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How to Read a Scholarly Article
without drowning in it At first glance, reading scholarly articles might seem simple, but it can actually feel confusing. Dense writing, new terms, and lots of citations can make it hard to get started. Often, the real challenge is your mindset, not just understanding the content. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Try to develop a… →
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From Raw Sources to Real Insights
How I Turn Archival Material Into Usable Notes You have your archival materials and sources ready, and now you’re prepared to write. To simplify the writing process, step back and review your archival materials with your main research question in mind: turning your primary sources and notes into a coherent narrative or argument is essential.… →
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Inside the Archive
How I Approach Research Entering an archive always feels like crossing into another world that is part sanctuary, part maze. There’s a quiet thrill of possibility, the sense that something extraordinary might be hidden in the next box. The familiar overwhelm of fluorescent lights, strict rules, and the sheer volume of materials all remind me… →
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My Academic Momentum Map
Finding Your Way Back Into the Work To start the month, we worked through a clear set of steps. But what do you do when you keep trying and it feels like nothing is working? That’s where my Academic Momentum Map comes in. That’s when my Academic Momentum Map comes into play. It’s a tool… →
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Building Academic Momentum
The Mid-Semester Slump It’s that time of the semester – the slump/slip/dip/mid-semester blues. The name doesn’t matter; what matters is recognizing what’s happening and knowing how to help yourself. Research shows that undergraduates experience an energy dip between weeks 6 and nine. They let assignments stack up, worry about x, or are unsure about what’s… →
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Momentum
How to Set Realistic Goals for Your Writing Momentum isn’t something you passively wait for; it’s something you actively build through small, consistent actions, even on days when your document feels burdensome compared to your motivation. As we enter March, this post is about transforming the ideas you’ve been holding onto (chapter outlines, partial drafts,… →
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The Academic Writing Cycle
A Brutally Honest Look A confession: academic writing isn’t a straight path but more of a looping, spiraling, sometimes wild adventure. So I tried to map the chaos. People talk about writing like it’s a cycle or a process — neat, knowable, step by step. But for me, it’s an adventure: twists, turns, detours, and… →
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How Undergrads Can Reset Their Semester Without Starting Over
Academic Reset Momentum slips fast in the first weeks of a semester. You start on a roll, then there’s a tiny slip. If you haven’t slipped up, this post may not be for you. Most undergrads don’t need a full restart; you need a reset that feels doable. A reset begins with taking stock of… →
Wendi Kavanaugh 