FAQs and Writing Advice For Authors

It's crucial to remember that your audience, even if they're academic, may not be familiar with all the technical jargon. Tailoring your writing style and content to the needs and expectations of your readers is key. If they share your field of study, technical language can make your writing more precise; however, if your audience is from outside your school of academia, it could lead to confusion.

Your main argument or point should be succinctly stated to guide the flow of your paper. It's like a roadmap that keeps you on track. It should first be introduced in your abstract and then repeated throughout the paper sections to stay on point.

Use outlines or frameworks to arrange your thoughts logically. This will give you a clear structure to follow and reduce the stress of a blank page. Mindmaps often provide a visual and non-linear way of brainstorming, organising and connecting various ideas. They are also a great way to overcome writer's block by visualising how different ideas can connect to your main thesis statement in the centre. Having a plan to refer back to also helps maintain coherence and clarity throughout your essay.

All academic writing should meet a professional standard by using formal language. This means avoiding contractions (e.g., don't, can't), first-person narrative (no ‘I’ statements), colloquialisms (e.g., gonna, kinda), and slang (e.g., cool, awesome). Instead, use clear, precise, and formal language to maintain the scholarly tone of your writing.

As Jefferson’s famous advice goes, “the most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do”. Ensure you eliminate all unnecessary words and avoid tangents to enhance clarity and keep your readers engaged.

While it can be annoying, referencing is a cornerstone of academic writing, ensuring you give appropriate credit to original ideas and research. Generally, any new sentence or point needs to be cited, unless it is an original idea. Following an appropriate citation style (like Harvard or APA) is the only way to avoid plagiarism. Also, utilise Word and Google Docs tools as they can help you keep all your sources in order and organise them appropriately.

Always proofread your work for grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and overall flow. While AI tools can be helpful, they don’t replace the human eye. Make sure you or a friend does some editing unaided, whether you have had virtual help or not. It’s essential to refine your writing using common sense as a guide, a quality often missing from AI work.

Use a wide range of methods to support your claims, such as evidence, examples, diagrams, and references, to support your arguments and enhance credibility and reader engagement.

Sharing your work with peers or mentors is a crucial part of the academic writing process. It can provide you with valuable insights and suggestions for improvement. They can specify where your point may have become convoluted or where tangents may have slipped into your work, helping you to refine and strengthen your arguments.

The University's Student Learning Service can help students to develop all aspects of their Academic Writing, both through their online guide as well as one-to-one tutorials and workshops which are put on throughout the year.

Becoming an editor will give you the opportunity to develop numerous transferable skills, which are applicable to any field or sector. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Attention to detail: Reviewing and proofreading papers is a methodical process that requires one to have an eye for detail, which is developed over time. This skill is important not only in academia but also in other contexts, such as in a laboratory-based or engineering career, where accuracy is essential.
• Creativity: This is a frequently sought-after skill by many industries, including advertising and marketing, among many more. Through being an editor, one quickly learns to think outside the box and come up with new ideas to revamp a submitted paper.
• Critical thinking: This skill is developed through being able to understand the audience and tailor the paper to their needs or knowledge base. Critical thinking is also highly important when evaluating a paper in terms of its quality, flow, and accuracy, and it links to problem-solving ability.
• Time management: As an editor, you will become accustomed to meeting deadlines while managing your studies and other commitments. Time management is crucial in virtually all career paths, and becoming an editor is an excellent way to sharpen this skill.
• Teamwork: Being an editor is not always a solitary role. Many editors collaborate with other editors and their assigned authors to publish the final draft. At our journal, the selection and refinement of papers for publishing is a collective effort, and each editor’s contribution is valued.
• Diplomacy: This relates to teamwork and involves considering all viewpoints, handling feedback, and being able to deliver constructive criticism to enhance a paper. A good editor can communicate their ideas effectively while ensuring to incorporate the suggestions of collaborating editors or writers through compromise.

Publish or perish is a common mantra from the world of academia. This is because publishing research is essential for establishing credibility and gaining peer recognition. By sharing your findings, you contribute to the collective knowledge within your discipline, enhance your professional reputation, and create new opportunities. The influence of successful publications on career advancement cannot be overstated, as many institutions prioritise research output in grants and hiring decisions.

Furthermore, the publication provides valuable networking opportunities that can lead to exciting collaborations and projects. The Elphinstone Review, with its rich history and strong alumni network, is a great community to be a part of. By publishing your work in the journal and attending the launch party, you can connect with experts and foster professional relationships that drive innovation and progress. It is also a great personal achievement, which allows you to receive the recognition you deserve for your contributions to your academic field.

The role of an editor at The Elphinstone Review is very flexible, making it an ideal opportunity for individuals seeking to balance various commitments. Aside from participating in two engaging hybrid workshops, all other responsibilities can be managed according to your own schedule, allowing you to work at your own pace while adhering to generous deadlines.

The editors-in-chief are deeply committed to supporting your success and are open to collaborating to ensure that you can effectively fulfil your tasks. This collaborative approach may involve adjusting deadlines to accommodate your needs, providing additional resources or guidance, or even redistributing workloads to ensure a manageable experience.

Moreover, the editorial positions are designed to be entirely virtual, which greatly enhances accessibility for a diverse range of candidates, including those who are part-time, studying remotely, or undertaking placements. There are also in-person options for those who find this easier or more engaging. 

Any student at the University of Aberdeen has the opportunity to contribute to The Elphinstone Review. Our journal is proud to represent the full scope of the University, which covers over 60 subject areas and 400 degree programmes. Regardless of your course, we encourage you to submit articles covering any topic, provided they are between 2000 and 4000 words. Students can also submit more than one paper, although only one article per student will be published in each edition. This is your chance to make your voice heard and inspire others with your work.

By becoming an editor for our journal, you will be given detailed training as preparation for your role. This training will be delivered through two hybrid workshops, which will feature comprehensive instructions on formatting and copy-editing for the volume of the year. Continuous support will be provided by our editors-in-chief, who will be there to help you with any queries that you may have - not just at the workshops but also throughout your role.