It doesn’t really matter to a two-year-old watching a certain classic Australian pre-school TV program whether the lyrics of the introductory song read ‘theirs a bare in they’re’, ‘there’s a bare in their’ or ‘there’s a bear in there’ (the correct version); because they all sound the same. English has an abundance of groups
How many of the following ‘symptoms’ apply to you right now? • avoiding getting started with writing • doing vast amounts of research but not writing it up • re-drafting written work over and over again but still not being happy with it • not finishing nearly completed written tasks • avoiding showing written
Abraham Lincoln said ‘the best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend’. With respect to thesis examiners, the opposite is closer to the mark—the best way to destroy a friend is to make him or her an enemy. ‘Friend’ and ‘enemy’ are hardly accurate descriptions of the relationship between a candidate
Students often overuse italics in their essays and theses. Here are some facts about italics that can help improve your writing: Italics can be used for foreign language words. For example, ‘It was a quid pro quo agreement’. However, note that ‘et. al’, ‘ibid’, ‘e.g.’ and other Latin words used in referencing are not
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads – Dr Seuss After spending hours, days and sometimes years researching an essay, article or thesis, it can be difficult to squeeze all that valuable information into the designated word count. Knowing how to sacrifice words
Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and take your laptop somewhere new. A change of scene and pace can be very invigorating: drink a barista-made coffee instead of instant, see some people who aren’t your supervisor, feel part of the hustle and bustle of non-academic life. Sydney doesn’t have too many
The world of academia can be a little behind the world of technology, but by using just a few of these apps, your thesis can be helped along immeasurably. Don’t install them all at once—it can get a bit overwhelming—but test out a couple and see what sticks. All apps listed are free to use.
Often considered the domain of tech entrepreneurs and lifestyle gurus, a few well-chosen productivity ‘hacks’ and habits can really boost your thesis and help you maintain momentum during your PhD. Use the social buttons below to download some printable motivational flashcards to help you maintain your productivity throughout the day Eat Breakfast What do athletes,
It is often difficult for people writing in Australian English to hold to the conventions of Australian English, due largely to our regular exposure to American English in academic writing. In this week’s blog, we will review some important differences between Australian and American English writing conventions. The aim is to alert you to some
While it may seem obvious to say that academic writing must stay focused, and that all information included in an essay/thesis should be relevant to the question/topic, this is sometimes easier said than done. In this week’s blog, we discuss some strategies for keeping your writing focused and avoiding irrelevancies, both during researching and
