writing tips for phd students john cochrane

The Grumpy Economist

John Cochrane's blog

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Writing compactly, 12 comments:.

No need to write a paper if you can make your point in a tweet. Except that tweets don't build a good CV )-;

Very good advice. Unless you're being paid by the word (as with some famous 19th century authors), in which case "never use 1 word when 10 will do". :-)

In my salad days, I was a corporation lawyer. I had a client who absolutely refused to read anything I sent him that was more than one page long. Further he insisted that the page have generous margins and the writing be set forth in a series of "bullet points" (i.e. like a power point slide). And, he had zero tolerance for jargon. Keeping him happy was quite a challenge, but I learned a lot about how to be concise and communicative.

Prof Cochrane - did you, in the past, post a 4 page paper on using the language/ methodology of software programming to describe economic modelling? If so, would you mind posting a link to it on your blog? Thanks.

The advice for journalists and economic commentators working for newspapers is of course the direct opposite of the above. I.e. if you can take a simple point and turn it into a thousand words of impressive sounding hot air and waffle, you’ll be guaranteed a secure job and decent pay with some newspaper.

There are few points worth making that cannot be made in 250 words. Many concepts could have been a brilliant essay but instead became a mediocre 350 page book.

Smaller point but I used your conclusion in a discussion this fall "May economists falsely think of themselves as scientists who just “write up” research. We are not" just a typo (many) worth fixing while you're at it. Thanks for the wonderful advice!!!!

Yeah. "Fix typos before you release anything" is more good advice in the "do as I say don't do as I do" category.

Please share more content.

I am a student and that post is very useful for me.

It must be done through some efficient ideas.

Comments are welcome. Keep it short, polite, and on topic. Thanks to a few abusers I am now moderating comments. I welcome thoughtful disagreement. I will block comments with insulting or abusive language. I'm also blocking totally inane comments. Try to make some sense. I am much more likely to allow critical comments if you have the honesty and courage to use your real name.

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Writing Tips for Ph.D. Students

John Cochrane gives writing tips for Ph.D. students .  One of the key insights it the following:

“ Many economists falsely think of themselves as scientists who just “write up” research. We are not; we are primarily writers. Economics and finance papers are essays. Most good economists spend at least 50% of the time they put into any project on writing. For me, it’s more like 80%. ”

Below are some other highlights from this paper.

• “Figure out the one central and novel contribution of your paper.  Write this down in one paragraph.”
• “A good paper is not a travelogue of your search process.”
• “The main point of the literature review should be to set your paper off against the 2 or 3 closest current papers, and to give proper credit to people who deserve priority for things that might otherwise seem new in your paper.”
• In the body of the paper, your task is to get to the central result as fast as possible.
• “There should be nothing before the main result that a reader does not need to know in order to understand the main result.”
• “…the theory must be the minimum required for the reader to understand the empirical results.”
• “As you edit the paper ask yourself constantly, ‘can I make the same point in less space?’ and ‘Do I really have to say this?'”
• “Follow the rule ‘first describe what you do, then explain it, compare it to alternatives, and compare it to others’ procedures’ at the micro level as well as the macro level. For example, in describing a data transformation, just start with, say, ‘I adjust income by the square root of household size’. Then tell us why adjusting is important, and then talk about different adjustment functions. Most writers do all this in the reverse order.”
• “Simple is better.”
• “Don’t use footnotes for parenthetical comments.”
• “The caption of a regression table should have the regression equation and the name of the variables, especially the left hand variable.”
• “Good figures really make a paper come alive, and they communicate patterns in the data much better than big tables of numbers.”
• “Much bad writing comes down to trying to avoid responsibility for what you’re saying.”
• “Clothe the naked ‘this.’ ‘This shows that markets really are irrational…’ This what?”

What are the three most important things for empirical work?  Identification, Identification, Identification. Cochrane also has a list of tips for explaining your empirical work.

