Best Writing Practices for Graduate Students: Reducing the Discomfort of the Blank Screen

Written by Marden, C.A. (2006). Curriculum and Instruction; Graduate Student Writing

With support and guidance, graduate students can successfully pursue academic writing for publication. In graduate circles, academic writing is presumed to be a solitary activity for which students already are prepared. Yet, the reality is that students tend to find academic writing difficult and stressful, and they often look to university faculty members for guidance. Faculty members, in turn, may provide hands-on practice and other classroom support in an effort to teach writing, even though they have had little or no instruction on how to do so. In this article discussion is provided of what researchers say about writing, challenges of teaching writing, and writing ideas and strategies.