Academic Writing for Geographers : A Handbook

There are many ‘how-to’ books on writing for academics; none of these, however, relate specifically to the discipline of geography. In this book, the author identifies the principle modes of academic writing that graduate students and early-career faculty will encounter – specifically focusing on those forms expected of geographers, that is, those modes that are reviewed by academic peers.

This book is readily accessible to senior undergraduate and graduate students and early-career faculty who may feel intimidated by the process of writing. This volume is not strictly a ‘how-to’ or ‘step-by-step’ manual for writing an article or book; rather, through the use of real, concrete examples from published and unpublished works, the author de-mystifies the process of different types of scholarly pieces geographers have to write with the specific needs and challenges of the discipline in mind.

Although chapters are thematic-based, e.g., stand-alone chapters on book reviews, articles, and books, the manuscript is structured around the concept of story-telling, for it is the author’s contention that all writing, whether a ‘scientific’ study or more humanist essay, is a form of story-telling.

"Jim Tyner, one of the most prolific writers in contemporary geography, offers with this monograph a practical journey and a personal odyssey that takes the reader through his thought processes on writing for the academy. It is a poignant guide for graduate students and early career faculty on how to make choices in writing and some of the pitfalls that may be encountered along the way. For the most part, writing is about telling stories and this includes consideration of character development, setting descriptions, plots and narrative arcs. Tyner deftly re-articulates these basics of storytelling for academic geographers as key (and minor) concepts, geographical contexts, arguments and theses respectively. It is a lovely way to understand our craft and throughout the monograph Tyner provides illustrative examples from the geographic literature to reinforce his arguments. Few books of which I am aware, and certainly none in geography, focus on the craft of writing from this perspective. It will be strongly recommended reading for all my future graduate students."

Dr. Stuart C. Aitken, San Diego State University