Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Making December less overwhelming I’m publishing this at the beginning of December. It will be shared alongside the regular monthly review and planning prompts in my newsletter. The prompts talk more about reviewing and planning your writing. You can access those here. Planning December is different from other months […]
Read More »Welcome to the Library
The Library is an archive of my writing about academic work since launching this website in 2009. The top section contains the most recent additions. If you are new here, scroll down to see a few suggestions for good posts to start with to get a sense of my general approach. The Spotlight section at the bottom highlights a series of posts on a specific topic, and is updated regularly.
Most of my writing is sent to Studio members or my newsletter before appearing here. Since 2020 I’ve been creating audio versions of most new posts. They are embedded here but you can also follow me on Soundcloud if you prefer to listen.
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Recent posts

How to find a book structure that works
A note from Jo: I saw a great Twitter thread by Allison Van Deventer that is related to a book she and Katelyn Knox have coming out in November: The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook. She agreed to write a blog post (with her co-author Katelyn E. Knox) based on that Twitter thread for November. Jo VanEvery, Academic […]
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Spotlight On: Imposter Syndrome
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Spotlight on Imposter syndrome I’ve noticed that there are a broader range of terms used to talk about feeling like an imposter these days. Whatever you call it — syndrome, complex, feelings, or something else — it is a real thing that stops you from doing the work that […]
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Start Here
The posts in this category introduce you to some of the main principles that guide my approach to academic work and careers.

Communication vs Validation: why are you publishing?
The primary purpose of publishing, even scholarly publishing, is communication. If you centre the communicative role of publishing, with a focus on the audience and the difference you would like your work to make for that audience, decisions about when and where to publish will change. This principle can also influence how you understand peer […]
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Hope works better than fear
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Hope is better than fear. I have cycled through a few tag lines in my attempt to succinctly capture what it is I do: “Love Your Academic Work” made way for “Transforming Academic Lives“. This latest iteration has the benefit of coming directly from something clients have said about […]
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What an academic career looks like
There are a lot of different ways to have an academic career. Your academic career is affected by both your own values and desires, and by forces beyond your control. Although a lot of academic career advice suggests that there is a clear path to success, there are lots of reasons you may not end […]
Read More »Spotlight On: Imposter Syndrome
I’ve written several things over the years about Imposter Syndrome: how it presents, what’s underpinning it, and how to address it so you can do your work and live your life.
This Spotlight brings those pieces together in one place. Many of the posts in this Spotlight contain practical strategies for addressing specific manifestations of Imposter Syndrome.
Explore the whole Spotlight here, or if you prefer to listen, you can find a playlist of this introduction and all the posts mentioned over on my Soundcloud.
Enjoy your writing!