ABSTRACT
Stylish research writing almost always relies upon waves of revision. Experienced academic writers can easily become inured to this reiterative process; doctoral writers, on the other hand, may struggle with the sense that their early drafts should be better than they are. This chapter focuses on how early supervisory feedback on broad writing issues—structure, focus, and flow—can help doctoral writers learn to manage the iterative nature of academic writing, thus supporting the eventual emergence of stylish academic prose. Doctoral writers also need to understand that revision is a multifaceted process. The chapter suggests that supervisors could help their students by characterizing revision as essential, conceptual, and multifaceted. It emphasizes the importance of the early revision process and also discusses three crucial issues, namely: structure, focus, and flow. Being able to target these issues in early drafts will support the development of stylish academic writers.
