Say Hello to Writer 243:

Interview:

What makes a good writer/researcher? Let me relay an incident from many years ago when I was first learning how to read as a wee tot. I remember a Peanuts comic strip that depicted Snoopy returning to Charlie Brown with a mouth full of balls rather than fetching only one. The caption read: “Always give the customer more than they expect.”

Translating that to work with Academic Knowledge is much the same. It's going beyond the expectations stated in the brief order and level, generally beyond the word count and number of references to submit the best possible brief which exceeds the client's expectations and those of your instructor or in the case of a professional delegation, beyond the expectations of peers or colleagues.

Knowing where to find information and what actually constitutes valid and reliable information to include in a brief is also a skill and strength I posses. However, only noting and using small bits of important information from a source is not enough. I believe it is important to read all sources thoroughly, assure a strong level of comprehension, assimilate that into the writer's own knowledge base and determine how that can be successfully included in the context of the assigned brief. Sometimes the most important details are frequently lost or passed over unless due care is taken. I like to believe I take that level of care for each brief delegated.

Proper attention to detail is also important, especially when it comes to proper formatting as required by your professor or university. Experience in preparing manuscripts in most standard formats from APA and Harvard to MLA, AMA, Chicago, Turabian and Oxford is important, otherwise the potential for something new to throw the writer/researcher is present which can serious skew the brief structure and content. Similarly, often briefs are requested that conform to Academic Knowledge's own formatting inclusive of footnotes and bibliography. I believe it is important for a researcher/writer to have a comprehensive knowledge of these formats as it ultimately reflects in the detail level of the work as a whole. And, of course, improper format can cost you valuable points or grade levels on an assignment.

Timeliness is also of value, especially in today's hurried life. Whether a brief is noted as due in 3 hours or 3 months I believe attention to deadlines is critical. This is more than a matter of submitting something as if it were your own self-imposed deadline where there you suffer your own repercussions. Working for Academic Knowledge or other firms means the writer/researcher is working on your deadline as well. Late submissions for you mean further deductions in grades. I am proud to state that in all the years writing whether for other companies or my own work with publishers, I have never missed a deadline.

Finally pride in one's work is important. Not necessarily the pride associated with ego, but the pride in knowing you're produced a job well done. Academic Knowledge as my contracting firm deserves my best and so do you, the client.