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Q: "I find that I am forever writing different versions of the same thing, leaving me with the problem of collating them, or blending them together. Also wastes time, of course, to duplicate effort like that. I wonder if working more from hard copy of ONE draft as I go along would help (spend more paper and less time??). Although computer has obvious advantages, it is deranging to me to not be able to see it all at once. Sometimes I literally cut and paste which helps. Using the collapsible outline in Word should work, but the formatting always drives me buggy. It does't LOOK like an outline with all the different heading styles and colors. Other things to try?" Q: "How do you bring your writing projects to completion? Do you write daily, in large blocks? What strategies do you use to overcome "writer's block"? What have you done to improve your writing skills? How do you manage your time so that you find time for writing?" Q: "Does anyone know of a way to edit the PDF files or to put them into another program that allows additions, deletions, re-numbering of figures and sections, etc., without requiring the whole manuscript to be re-typed?" Q: "What techniques do you use to cut clutter, wordiness, jargon, etc. from your writing?" Q: "How can you identify the right research topic for a dissertation? How can you make sure it will be a compelling topic?" Q: "I'd like to use images in a book I'm working on. What are the copyright issues around using Internet images? Can anything found on the Internet be published? If not, where does one go to get permission? Are there any working guidlines?" (secondary question) "I was wondering after reading your e-mail whether there are substantial charges regarding images from large professional groups such as Getty. I have no budget for art in my contract so if I decide to use them it will most likely come out of my pocket. Any suggestions?" Q: "What are page charges (for publishing a scholarly journal article)? Do I pay them or does my institution? What if my institution won't pay them?" Q: "I am interested in finding online word processing software for collaborative writing that I can use with my co-authors. Some thoughts: 1) I'd like something low cost (or free); 2) I've found two possible programs so far: WriteBoard and ZohoWriter (apparently in a beta version only). Aside from usability, I'm also concerned about security -- that our work is protected and stays private; 3) Instead of writing online, I've also been looking at using a wiki like wikispaces.com to share documents more easily. Has anyone used these or any other programs for collaborative writing, or have any other ideas or experiences? I remember trying to convince my colleagues in the early 90s that they really could send documents by email. Now I'd like to take advantage of the new capabilities of the web." Q: "I'd appreciate any advice about what kind of writing software is available (for academic social sciences). I use WordPerfect with EndNote, but need to upgrade, and haven't looked at other programs in several years. Has EndNote gotten any easier to use? Is Word avoidable? Is there any flexible and useful outlining software?" Q: "How do I avoid journal rejections based on the editor's plans for coming issues?" Q: "How do I find out what a journal's style expectations are?" Q: "I have an idea for an article based on my dissertation, but I don't know where to send it. How can I make a reasonable choice?" Q: "I am organizing a conference that I think will be very good. How do I approach a publisher for the proceedings? What is such a publisher looking for?" Q: "What can I negotiate for in an academic contract and what must I accept?" Q: "The contract that has been offered on a book based on my dissertation specifies 'camera-ready copy.' What does this mean?" Q: "I need to write my first grant application. What are the elements I need to include to ensure that my project is funded?" Q: "I probably will have to submit my article to several journals before it is accepted. Each of the ones I am likely to send it to has a different style for footnotes and references. How do I make revisions efficiently and not spend undue hours with trivia?"
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