When I was younger, I squandered my mentors' time.
I was awful. I would send quick drafts with typos, incomplete grammar, & poorly formatted references.
I figured that my mentors would skim the draft for ideas & give feedback.
It was so bad that my advisor drew a line in the sand - he would only look at three iterations after my proposal defense - or I would have to find a new advisor?
I was mortified. What advisor says that?
I recently looked at one of my early papers. I made so many typos! And shared so many incomplete thoughts!
I now know why my advisor said that.
Mentors struggle to help mentees who send sloppy work. In fact, such work demotivates mentors and can even cause them to avoid looking at your work.
So what can you do? To craft paper drafts that your mentor will read?
Start with the small stuff.
First, check the spelling & grammar. I use Grammarly on all of my papers. I pay for my students to subscribe to it as well.
Minimizing errors helps your mentor to see your big-picture ideas.
Second, format the document simply. Funky fonts. Weird spacing. Colored text. Complex formatting can take days to figure out & drive mentors crazy.
Less complex formatting is easier to edit & eventually prepare for journal submission.
Third, track your mistakes. The first mistake evokes concern. The second mistake irritates a mentor. The third mistake makes your mentor crazy. They do not want to correct your work repeatedly.
Learning from your mistakes makes you a more desirable coauthor.
Moving onto the big stuff.
Fourth, work with a writing coach. Read writing blogs. Most universities have a writing center. Some schools make a copyeditor available. Use them.
Every author, including me, benefits from coaching!
Fifth, learn your discipline's conventions. Some use a casual voice others are more formal. Be attentive to how authors in your top journal present their ideas.
Playing by your field's rules makes it easier for mentors to provide advice - so set aside what you learned in English 101!
Sixth, edit your work, edit it again, then edit it one more time. Let it rest for a night. Then read it. If it feels good, send it.
Editing takes time. Please don't force it.
Finally, don't forget whose your boss. Learn your mentor's preferences.
I like Times New Roman or Arial Narrow, one-inch margins, single-spaced, one space between paragraphs & no colors.
Word choices matter too! I hate the word "both" & phrases like "prior literature." Wordiness is a sin.
Do these points sound petty? Sure. Yet, synching mentor preferences with mentee behavior makes collaboration easier.
Hopefully, these tips will help early-career authors. The first & final ones are applicable in all disciplines - the others may need calibration for your field.
Most of all, don't give up. Writing & storytelling are learned skills. You can do it!
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