On academic writing

Abstract

This essay examines the literature related to the craft of academic writing, with a particular focus on four academic writing how-to books. Three of the books present prescriptive plans for becoming a productive academic writer, while the fourth is based on a qualitative study of 100 successful academic writers. The article examines the advice within these texts, comparing and contrasting the recommendations of each, and then discusses the applicability of the works to the profession of librarianship.