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Dear Ray -- an interesting extension of Susan's metaphor. Just two brief comments: *... the opposite, i.e. hubris “I can fly my plane the way I want to”, and a failure to read, or believe, the flight manual. Most prevalent is a failure to properly care for the passengers (i.e. the readers). The passengers want a smooth predictable flight, in a straight line. * 1. Sure, I've seen those too. But if they're serious about their work, hubris gets knocked out of them soon enough when they participate in peer reivew with a high bar. When an aspiring author can't revise further -- though I intuit that clarity hasn't been achieved yet -- I say something like, "Well, then I think it's ready to submit it to true peers, not this 'surrogate peer' (me) for real-life feedback." Once they've gone through the full process successfully a couple of times, I find they're either exhuberant, itching for more, the more demanding the better. Or they think "it's is too much effort" and stop writing papers. But I also find they're better readers and practitioners (my "student" clients are clinicians) as a result of having engaged. As for writers at a stage where they don't know where they're heading yet, don't we all find that out through revising our own thoughts through writing, getting feedback, revisiting? Good pre-submission, in-house peer review (mentors, colleagues, a facilitating editor like me...) furthers that process, but real submission to top-flight journals brings it all home. And hones a writer's skills so the reader gets a smoother flight. There's no point in submitting before an engaged peer reviewer has "safe passage" to the message in the paper. 2. As for what readers want (smooth, predictable, straight line), dunno about that. They don't want to crash, true. But the metaphor breaks down. Some of the best reads of my life were so exciting they had me pacing the floor. And my eyes popping with the intelligible surprises I was treated to! Very best, stay safe, Mary Ellen Kerans, in Barcelona, where phase 1 starts tomorrow On Sun, May 24, 2020 at 12:13 PM Raymond Boxman <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Dear Susan *et al*., > > > > I loved your analogy. Thank you for sharing it with us. > > > > I would like to add to it: > > > > *The phenomenon that I encounter in the hard sciences and engineering is > that the trainee pilots don’t usually learn from a flight instructor at > all, but rather from another experienced senior pilot (e.g. their thesis > supervisor). The result is usually OK, in fact most of the pilots I know > learned this way, but the process can be tedious and trying for both the > senior pilot and the trainee.* > > > > *I don’t encounter too much fear of flying. If anything, I see the > opposite, i.e. hubris “I can fly my plane the way I want to”, and a failure > to read, or believe, the flight manual. Most prevalent is a failure to > properly care for the passengers (i.e. the readers). The passengers want a > smooth predictable flight, in a straight line. But many of the trainee > pilots put their wish to fly what for them is a more interesting zig-zag > course, and perform aerobatics (dives, loops, etc.) along the way, which > make their passengers air sick. And the most difficult to correct are the > pilot trainees who don’t know where they a going. They don’t think like > pilots, and don’t understand the difference between their destination, and > what they need to do to get to their destination. Some really like the > on-board instrumentation. Often they have a favorite flight instrument, > and they will use it inappropriately (e.g. using the default options in an > Excel chart) rather than choosing the instruments, and their options, that > keep their plane on the straightest course.* > > > > Best wishes to all for us to enjoy many flights, academic and aeronautic. > > > > Ray Boxman > > > > *From the home of* > > Prof. Emeritus Raymond (Reuven) Boxman > > School of Electrical Engineering > > Tel Aviv University > > Cell: +972 544 634 217 > > *http://www.eng.tau.ac.il/~boxman/index.html* > <http://www.eng.tau.ac.il/~boxman/index.html> > > CEO Clear Wave Ltd. http://clrwave.com > > Scientific Writing Courses: http://communicating-science.com > > > > *From:* European Association for the Teaching of Academic Writing - > discussions <[log in to unmask]> *On Behalf Of *Susan Mitchell > *Sent:* יום א 24 מאי 2020 01:20 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Academic writing and the terror of flying > > > > Dear All, > > > > *I often like to think of new academics as trainee pilots flying their > research planes over the mountains and lakes of academia. * > > > > *We, the academic writing tutors, are members of the Academic Flight > Training Corps. As such, we offer guidance based on the tried and trusted > methods of qualified (published) pilots who have flown to many different > destinations. We have a trainee flying handbook – long and full of detail. > We have certain flight rules, regulations, and standards. We tell the > trainees that they must read their instructions, strap on their academic > flying language, check their reference style, refresh their quotations and > keep their eyes firmly fixed on the horizon where their findings and > conclusions will be waiting for them. Then we put the trainees in > individual academic planes and wheel them towards the academic runway.* > > > > *But there is a major problem. Many trainees look outwardly confident but > inside they feel unintelligent and unworthy compared to the others. They > are frightened of being judged and this makes them terrified of academic > flying. So they think that if they just copy exactly what the published > pilots do then they will be fine. This strategy works fine until today when > they have to fly their academic planes for themselves. * > > > > *Trundling out of the hangar, some of these trainees fail to read the > instructions and don’t get to grips with what they have been asked to do. > (Sometimes they don’t understand the language in which the instructions > have been written.) Others aren’t sure of which flight word or phrase or > sentence to use so they choose the longest and most convoluted in the > belief these are the only truly academic and flight-worthy ones. Other > trainees want to show that they have read widely about flying and therefore > they put references at the end of every single sentence causing the > sentences to leap haphazardly from subject to subject. Their numerous > flying quotations take up so much room that there is no space for the > trainees’ own luggage of words. * > > > > *As they begin to accelerate, these trainees cling to the flying handbook, > pull back on their joysticks but fail to look up. With the horizon > completely forgotten, each plane zigzags out of control and then comes to > an abrupt halt in the bushes at the end of the runway.* > > > > *At this point, some trainees – dismayed and discouraged – simply lose > heart, give up academic flying and go home.* > > > > *To prevent such occurrences I tell nervous young researchers the secrets > of this strange and unfamiliar academic landscape. I tell them that the > other academic flying trainees are often just as frightened as they are. I > tell them that published pilots are not gods of the air, but mere mortals > like ourselves who have had many moments of doubt and the occasional bumpy > landing before achieving their published flying status. I tell them that > academia is based on a level and equitable airfield where anyone can > challenge anyone, and where no one person is greater than another. And > lastly, I tell them that one day soon, rather than merely absorbing > published pilots’ advice they will use this newly acquired knowledge to > discover better flying techniques. * > > > > *So, they need to carefully read other pilots’ words but use their own – > ones chosen specifically for the flight in hand. They should reference and > quote only the best pilots and, of the others, favour the newer pilots over > the older pilots. They should use quotations sparingly so that they leave > room for their own suitcase of words. If there is an error in what the > published pilots say or do they should politely but clearly point it out. > Then, sooner or later, they will use the World’s pooled flying knowledge to > fly higher and better than anyone would dream to be possible. * > > > > *And above all, they need to know where they are going and this means that > they should stick firmly to their flight plan. * > > > > *If they stick to the flight plan and keep their eyes on the horizon, then > the plane and its passengers (the readers) will fly as straight and true as > an arrow to their findings and conclusions – destinations that no one has > ever considered flying to before.* > > > > Have a fun day. > > > > With very best wishes, > > > > Susan > > _________________________________________________________________ To > unsubscribe login to https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=EATAW > You find the 'Unsubscribe' button in the blue 'Options bar' > _________________________________________________________________ To > unsubscribe login to https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=EATAW > You find the 'Unsubscribe' button in the blue 'Options bar' -- Mary Ellen Kerans Barcelona, SPAIN _________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe login to https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=EATAW You find the 'Unsubscribe' button in the blue 'Options bar'