• What economic mechanism causes dispersion in the right hand variables?
• What economic mechanism constitutes the error term?
• Explain why you think the error term is uncorrelated with the right hand variables in economic terms.
• Describe the source of variation in the data that drives your estimates, for every single number you present. For example, the underlying facts will be quite different as you add fixed effects. With firm fixed effects, the regression coefficient is driven by how the variation over time within each firm. Without firm fixed effects, the coefficient is (mostly) driven by variation across firms at a moment in time.
• Think of reverse causality stories.
• Consider carefully what controls should and should not be in the regression. Most papers have far too many right hand variables. You do not want to include all the “determinants” of y on the right hand side.
• High R 2 is usually bad — it means you ran left shoes = α+β right shoes +γprice .  Right shoes should not be a control!
• Don’t run a regression like wage = a + b education + c industry + error . Of course, adding industry helps raise the R 2 , and industry is an important other determinant of wage (it was in the error term if you did #2). But the whole point of getting an education is to help people move to better industries, not to move from assistant burger-flipper to chief burger-flipper.

Cochrane, John H. “ Writing Tips for Ph.D. Students .”

Writing at the Graduate Level

Personal statements.

2 Law School Personal Statements That Succeeded ( Ilana Kowarski , U.S. News & World Report) An article that discusses successful personal statements for law school.

10 tips for writing a grad school personal statement (Billie Streufert, USA Today) “While you cannot change your grade point average or entrance exam scores, you have complete control over the contents of your personal statement. There are many applicants and few spots, so work diligently to persuade readers that you fit their program given your qualifications, interests and professional goals. Use the tips below to prepare and refine your essay.”

Advice for Writing Personal Statements (George Mason University, The Writing Center) A list of rhetorical questions to ask yourself when preparing a personal statement.

Writing a Personal Statement (Binghamton University, Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development) (PDF) Includes strategies for focusing your essay, prewriting questions, resources, and tips.

Writing the Personal Statement (Purdue OWL) “This handout provides information about writing personal statements for academic and other positions.” It includes rhetorical questions to ask yourself before you begin writing and helpful advice. The following sections are also excellent resources:

• Advice from Admissions Representatives Read about what admissions officers from different colleges say they’re looking for in an admissions essay or statement.
• Examples of Successful Statements Two personal statement examples that can serve as resources for writers composing their own personal statements.
• Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules and Pitfalls As the title suggests, this source lists some “dos” and “don’ts” for writing a personal statement.

Write Your Personal Statement (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The Career Center) Provides tips for writing personal statements.

Writing Your Medical School Personal Statement (The Princeton Review) A brief list of tips for writing a personal statement when you’re applying to medical school.

Writing Your Personal Statement (University of Delaware, Career Center) An overview of writing personal statements with general tips, a suggested process, self-reflective questions, and a list of “dos” and “don’ts.”

EXPECTATIONS AND GOALS OF GRADUATE-LEVEL WRITING

Introduction to Graduate Writing (Dr. Emily Heady, Liberty University Graduate Writing Center) “Some characteristics of good graduate-level writing remain consistent across disciplinary boundaries. This workbook is designed to give students practice in these areas, which include the following:

• Punctuation
• Logic and Organization
• Critical Thinking
• Diction and vocabulary
• Research Writing

In addition, this workbook will give students limited practice in discipline-specific skills such as citation.”

Do’s and Don’ts of Graduate Writing (Debra Davenport, Purdue University) A handy article listing expectations of graduate-level writing.

Graduate Student Writing Resources (Portland University, Writing Center) Here you’ll learn about the differences between undergraduate and graduate-level writing, research, language use, documentation, and integrating evidence.

