Tips for Academic Research – Writing

The “Perfect English” Trap: Why You Are Staring at a Blank Screen

Picture this scenario.

It is 10:00 AM. You are sitting in the library (Perpustakaan) with your laptop open. You have your notes. You have your coffee. You are ready to write.

But two hours later, the screen is still blank.

Why does this happen?

In my experience working with postgraduate students across Malaysia, the problem isn’t that you don’t have ideas. The problem is fear. Specifically, the fear that your English isn’t “academic” enough.

You write a sentence, look at it, and think: “That sounds too simple. A PhD student shouldn’t sound like this.” So you delete it. Then you try to use big words like “utilize” instead of “use,” or “aforementioned” instead of “this.”

Stop doing that.

Academic writing is not about using expensive words. It is about clarity. If your examiner has to read a sentence three times to understand it, you have failed. The best researchers write in simple, direct English.

In this post, I’m going to share the quick, messy tips I use to get words on the page when my brain freezes.

The Power of Note-Taking

Start out with writing by taking small notes. During reading previous literature, it is good practice to take notes. Notes are usually quick sentences that present important concepts or ideas that you have found interesting during reading. These notes will be useful when writing your literature review, and other parts of your thesis.

Maximizing Your Research Output

Also, once you start to write a conference paper or a journal article, you may want to keep these for later reference, and use them in your thesis. Or, you may want to use some pieces of your writings from your thesis and form them into a conference paper or journal article. This is usually what most people do after completing their thesis. Most universities require that a student has a certain number of publications in conferences and journals in order to fulfill the requirements and graduate. So students may use what they wrote in their thesis to create the necessary publications.

Adhering to Journal Guidelines

Depending on the specific journal, you may want to format your article tailored specifically for the format of that particular journal. As you write, you can follow the guidelines of the particular journal format. This way, you will save time with formatting your writings for the journal.

The Importance of Revision

After you complete a journal article, you should leave it for at least one day. Then come back to it and read it again. This way, you will be able to read it over and most likely realize that something needs correcting. Always leave some time before you come back to read the article again, or proofread it for any language mistakes.

Dealing with Feedback and Persistence

Do not let bad feedback from journal proofreaders demoralize you. Simply correct the mistakes they have highlighted as soon as possible and resubmit it early, not matter how hard this can be. After your hard work, you should not let the proofreaders get in your way. Adjust the article accordingly, and resubmit it again. All successful researchers have had negative feedback during their early stages of writing, so do not let this get in your way.

Turning Small Steps into Big Results

I have seen many students feel overwhelmed when they think about writing a whole thesis or a journal article. It feels like a mountain that is too high to climb. My best advice is to stop looking at the top of the mountain and just look at your feet. By taking small notes every day, you are building the foundation of your work without even realizing it. Those quick sentences you write while reading might not feel like much now, but they will be your best friend when it is time to write your literature review.

I also want to remind you that getting a “no” from a journal is not the end of the world. In my work, I see many brilliant papers that were rejected the first time. The reviewers are not trying to be mean; they are just giving you a map to make your work even better. If you take their feedback and use it to fix your paper, you are much more likely to be accepted the next time. It takes a lot of courage to keep going after a setback, but that is exactly what makes a great researcher.

At the end of the day, your goal is to graduate and share your findings with the world. Whether you are turning a chapter into a paper or just trying to get through your first draft, every little bit of work counts. My team and I are here to help you with that final polish whenever you are ready. We make sure your English is clear and professional so that your research gets the attention it deserves. Keep moving forward, one small note at a time.

Need to ensure your thesis is error-free? Check out our Thesis Editing & Proofreading Services.

Aiming for a Q1 acceptance? Polish your manuscript with our Journal Manuscript Editing & Proofreading Services.