Comments on: The Young Professor: How To Get Published

By: Freddy J. Nager

Freddy J. Nager — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:22:52 +0000

Apparently, I’m not the only one who finds academic writing laughable. The University of Chicago has created an academic sentence generator — including a Virtual Academic who will do your writing for you.

Example: “Pootwattle’s informal sketch of the relationship between the authentication of pedagogical institutions and the de-eroticization of collecting as a cultural practice resituates Finklestein’s argument in a linguistic context.”

By: Dr. D

Dr. D — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:21:15 +0000

Sorry guys, you are talking about a stereotype of academics which is so easy to target with select examples of convoluted thinking and poor writing. Those examples would not stop me from achieving the highest level of education within my means. I received a Ph.D. from a R1 school in May 2009 at age 52. I learned later in life how to write scientific papers and now my research is about advertising, consumer behavior and the promotion of prosocial causes. Sure some of the language is unique to the academy, however the audience is trained to make sense of it. I love to learn and now love to teach. I attempt use words in the lecture that is common to the discipline. I learned to teach from thoughtful and sensible professors. I suggest you go back to school and give it a try if you have the aptitude…maybe you can help make science more accessible to others.

Freddy’s Comment: Good points. Note that I’m teaching now at the collegiate level — and helping make marketing more accessible to others — all without a PhD. (I also read academic journals, so this example is not an isolated case.) True, without a PhD, there’s no tenure track for me, but from what I’ve been reading, tenured positions are an endangered species in America. Most PhD’s are having trouble finding them.

By: R. Craigen

R. Craigen — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:31:20 +0000

Despite being a no-longer-so young professor, I appreciated your final example, but you missed one critical piece of advice.

If a person disputes the validity of your mathematical derivation of the social behavior of avians, you should recommend to them an empirical test of the theory: they should go and flock themselves!

By: Callum Ginty

Callum Ginty — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:56:38 +0000

“Now graph it and remember to curve your correlation line, since straight lines appear naïve.”

Could not stop laughing!!

Fascinating to note that “telling it like it is” is so funny. Freddy do you know any companies that have tried to do this in order to appeal to customers?

Freddy’s comment: Hmmm… none come to mind. The 1990 movie “Crazy People” starring Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah was about insane-asylum inmates running an ad agency, and they succeed by telling the truth. (“You may think phone service stinks since deregulation, but don’t mess with us, because we’re all you’ve got. In fact, if we fold, you’ll have no damn phones. AT&T – we’re tired of taking your crap!”) Unfortunately, the film devolves into a bad romantic comedy, but the advertising bits are hilarious.

By: roccopendola

roccopendola — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:21 +0000

Good stuff!!

Thanks for the comment. Peace!

By: Doug aka nullvariable

Doug aka nullvariable — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:50:42 +0000

F = μCK…that pretty much says it all…

I totally agree on the bloated nature of so many things out there…thats why I love blogs! (also why I’d much rather work with a small business than a big one)