Temple University Harrisburg Guide To Graduate Level Writing (Temple University; retrieved from Utica College Resources for Graduate Students) (PowerPoint Presentation Download) This PowerPoint presentation provides students with a way to approach writing a 10-12-page paper, from finding a topic to making final edits. It also includes information on making sentence-level revision, with emphases on the following topics: clarity, semantics, positive phrases, subordination, parallel structure, and paragraph construction. Finally, the presentation offers a brief overview of APA citations.

USING PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY SOURCES

How to Read a Primary Source (University of Iowa, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: History) This source provides a series of critical thinking questions to help you analyze a primary source based on its purpose, argument, presuppositions, epistemology, and relationship to other texts.

Research Using Primary Sources (University of Maryland, University Libraries) Primary, secondary and tertiary sources are explained with definitions and examples. Included on this page you will also find a short video detailing specific criteria for evaluating sources.

A Source’s Role in Your Paper (Harvard College Writing Program) “When you begin to draft your paper, you will need to decide what role each of your sources will play in your argument. In other words, you will need to figure out what you’re going to do with the source in your paper. As you consider what role each source will play in your paper, you should begin by thinking about the role that source played in your research process.” This source offers “a list of questions to help you decide how you’re going to use each of your sources.”

What are Primary Sources? (Yale University) Primary Sources at Yale divides primary sources into the following categories, with detailed explanations and tools for finding sources within each category: Books and Pamphlets, Serials, Government Documents, Manuscript and Archival Material, Maps, Realia/Artifacts, Tablets, Visual Materials, Music, Sound Recordings, Oral History and Dissertations.

What Are You Supposed To Do With Sources? (Harvard College Writing Program) Identifying useful sources is an important part of the research process, but it is equally important to understand how to use these sources effectively in your paper. This source details how to consider your sources in the context of your central research question, discipline, and scope of your paper.

What is Primary Research and How Do I Get Started? (Purdue OWL) “Primary research involves collecting data about a given subject directly from the real world. This section includes information on what primary research is, how to get started, ethics involved with primary research and different types of research you can do. It includes details about interviews, surveys, observations, and analysis.”

IRB APPLICATIONS

Common Problems with IRB Applications (Montclair State University, IRB) The Montclair State University IRB has compiled a list of common issues with applications they review. Here is a list of these issues and a description of the measures you can take when completing your application to avoid them.

How do I improve my consent’s “readability”, or lower its “reading level”? (Montclair State University, IRB) (PDF) This document explains how to test your document’s readability according to the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and the steps you can take to improve its readability.

Identifying and Avoiding Bias in Research (Christopher J. Pannucci and Edwin G. Wilkins, National Center for Biotechnology Information) In the second section of this article, “Pre-trial bias,” you can learn about “the importance of clearly defining both risk and outcome, the necessity of standardized protocols for data collection, and the concepts of selection and channeling bias.” Clearly defining, acknowledging, and/or avoiding non-intentional bias in your research design will help you submit a well-planned and thorough IRB application.

Montclair State University: Institutional Review Board (Montclair State University, IRB) “The purpose of this website is to provide investigators and the research community at the University with the information and materials that are needed to obtain IRB approval of research that involves human participants.”

Readable Readability is a measure of how easy a piece of text is to read. It can include elements of complexity, familiarity, legibility and typography. Readability formulas usually look at factors like sentence length, syllable density and word familiarity as part of their calculations.

Tips to Reduce IRB Application Turnaround Time (The University of Mississippi) These tips from the University of Mississippi include some best practices for all researchers submitting IRB applications.

WRITING TERM PAPERS

Graduate School Papers and You (Tara Kuther, Thought Co.) Kuther explains the importance of recognizing short papers in graduate school as furthering scholarly exploration, creating opportunities for constructive feedback, improving writing skills, and preparing for a thesis or dissertation.

Writing Tips for PhD Students (John H. Cochrane, University of Chicago) (PDF) Cochrane offers tips for PhD students who are organizing, writing, and presenting seminar papers. Although he focuses mostly on business writing, much of his advice can be useful for all postgraduate writers.

