voice can present particular challenges within academic writing, in which objectivity of tone is privileged, and reliance on the first person is often scorned.
Should you format your paper for peer review? | Lex Academic Blog
Formatting a paper for peer review can be tedious and time-consuming, especially when there is no certainty that it will be accepted. So, should you bother?
5 Things Publishers Look For in Book Proposals | Lex Academic Blog
Understanding how to present your research in such a light that it appears outstanding from the perspective of a publishing professional is the key to getting noticed (and a contract).
Linguistic Bias in Academic Publishing | Lex Academic Blog
It’s no secret that the peer review process can be biased. Over the past several decades, there has been growing awareness of peer review bias and its effects on the careers of scholars. Efforts have been made to address bias, but it may be even more pervasive than realised.
