Academic writing has its own ground rules and its own creativity. In this practical guide for students and scholars, the author takes the reader step-by-step through the entire writing and publication process-from choosing a subject, developing content that will engage others, to submitting the final manuscript for publication. The underlying premise of the book is that scholarship depends on interaction with other scholars and that following the rules of good conversation (when writing) results in a greater likelihood of successful publication. Anne Sigismund Huff shows scholars how to improve their skills by selecting the right written works to examine and how to focus the questions asked and influence the way they are answered. This book is filled with exercises, helpful checklists, exemplars, and advice drawn from personal (sometimes painful) experience. A number of useful appendixes, include alternative view from Mary Jo Hatch, a conversation on writing in English by non-native speakers, a "reviewing checklist" to assess the overall quality of a scholarly paper or manuscript, a summary of all the writing exercises, an advice summary, and an annotated bibliography.