WRITING YOUR THESIS, PROSPECTUS OR DISSERTATION

Abstracts (UNLV Writing Center) (PDF) This page defines what an abstract is providing samples.

How Theses Get Written: Some Cool Tips (Steve Easterbrook, University of Toronto) (PDF) These presentation slides offer tips for writing your thesis and insights into how your examiner/advisor might review or comment on your work.

How to Organize your Thesis (John W. Chinneck, Carleton University) This page highlights the importance of graduate research, offers a generic thesis structure, and provides some suggestions for writing your thesis.

Prospectus Writing (Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning) This site includes guidelines and links to prospectus examples from different disciplines.

Resources for Dissertators (University of Wisconsin – Madison, The Writing Center) “This page lists some useful books and websites for graduate students working on dissertations.”

Time Management Tips for Dissertation Writing (Elizabeth Gritter, UNC Chapel Hill; Retrieved from The Southern Association for Women Historians) (PDF) In this handout, Gritter presents time management strategies for people who are writing their dissertations.

Writing a Literature Review (Purdue Owl) “A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say “literature review” or refer to “the literature,” we are talking about the research (scholarship) in a given field. You will often see the terms “the research,” “the scholarship,” and “the literature” used mostly interchangeably.”

Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation (S. Joseph Levine, Michigan State University) “Instead of examining such aspects as identifying appropriate sample size, field testing the instrument and selecting appropriate statistical tests, this guide looks at many of the quasi-political aspects of the process. Such topics as how to select a supportive committee, making a compelling presentation of your research outcomes and strategies for actually getting the paper written are discussed.”

Writing the Thesis (Mark C. Griffin, San Francisco State University) (PDF) “This guide is designed to give you a procedural outline for working on your thesis. Every thesis project will have special considerations that are not covered here. You should consult with your committee early and frequently to resolve how to handle these special considerations.” The format and documentation of your project will vary based upon your school and discipline.

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Resources for PhD Students

Are you ready for PhD?

• The complete guide to getting into an economics PhD program (by Miles Kimball)
• Should you do a PhD? (by Daniel K. Sokol)
• So, you want to go to a grad school in economics? (by Ceyhun Elgin and Mario Solis-Garcia)
• Professional advice for applying to grad school in economics (by Susan Athey)
• How to survive your first year of graduate school in economics (by Matthew Pearson)

Safeguard your Mental Health and Wellbeing

• Mental Health, Bullying, Career Uncertainty (by Colleen Flaherty)
• Grad school depression almost took me to the end of the road—but I found a new start (by Francis Aguisanda)
• Panic and a PhD (by Jack Leeming)
• How mindfulness can help Ph.D. students deal with mental health challenges (by Katie Langin)
• Managing Your Mental Health as a PhD Student (by Joanna Hughes)
• What Makes It So Hard to Ask for Help? (by Joan Rosenberg)
• There’s an awful cost to getting a PhD that no one talks about (by Jennifer Walker)
• Faking it (by Chris Woolston)

Start your Research

• How to get started on research in economics? (by Steve Pischke)
• Ph.D. Thesis Research: Where do I Start? (by Don Davis)
• How to build an economic model in your spare time (by Hal R. Varian)
• Doing research (by Paul Niehaus)

Best Practices for Coding and File Organization

• Code and Data for the Social Sciences: A Practitioner’s Guide (by Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse M. Shapiro)
• Coding for Economists: A Language-Agnostic Guide to Programming for Economists (by Ljubica Ristovska)
• Stata Coding Guide (by Julian Reif)
• Data science for economists (by Grant McDermott)

Replicability and Interpretation

• Data and Code Guidance by Data Editors (by Lars Vilhuber)
• Is a Replicability Crisis on the Horizon for Environmental and Resource Economics (by Paul Ferraro and Pallavi Shukla)
• 1,500 scientists lift the lid on reproducibility (by Monya Baker)
• What is the question (by Jeffery Leek and Roger Peng)
• Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims (by William Sutherland, David Spiegelhalter and Mark Burgman)

