ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the nature of, and the problems inherent in, that transition and offers, in conclusion, certain strategies for successful transition from doctoral to postdoctoral work and writing. The attrition in research productivity following completion of the doctoral dissertation is a potential loss for institutions, for departments, and for the scholars and professionals themselves. Clear writing demands patient intellectual search, relentless trial and error, and a high tolerance for frustration; so does clear thinking, and so does good scholarship. Even for the most productive researchers, scholarship is never a breezy endeavor; rather, it is an integral expression of life, reflecting as much joy or pain, defeat or victory, as does life itself. Writing and publishing allow scholars and scientists to transcend the confining and nonsupportive environments and institutions in which they are increasingly situated, and help reach beyond isolated circumstances to scholarly achievement and commendation.