Stylish academic writing / Helen Sword.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sword, Helen.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Academic writing.

English language--Style.

English language.

Physical Description:

viii, 220 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2012.

Summary:

Sword (University of Auckland, New Zealand) presents examples of both engaging and appalling academic prose, drawn from her own study of 1,000 peer-reviewed academic articles across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and argues that academic writers can use a wider range of stylistic choices than they now use. Emphasizing that stylish, readable writing is always appropriate for any setting, even academic journals, she gives practical writing advice on achieving clarity, engaging the reader's attention, avoiding jargon, and writing with originality and even the use of humor, while still conveying a sense of intellectual commitment and passion. The techniques can also be applied to public speaking. Boxes offer excerpts of good writing by published academic authors, some well known, such as Oliver Sacks and Michel Foucault. The book is for advanced students up to PhD level, and scholars who want to write for audiences beyond academia. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Part I Style and Substance

1 Rules of Engagement 3

2 On Being Disciplined 12

3 A Guide to the Style Guides 23

Part II The Elements of Stylishness

4 Voice and Echo 35

5 Smart Sentencing 48

6 Tempting Titles 63

7 Hooks and Sinkers 76

8 The Story Net 87

9 Show and Tell 99

10 Jargonitis 112

11 Structural Designs 122

12 Points of Reference 135

13 The Big Picture 147

14 The Creative Touch 159.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0674064488

9780674064485

9780674065093

0674065093

OCLC:

747947323

Publisher Number:

99949462976