Writing Skills and Tips

• Writing tips for PhD students (by John H. Cochrane)
• Writing Tips For Economics Research Papers (by Plamen Nikolov)
• The Ten Most Important Rules of Writing Your Job Market Paper (by Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz)
• Writing Papers: A Checklist (by Michael Kremer)
• Aphorisms on Writing, Speaking, and Listening (by Eric Rasmusen)
• Writing a Dissertation (by David Levine)
• The Introduction Formula (by Keith Head)
• Between the Introduction and the Conclusion: The "Middle Bits" Formula for Applied Papers (by Marc F. Bellemare)
• The Conclusion Formula (by Marc F. Bellemare)

Presentation Skills and Tips

• How to Give an Applied Micro Talk (by Jesse M. Shapiro)
• Tips on how to avoid disaster in presentations (by Monika Piazzesi)
• How to Present Results (by David Levine)
• Public Speaking for Academic Economists (by Rachael Meager)

Peer Review and Grantsmanship

• Q&A with Larry Katz, editor of QJE (by Berk Özler and David McKenzie)
• How to Write an Effective Referee Report and Improve the Scientific Review Process (by Jonathan Berk, Campell Harvey and David Hirshleifer)
• Preparing a Referee Report:Guidelines and PerspectivesE (by Jonathan Berk, Campell Harvey and David Hirshleifer)
• Navigating Peer Review (by Chris Barrett)
• All Things Grants (by Chris Barrett)

Getting Ready for Job Market

• A Guide and Advice for Economists on the U.S. Junior Academic Job Market 2018-2019 edition (by John Cawley)
• Economics Job Market Advice
• Tips for Job Market (by David Laibson)
• Looking for a Faculty Position? Agricultural Economics vs Economics (by Jason Lusk)
• Scrambling for Economists: The Ph.D. Job Search (by Jessie Romero)
• Going on the Job Market (by David Levine)
• So you want to build an academic website? (by Kevin H. Wilson)
• Thread of advice on econ job market CV's! (by Sarah Jacobson)
• Economist Jobs Outside Academia
• Interview with AEA Ombudsperson Leto Copeley
• Non-Profit Jobs

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PhD Students

PhD Program Overview

PhD Job Market Calendar

Grants and Funding Opportunities

Brandeis GSAS Fellowships and Grants

Gaius Charles Bolin Dissertation and Post-MFA Fellowships

Rosenberg Summer Research Awards for 3rd & 5th year PhDs

Boston College Dissertation Fellowship Program

Resources for PhD Students

Book and Resource Recommendations This file contains a list of book, website, and other recommended resources for business school PhDs.

Researching and Writing in Economics (2021) Four business faculty members (below) joined to answer questions about researching and writing in economics.

• Tymon Sloczynski Assistant Professor of Economics
• Alice Hsiaw Assistant Professor of Economics
• James Ji Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Environmental Economics
• Yinchu Zhu Assistant Professor of Economics

The Stata-to-LaTeX guide (2021)

Writing Tips for PhD Students Paper by John H. Cochrane, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, 2005

"How to Alienate Your Readers" An article by Jane Osler from 2005

Archived Information

Dissertation PhD Checklist 2023

Third Year Paper Guidelines (2022)

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Tips for writing an academic article

Posted on 6th February 2024 by Shriya Akalu

What is an academic article?

Academic articles are a formal way of writing on a specific topic, generally by professionals who are experts in a certain subject matter. There are various types such as meta-analyses, scoping reviews, research articles, review articles, mini-reviews, commentaries, case series, case reports and many more. These are peer-reviewed prior to publication in a journal. As this piece of information will reach out to the world, it is essential to make it standardized and formal. Here are a few tips for writing an academic article.

