Thesis and Academic Tips

   The challenge in academic writing is to not waste time and resources offering fluff in an ongoing waffle-fest simply as a trade off for a certificate to hang on the wall. Unless contributing substantially to an area of research, we may simply be adding to an already mountainous pile of academic dross.
   The positive side is the opportunity to hone research and collating skills. Research is valuable regardless of genre, and is only made more obvious in academic writing due to stringent format and presentation prerequisites.

   Avoid diversion from the main thetic point of the research. We may be  attuned to sub-plot, or understory in fiction, which fleshes out work, even diverting reader attention while setting up action or dialogue. This is only a partial option in research. 
   Sub-plot in academic writing may take form by building on prior theory or findings at variance with thesis theme, although should still assist in honing the thetic point.
  
   Although academic writing is formal, our bibliographic resources automatically convey personal style by attuning readers to our convictions and prejudices. Analytical and discursive modes of thinking can exist side by side. Harmonizing of the various elements is a key in providing a legible piece of literature.
   Analysis without 'voice' is as dry as a dog biscuit, and discursive ramble without relevant analysis has no place in academia. A blend of ideas, strengthened by formal style, would be my aim.

   Academic writing can lead to interesting and unexpected places. This is achieved by tone, plus a document organized in easily digestible format, with a vocabulary attuned to reader expectation. Academic writing/reading can be a journey of discovery.
   The work should beg questions as well as giving answers. Academic writing, although offering opinion and fact, can still leave a subject open for further extrapolation and diversion.
   A challenge is in providing food for though rather than a closed loop of irrefutable findings.

   The overall challenge is in holding reader attention. A research paper that no one reads is a complete waste of time. Academic work can be enlightening and enjoyable. Presented well, it may not seem like an academic piece at all, but rather more like a 'can't put down' detective story.
   High ideals indeed for any newcommer feeling their way through the academic darkness. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.




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