Roles of Academic Writers in a Department: Benefits, Structures, and Funding

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Background and Objectives: Despite the prevalence of published opinions about the use of professional academic writers to help disseminate the results of clinical research, particularly opinions about the use of ghost writers, very little information has been published on the possible roles for professional writers within academic medical departments or the mechanisms by which these departments can hire and compensate such writers. To begin addressing this lack of information, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine hosted an online discussion and a subsequent webinar in which we obtained input from three departments of family medicine in the United States regarding their use of academic writers. This discussion revealed three basic models by which academic writers have benefitted these departments: (1) grant writing support, (2) research and academic support for clinical faculty, and (3) departmental communication support. Drawing on specific examples from these institutions, the purpose of this paper is to describe the key support activities, advantages, disadvantages, and funding opportunities for each model for other departments to consider and adapt.

I n academic medicine, faculty roles typically include clinical care as well as the teaching and research expected in other fields of academia. For these faculty, the time investment to initiate, organize, find funding for, and disseminate findings from an area of scholarship is formidable . One option for supporting scholarship is to work with an academic writer. Although academic writers are often used to support research efforts specifically, these individuals can support a department in roles beyond those related to research as well.

Published information about the roles of academic writers within departments is limited, however. Searches of the published medical literature using the terms “academic writers” or “medical writers” elicit articles that focus on how to write manuscripts, 1-4 give opinions about working with professional writers, 5-7 highlight the need to acknowledge medical writers in publications as part of “good publication practice” standards, 8-9 and strongly discourage the use of ghost writers. 10-14 Alternatively, an internet search for “academic writer” returns multiple commercial websites, and it is difficult to know which to choose without any framework or prior knowledge. It is also clear that some academic writers work as part of the infrastructure of departments or research centers, but little information about their specific roles exists outside of local institutions.

Three Models of Academic Writers

Model #1: Grant Writers

In the quest for funding, identifying agencies to help fund a program or research may be the easiest step; addressing the unique and often extensive requirements for each grant application in a clear and concise manner may be the most difficult. Our discussion provided insight regarding ways in which a department or faculty member could employ academic writers to improve or expedite the process of writing and submitting grant applications.

To facilitate the submission of grant applications, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Family and Community Medicine (UAB DFCM) has worked with a contracted grant writer. This medical writer, who reports to the department c hair, has doctoral and postdoctoral experience in preclinical research a nd focuses professionally on writing and editing health-related research grant applications and manuscripts pertaining to research and training in health-related fields . With the assistance of this individual, the UAB DFCM recently secured a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant for $7M (T99 Medical Student Education Grant, 800.75M for 4 years). Alternatively, the University of Utah Department of Family and Preventive Medicine has a grant writer on staff. This individual has a humanities PhD and is embedded as part of the proposal development team in the Central Research Office, reporting to the director of research.

A grant writer, whether hired as a contractor or as an employee, can assist faculty throughout the entire application process, from helping determine which grants best fit their needs and focus to drafting or editing the proposal, ensuring clarity and readability, and confirming that each application-specific requirement is appropriately addressed. This person may perform many of the most time-consuming, but critical, tasks required to produce a competitive proposal. Notably, a grant writer can ensure that information is consistent throughout the various components of the application, which is critically important for center grants, program project grants, or other large multidisciplinary grants involving multiple departments or institutions. One of the most valuable aspects of enlisting a grant writer is their ability to point out weaknesses in logic and gaps in clarity.

In our experience (at UAB and Utah), grant writers provide a good return on investment in the number of grants submitted and funded. Financially, grant writers are likely to pay for themselves by increasing the number of awarded grants. Moreover, our experience indicates that the assistance of a grant writer also allows the faculty members submitting the grant to better concentrate their efforts. This in turn increases faculty satisfaction and allows them more time to concentrate on publications and research or other work to support further grant applications. Returns on investment for all three models described in this paper are summarized in Table 2.

It is worth noting here the alternate role of e xpert grant reviewers as well . These individuals, usually from outside the institution, a re experts in the field and review grant proposals prior to final submission to a funding agency. The detailed critiques provided by these expert reviewers allow the submitter to preemptively address concerns that may otherwise be raised by the review panel or study section.

Model #2: Research and Scholarship Support to Clinical Faculty

Dividing research support resources among faculty can be a delicate and complicated balancing act. If done appropriately, faculty will feel more valued and connected to the greater department, which in turn increases productivity, satisfaction, commitment, and retention. Clinical faculty in particular often have much less exposure to the publication process and limited time to learn it. Indeed, clinical faculty may feel intimidated by the research and publication process and undervalued by their research-driven counterparts, who in comparison may have significant staff support, often funded by their grants. Our collective experiences show that offering basic research and publication support to clinical faculty increases the likelihood of clinical faculty publications, promotion, job commitment, and job satisfaction—all worthy returns on investment.

The specifics of clinical faculty support will vary by institution, depending on the types of resources available. In our described model, from the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine, the department hired an administrative specialist who is shared among clinical faculty and functions as a high-level research assistant. She has a master’s degree in sociology and experience in social science and market research and reports to the department administrator . However , similar to grant writing support, research and publication support can be obtained on a contractual basis as well.