Basic ways to improve an academic article

• Choosing a title : A title must always be catchy and draw the reader’s interest. However, it should be complete, mentioning the type of study, the topic of study and it should not be conclusive (should not disclose the results).
• Spotlighting a topic : It is crucial to discuss all aspects of a topic without diverting from it. Many times, we add unnecessary pieces of information and end up drawing a conclusion that is different from the aim. A proper structure should be drafted initially, with topics to be covered and subtopics under it.
• Language used : The type of language used is most important, as the reader should be able to interpret the information in the same way the author has communicated. Therefore, complicating information should be avoided.
• The tenses that we use to write formal writing are vital. Usually, active voice is used, and words like ‘I, we, their’ must be avoided.
• Punctuations: Using punctuation in the right way is essential. When two complementary statements are written consecutively, a semicolon (;) must be used. However, if it is sequential, preceding a list, a colon is used (:).
• Avoid choppiness and repetition : Never fragment sentences too much if there is continuity and use linking words like ‘However, hence, therefore, henceforth’. Repeating the same piece of information using different vocabulary should not be done, as it wastes both the author’s and readers’ time.
• Write to express, not impress: Accurately expressing the topic is more important than impressing the reader with fancy words and ending up not conveying the necessary information.
• Be patient : Writing articles is initially tiring as it requires multiple corrections from the preceptors. However, we might receive corrections from peer reviewers in the later stages after submitting to the journals. Different people will have different perceptions about the writing, hence, each correction should be received patiently and then make changes accordingly.
• Setting specific goals : As already mentioned, writing articles can be time-consuming and tiring. It is important to set goals for the day based on the individual’s schedule to maintain the consistency of the work. This could mean writing 200 words in a day for a section.
• Smooth start: Starters can always initiate their academic writing journey by writing small articles like case reports, case series or narrative reviews as this would familiarize them with the pattern. However, starting their writing journey with meta-analyses and scoping reviews would be a huge task for the beginner.
• Limitations, strategies to mitigate the limitation, and future directions : Adding these parts at the end will add more value to the article, as this reflects the further studies to be conducted in that field and the changes necessary to overcome the hurdles in a certain topic.

The writing process in a nutshell

Firstly, reading the literature on the topic of interest and finding out gaps in the research are crucial. Based on the research gaps, finalize the topic and consider the current needs. Secondly, do a literature review on the finalized topic and analyze its quality by thoroughly reading and interpreting the statistics (this helps in retaining the quality of the article). Thirdly, write a basic outline (structure) for the article, asking the opinion of an expert in that field to make any necessary changes. Fourthly, using the tips mentioned above, write a draft of the topic, maintaining continuity in the sub-topics to draw the persistent attention of the readers. Finally, corrections must be received from the tutors or the experts to prepare the final draft.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing

Incorporating AI tools for literature searches, grammar correction, improving vocabulary, and quoting references can reduce the time spent in these areas which could be invested in improving the quality of the content. Here are some suggested AI tools used for writing.

• AI tools for literature search – NLP algorithms, COVID Scholar, Iris.ai, RobotReviewer, Rayyan, Semantic Scholar
• AI tools for writing aid – Trinka, SciNote, Chat GPT, Curie, Quillbot AI, Paper pal
• AI tools for reference management – EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley

The bottom line of this blog is that academic writing is easy to start, but persistent efforts are required to complete it. Various tips, such as focusing on the topic, vocabulary, and outline preparation are essential to complete an article with ease and perfection. However, the writing process involves various steps, starting from the selection of the topic to drafting the final copy for publication. AI will play an integral role in academic writing as it helps in cutting down on time, and that could be used to improve the quality of the information.

References (pdf)

Shriya Akalu

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Other dissertation support books are available at the Regenstein Library. The easiest way to browse is to search: “Dissertations, Academic – Authorship”

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• John Cochrane’s Writing Tips for PhD Students
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