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Use repetition to make your writing cohere
by Tara Gray

(AB)(BC)(CD) looks pretty, is easy to understand, and is probably reasonable; (ABZYX) (MNOP) (BJKLC) looks ugly, is impossible to understand, and is probably nonsense. . . Repeat, and your paragraphs will cohere (McCloskey 2000: 51).

To do it, repeat the same word again or use its variation. For example, "repeat" could be repeated in various forms: repetition, repeating, repeated, repeat. Also, you can link sentences by using pronouns like "it" and "them" to relieve the monotony (McCloskey 2000: 50-51).

Instead of repeating words, many authors engage in what is known as "elegant variation." They refer to a committee first as a "committee," but then as a "group," "team," "circle," and so on. . . Don't. As these writers get more "sophisticated," they began to write phrases like this one: "Indifferent harvests of 1815 and calamitous volume deficiencies of 1816" (McCloskey 2000: 56). "It takes awhile to see that both mean about the same thing, a pretty simple thing. . . "indifferent harvests" = bad crops and "calamitous volume deficiencies" = very bad crops" (McCloskey 2000: 57).

Check out the outstanding book Economical Writing (2000) by Deirdre McCloskey.

Good luck with it: if you have any questions or comments about writing, please contact me at tgray@nmsu.edu. I'd love to hear from you and will answer your questions.

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Academic researchers should go beyond Google

Online research is not about serving up the longest list of results, said David Davis, a competitive intelligence manager with the Copyright Clearance Center, a digital content management resource. "More isn't always better," he said.

There is a difference between complex premium research and simplistic open web research, said Davis. It's best to target online research methods to return relevant results, he said, accentuating a quality of directed research over a quantity of disconnected information.

Davis suggests academic researchers use alternative search engines that supply factual data instead of market data, going beyond "Google" and using premium sites such as "Factiva", "DIALOG", "SCIRUS", "Lexis-Nexis", and "Firstgov.gov". These alternative search tools are crafted for specifics, he said, taking a closer aim at the target of research: "These sites query for quality over the quantity traditionally returned by search engines like Google."

The alternative sites also suggest more personalized research, said Davis. Moving away from the overused "Google" phenomenon, coupled with the application of advanced searches, he said, could result in data becoming more targeted to academic research. He recommended using the advanced techniques of applying "domain", "file type", "Boolean", "proximity", "truncation", "field" and "metadata" to narrow results in on-line scholarly research.

Davis also stressed the importance of responsible research, which includes clearly defined criteria and a critique of the quality of the source. He warned against being too trusting of online information, and called for informed research: "Academic researchers should ask themselves 'What is the authority of this source and to what degree can I trust it?'"

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Seasoned pros give tips on publishing journal articles

Jay Black, co-editor of the "Journal of Mass Media Ethics", and Charles Holland, professor emeritus of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University, share some tips for getting your journal articles published:

Black:

• Get familiar with the journal - don't submit blindly. "Skim through several issues and find the journal's pattern, topics, style, etc," he said. "If your article is too long or not in the required style, it shows that its not really focused. Don't give up. Eighty percent of resubmitted articles are accepted."

Holland:

• Have a general outline and write like you're telling a story to someone. Go back and polish it.
• Eliminate the 'fog factor'. It may sound good, but do people really understand what you're trying to say?
• Keep sentences short and make sure they say exactly what you want them to say.
• Look into the literature and reference everyone that's done work in the subject area of your article. They may be your reviewers; you don't want them to think their work has been ignored.
• Don't give up on your article. You will get recommendations back from the reviewer. Make the changes and resubmit.

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2007 TAA Conference to be held in Buffalo, NY

In an effort to attract more new and academic members, TAA has decided to hold its 2007 Conference in Buffalo, NY. A large concentration of new TAA members reside in the Buffalo area. An informal e-mail survey of TAA members regarding whether to hold the 2007 Conference in Buffalo, NY or Chicago, IL, found a slightly larger number preferred Buffalo. The exact date in June that the conference will be held has not yet been decided. The 2007 TAA Conference will include two tracks, one for textbook authors and one for academic authors. It will also include a social networking event and a tour of a local publishing house.

We welcome your ideas for sessions for the academic track. Send them to Kim Pawlak, Associate Executive Director at kmpawlak@centurytel.net or call (608) 687-3109.

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We would love to get your input!

Please let us know what you think of this new TAA member benefit. Send an email to TAA's Associate Executive Director Kim Pawlak at kmpawlak@centurytel.net. We are open to any comments, suggestions for improvement, additions, and questions!