The Academic Writer

The Academic Writer is a brief guide that prepares students for any college writing situation through a solid foundation in rhetorical concepts. By framing reading, listening, viewing, and composing processes in terms of the rhetorical situation, Lisa Ede gives students the tools they ne.

The Academic Writer is a brief guide that prepares students for any college writing situation through a solid foundation in rhetorical concepts. By framing reading, listening, viewing, and composing processes in terms of the rhetorical situation, Lisa Ede gives students the tools they need to make effective choices and become more informed, engaged, and rhetorically sensitive communicators. With an emphasis on analysis and synthesis, and making and supporting claims, students learn to master the moves of academic writing across mediums. A substantially revised chapter on reading rhetorically has been expanded to include listening and viewing rhetorically, showing students that reading, writing, speaking, and listening are all parallel processes and rhetorical acts. A new section "Reading, Listening, Viewing, and Believing (or Not) in an Age of Social Media,” and updated coverage of academic research–including the 2020 APA guidelines–ensures that students are supported at all stages of the writing process.

Package with Achieve for Readers & Writers
Combining diagnostics with formative and summative assessments, Achieve for Readers & Writers is a quick, flexible solution for targeting instruction on critical reading, the writing process, grammar, mechanics, style, and punctuation to each individual student

The Academic Writer is a brief guide that prepares students for any college writing situation through a solid foundation in rhetorical concepts. By framing reading, listening, viewing, and composing processes in terms of the rhetorical situation, Lisa Ede gives students the tools they need to make effective choices and become more informed, engaged, and rhetorically sensitive communicators. With an emphasis on analysis and synthesis, and making and supporting claims, students learn to master the moves of academic writing across mediums. A substantially revised chapter on reading rhetorically has been expanded to include listening and viewing rhetorically, showing students that reading, writing, speaking, and listening are all parallel processes and rhetorical acts. A new section "Reading, Listening, Viewing, and Believing (or Not) in an Age of Social Media,” and updated coverage of academic research–including the 2020 APA guidelines–ensures that students are supported at all stages of the writing process.

Package with Achieve for Readers & Writers
Combining diagnostics with formative and summative assessments, Achieve for Readers & Writers is a quick, flexible solution for targeting instruction on critical reading, the writing process, grammar, mechanics, style, and punctuation to each individual student

A focus on rhetorical common sense. Easy-to-understand guidelines help students learn to make effective choices as they read, write, and compose based on their rhetorical situation. Students learn the questions they need to ask to understand any rhetorical situation in terms of the writer or composer, reader, text, and medium. "Thinking Rhetorically" icons highlight this advice throughout the book and “For Exploration,” “For Collaboration,” and “For Thought, Discussion, and Writing” activities encourage students to apply and extend what they have learned.

Guidelines and Questions boxes that make writing advice easier for students to grasp. Key processes are presented in flowchart format, reinforcing the importance of decision making and active engagement in the processes of writing, thinking, and reading.

Practical advice on analyzing texts and constructing effective arguments. Chapter 5 helps students develop the strong analytic skills that are central to academic writing and carefully reasoned arguments. Chapter 6 demonstrates how to make and support claims, focusing on mastering the essential moves of academic writing.

Essential help for academic writing in the disciplines, and a wide range of model student essays . Chapter 8, "Writing in the Disciplines: Making Choices as You Write," helps students analyze writing tasks in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and business and offers model student essays from across the curriculum. A multi-part case study in Chapter 6 and a variety of student models in Chapter 8 and throughout the book instruct and inspire students to write effectively whatever their rhetorical situation.

Pays careful attention to writing as design. Today’s students need to employ all the resources available to them to write effectively: words, images, design elements, and media. Chapter 1 compares writing and design, providing a bridge that helps students develop the confidence and rhetorical sensitivity they need to succeed as academic writers, and Chapter 11 provides strategies for tailoring design to the rhetorical situation.

1 Writing Rhetorically
Understanding the Impact of Communication Technologies on Writing
Writing and Rhetoric
Composing and Designing Texts
Developing Rhetorical Sensitivity
Strategies for Success
Rhetorical Sensitivity and Kairos
Strategies for Success
For Thought, Discussion, and Writing

2 Reading, Listening, and Viewing Rhetorically
Applying Rhetorical Sensitivity to Your Reading
Understanding Your Purposes as a Reader
Understanding How Genre Affects Your Reading
Understanding How Medium and Device Affect Your Reading
QUIZ: READING ON PAGE OR SCREEN
Strategies for Success
Understanding the Text’s Rhetorical Situation
QUESTIONS FOR ANALYZING A TEXT’S RHETORICAL SITUATION
Strategies for Success
Developing the Habits of Mind Needed for Academic Reading
Developing Critical Reading Skills
Previewing
Strategies for Success
QUESTIONS FOR PREVIEWING A TEXT
•Frank Rose, “The Selfish Meme”
Annotating
QUESTIONS FOR ANNOTATING A TEXT
Summarizing
Analyzing a Text’s Argument
GUIDELINES FOR SUMMARIZING A TEXT
QUESTIONS FOR ANALYZING A TEXT’S ARGUMENT
Reading Visual Texts
Strategies for Success
QUESTIONS FOR ANALYZING VISUAL TEXTS
Reading, Listening, Viewing, and Believing (or Not) in an Age of Social Media
GUIDELINES FOR READING, LISTENING, AND VIEWING RHETORICALLY
For Thought, Discussion, and Writing

