Do you find yourself struggling to work on your scholarship projects among competing demands for your time and bandwidth? This is commonly reported by JMU faculty, and you are not alone! It can be tough to balance time to ensure you are meeting your personal and professional goals without burning out. Below, you will find many resources to support your scholarly process from start to finish. If you need specific advice, request a scholarship consultation.
The CFI also provides year-round time and space to work on your projects alongside other scholars. These include weekly writing studios, bi-weekly retreats, and an annual overnight residency. Check out the events page for current offerings.
- Getting More Done
- Writing Process
- Publishing your Academic Writing
- Writing for a General Audience
- Additional Resources
Note: Some of the videos and handouts in this page will require you to log in with your JMU eID and password.
Do you find yourself struggling to work on your scholarship projects among competing demands for your time and bandwidth? This is commonly reported by JMU faculty, and you are not alone! It can be tough to balance time to ensure you are meeting your personal and professional goals without burning out. Below, you will find many resources to support your scholarly process from start to finish. If you need specific advice, request a scholarship consultation.
Getting More Done
NCFDD 14-Day Writing Challenge
The 14-Day Writing Challenge, offered by the NCFDD, is a free opportunity to experiment with daily writing, online community, and supportive accountability on the WriteNow platform.
The Challenge is very simple.
- You commit to writing for at least 30 minutes daily for two weeks.
- At the beginning of your writing time, you log in to the online community, start the timer, complete your writing, and post your progress at the end.
- You take 5 minutes to support other writers in your group by commenting on their progress.
“Writing” refers to any scholarly activity ranging from the spark of a new idea to polishing a near-complete project (article, grant proposal, exhibit, book chapter, etc.).
5 Ways FSP Helps You Overcome Common Semester Struggles
In this blog post, Kerry Ann Rockquemore, the National Center for Faculty & Diversity founder, explains how faculty members can become more productive in their research and writing.
Shame cannot help you finish projects, but an accountability group might! Kerry Ann Rockquemore, founder of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) and productivity expert, has written many blog posts for academics.
NCFDD Selected Resources - Increasing Your Productivity
Follow these steps on the Faculty Success webpage to view the following free videos from the NCFDD.
Every Semester Needs a Plan
This video talks about how to organize time for writing and scholarship, with an emphasis on tending to personal time as well.
This video helps faculty members to develop a consistent writing routine and decrease stress, anxiety and guilt in the process.
This video offers strategies for scholars in the sciences and engineering to engage in daily writing practice, including grant proposals and writing related to funded research.
This video talks about how to take pleasure in the writing process, leading to increased creativity and productivity.
This video shows how to create a work-plan that will help faculty members to have a productive summer of accomplishing professional and personal goals.
This video is Part Two of “5 Tips for Avoiding the Summer Slump”.
Developing the Resilient Writing Spirit
This is a three-part video series designed particularly for minoritized scholars. At the end of this experience, participants will redefine their purpose of writing, develop writing rituals, plan their community/network of support, and strategize to center one's sense of worthiness inside and outside the academy.
Writing Process
"Defend, Publish & Lead" offers a weekly podcast designed to help faculty members get started (or restarted) on their academic writing projects. Episodes feature a range of topics on writing productivity, strategies for managing writer’s block, dissertation advice for students and committee members, techniques for balancing parenting and writing, and more. Every podcast offers strategies to try and resources to check out.
NCFDD Select Resources - Writing Process
Follow these steps on the Faculty Success webpage to view the following free videos from the NCFDD.
This video talks about obstacles faculty members face as they pursue writing and strategies for overcoming these.
This video addresses writer’s block and how to overcome it, including crafting narratives that frame writing as liberating rather than confining.
This video considers the multiple forms that writer’s block can take, discusses challenges to writing faced by underrepresented faculty members, and offers advice on how to overcome writer’s block and its associated obstacles.
Kerry Ann Rockquemore, founder of NCFDD and productivity expert, has written many blog posts for academics. Check out these ones on the writing process:
- Dealing with the Curse of the Blank Page. Five steps for moving from an empty page to an article out the door.
- Stuck in a Writing Rut. How to move forward from procrastination on your writing project.
- Writing and Procrastination. To stay productive, you need reasonable expectations and a plan for meeting them.
Advice and insights from a multi disciplinary panel of JMU faculty recorded April 2024. Short on time? Access a summary of key points in this handout. Panelists: Emily Gravett, CFI & CAL, Dayna Henry, CFI & CHBS, Chris Mayfield, CISE. Facilitated by Peter Eubanks, CAL & CFI Faculty Associate.
Editorial Insight into Publishing Journal Articles (Online Roundtable)
Demystify the journal article publication process in a dialogue with editors from diverse journals. Facilitated by Melanie Shoffner, COE, Cathryn Molloy, CAL, Charles Bailey, COB, and Ed Brantmeier, CFI & COE.
NCFDD Select Resources - Publishing your Academic Writing
Follow these steps on the Faculty Success webpage to view the following free videos from the NCFDD.
Intro to Academic Publishing Contracts & Negotiation Basics
This webinar's objective is to introduce you to the structure and language of university press contracts and equip you with tips and tools for navigating the negotiation process.
This video provides helpful information about editing (or co-editing) a volume, including how to select contributors and strategies for effective project management.
From Project to Publication—the Art of Manuscript Revision
This is a four-part video series on how academics across a broad spectrum of scholarly disciplines can effectively prepare a manuscript for publication, particularly in journal article form. Topics covered include responding to feedback/peer review, deepening arguments, and clarifying underrepresented views.
How to Craft and Submit a Winning Book Proposal in 4 Weeks
This four-part video series offers a step-by-step overview of putting together a successful book proposal in four weeks. Topics discussed also include translating one’s research for a broader market and how to approach acquisitions editors at academic presses.
This video offers a straightforward guide for submitting an article manuscript for review.
This video demystifies the process of working with an editor and discusses the various services an editor can offer.
Scholarly Journal Writing: An Editor's Perspective
This three-part video series does the following
- (Week 1) Targeting journals for scholarly writing, approaching editors, and a few Dos and Don'ts in the submission process
- (Week 2) Drafting a smart submission and planning submission time frames
- (Week 3) Responding to Revise and Resubmits and handling significant problems with editorial staff members, such as no response to emails or long delays
Writing for a General Audience
Have you thought about making your scholarship more public? These resources and videos from NCFDD may help.
Considered engaging with mass or social media around your scholarship? Perhaps you were approached by a news outlet looking for an expert opinion for a story or wonder how to promote your work through alternative means? Review the insights and advice from a cross-institutional panel including JMU Media Relations and faculty who have experience in this area. The panel was held on February 3, 2025.
NCFDD Select Resources - Writing for a General Audience
Follow these steps on the Faculty Success webpage to view the following free videos from the NCFDD.
How to Translate Your Research for a General Audience
This video contains advice on how to prepare scholarly research for a general audience, including digital media strategies for dissemination.
This video discusses strategies for presenting scholarly research to a broad audience both within and outside of academia.
This video teaches academics how to present their work to broad, non-specialist audiences in non-academic venues.
This video offers advice on translating one’s research for a public audience, including policymakers and advocacy groups.
This video offers advice about writing for public audiences.
Additional Resources
Women in Scholarly Publishing: A Gender Perspective. This book explores the under-researched topic of gender and scholarly publishing. While often considered separately, the relationship between gender and scholarly publishing has been neglected. This book focuses on the challenges and opportunities female academics face as they participate in the production and dissemination of knowledge.
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