Lasso our most popular writing resources and advice to ride smoothly into the new semester.

Three (Grant) Peeves in a Pod: Write Better
Cranky Reviewer
Contorted sentence structure and dense text torture reviewers. Lighten and clarify with these tips from our resident Cranky Reviewer.

The Write Rules
Katherine Hartmann, MD, PhD
Ten writing sins and how to repent.

Writing in Academia: An Interview with Helen Sword
Edge for Scholars
Helen Sword studies how academic writers write. Here, she answers our questions about specific writing weaknesses that plague scientists, whether “write every day” is a good mantra, and the biggest difference between writing a journal article and a grant application.

Prevent Headaches Down the Road
Rebecca Helton, MA
Using these checklists to ensure quality control in study design and to plan/design authorship will prevent headaches and streamline the path from data to paper.

Fresh Ideas for Writing Innovation in Your NIH Grants
Katherine Hartmann, MD, PhD
Advice for producing a “novel” innovation section that gets reviewers’ attention and helps them understand why your ideas are original.

Publishing Null Results
Behavioral Scientist
A behavioral scientist shares how to turn null results into published papers despite journals’ bias against them.

You Need a Shut Up and Write Group Like You Need to Eat
Aimee Edgeworth
Hungry to write? These tips for setting up a writing group with regular protected time can satisfy the appetite.

Recipe for Hosting a Manuscript Sprint
Rebecca Helton, MA
Manuscript sprints harness the power of  group accountability and peer review to get a manuscript out the door in 6-8 weeks. We all have  manuscripts on the back burner. This method forces progress on every week.

What’s your favorite writing advice? Share it (and links if applicable) in the comment section.

About the Author

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Rebecca Helton, MA

About Me

I'm a Senior Program Manager for the Edge at Vanderbilt and primarily work with early career faculty. I manage the Newman Society, the VUMC Faculty Research Scholars program, Edge Reviews, and more. I also edit much of the content on the Edge. When not editing, writing, or working on career development activities, you can find me jumping, spinning, and gliding on the ice.