The Blank Page: Starting a New Project for Academic Writing Month

By Janet Salmons, PhD, Research Community Manager for SAGE Methodspace and author of Doing Qualitative Research Online. Use the code MSPACEQ422 for a 20% discount on SAGE research methods books, valid through December 31, 2022.

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The blank page can be inviting or intimidating.

What will we write about, for whom, to achieve what purpose? Where do we start? For most academic writers, the work begins long before we start tapping on the keyboard or taking up the pen. We must first read literature, dissect theories, conduct research, and try to create meaning from what we learn. While we may have a clear idea about the content, the focus and style of our writing vary depending on the readers we hope to reach.

Will this target audience understand foundational principles and terminology, or do we need to explain the basics? Will they read a full-length article, or would they prefer to see a shorter one that is illustrated with diagrams or photographs? Do they want an in-depth discussion of the data collection and analysis, or stories that convey personal perspectives? Should we delve into scholarly intricacies or translate our findings into practical how-to steps? What purpose do we hope to achieve, what impact do we hope our work will have? Do we hope our work is scholarly, instructional, informative, or the basis for policy changes or new professional practices? 

The answers to these questions will shape the form, length, and approach you will take to filling in those blank pages. Thinking about your Academic Writing Month project, how do you answer these key questions?

• What kinds of source material will I draw on for this writing project? Is the material up-to-date, is it adequate? Do I need some additional background information or scholarly literature?

• Who are the readers I want to reach? What parts of the source material will they want to learn about? What should I summarize or explain in depth?

• What type of publication will reach the target audience of readers? What are the requirements for length, style, or voice?

• What purpose will the publication serve? Am I concerned about advancing scholarship on this topic or helping readers to apply new ideas in practice?

• What impact will be possible? If I serve the purpose and reach these readers, what difference will this publication make?

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Answering Key Questions Helps You Organize and Prioritize Steps to Take

Here is how I answered them for a past #AcWriMo project. One challenge for this project was not that I had nothing to fill on the blank page, but that I had too much! I had done countless presentations, webinars, training events about the research findings. I had lots of fragments to organize, which meant keeping the purpose of the project top-of-mind was essential.

Another issue was that much of the literature was dated. Given the purpose and desired impact, this was a more practical, less scholarly project. The original literature review would not really fit this project. Instead, I looked for supporting resources that would help the readers understand and apply the concepts and models presented in the book. If the publication type were a journal article, my project would have been organized very differently.

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