3 Analyzing Rhetorical Situations
Learning to Analyze Your Rhetorical Situation
The Rhetorical Situation
Strategies for Success
Using Your Rhetorical Analysis to Guide Your Writing
Setting Preliminary Goals
QUESTIONS FOR ANALYZING YOUR RHETORICAL SITUATION
Alia Sands’s Analysis
•Alia Sands, “A Separate Education”
Using Aristotle’s Appeals
Brandon Barrett’s Analysis
•Brandon Barrett, “The All-Purpose Answer”
Analyzing Textual Conventions
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC ESSAY
Observing a Professional Writer at Work: Comparing and Contrasting Textual Conventions
•Jean M. Twenge, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood (Excerpt)
•Jean M. Twenge, “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” (Excerpt)
•Jean M. Twenge, et al., “Increases in Depressive Symptoms, Suicide-Related Outcomes, and Suicide
Rates among U.S. Adolescents after 21 and Links to Increased New Media Screen Time,” (Excerpt)
Strategies for Success
Using Textual Conventions
For Thought, Discussion, and Writing

4 Academic Writing: Committing to the Process
Managing the Writing Process
Identifying Composing Styles
COMPOSING STYLES: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
Strategies for Success
Analyzing Your Composing Process
Strategies for Success
QUIZ: ANALYZING YOUR COMPOSING PROCESS
Writing Communities
Finding a Community
Working Collaboratively
GUIDELINES FOR GROUP WORK
For Thought, Discussion, and Writing

5 Analyzing and Synthesizing Texts
Understanding the Centrality of Reading to Academic Writing
Considering Analysis and Synthesis in the Context of the Academic Community
Understanding Your Audience
•Hope Leman, “The Role of Journalists in American Society: A Comparison of the ‘Mirror’ and ‘Flashlight’ Models”
Understanding How Analysis Works
Establishing a Purpose for Your Analysis
Developing an Appropriate Method for Your Analysis
QUESTIONS FOR DEVELOPING AN APPROPRIATE METHOD FOR ANALYSIS
Understanding the Relationship between Analysis and Argument
Analyzing Academic Arguments
Determining the Question at Issue
STASIS QUESTIONS
•Charles Carr, “Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine!”
Identifying an Author’s Position on a Question
QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL READING AND ANALYSIS
Strategies for Success
Using Aristotle’s Three Appeals
Recognizing Fallacies
Putting Theory into Practice I: Academic Analysis in Action
GUIDELINES FOR IDENTIFYING FALLACIES
•Thai Luong, “Political Polarization in the News: Examining the Fairness Doctrine”
Understanding How Synthesis Works
Putting Theory into Practice II: Academic Synthesis in Action
QUESTIONS FOR SYNTHESIZING TEXTS
•Elizabeth Hurley, “The Role of Technology in the Classroom: Two Views”
For Thought, Discussion, and Writing

6 Making and Supporting Claims
Understanding—and Designing—Academic Arguments
Exploring Aristotle’s Three Appeals
Understanding the Role of Values and Beliefs in Argument
GUIDELINES FOR ANALYZING YOUR OWN VALUES AND BELIEFS
Strategies for Success
Mastering the Essential Moves in Academic Writing
Determining Whether a Claim Can Be Argued
Developing a Working Thesis
GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING AN ARGUABLE CLAIM
Providing Good Reasons and Supporting Them with Evidence
Acknowledging Possible Counterarguments
QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING EVIDENCE
Framing Your Argument as Part of the Scholarly Conversation
Using Media to Strengthen Your Argument
•Suzanne Chouljian, “Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Bobcat (Lynx Rufus) Populations in the Pocono Mountains” (Excerpt)
GUIDELINES FOR USING VISUALS IN ACADEMIC WRITING
Composing an Academic Argument: A Case Study of One Student’s Writing Process
Daniel Stiepleman’s Annotation of the Public Service Announcement
Daniel’s Cluster
Daniel’s Discovery Draft
Daniel’s Journal Entry
Daniel’s Rhetorical Analysis
Daniel’s Plan for His Essay
Daniel’s First Draft
Daniel’s Second Draft with Peer Comments
Daniel’s Response to Peer Comments
Daniel’s Final Draft
•Daniel Stiepleman, “Literacy in America: Reading between the Lines”
For Thought, Discussion, and Writing

Sources:

https://journals.stfm.org/familymedicine/2022/january/weidner-2021-0016/
https://pro-academic-writers.com/
https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/ca/product/The-Academic-Writer/p/1319245641