iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Adam Steel @neurosteel.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

I am reading this book now, and I love it! I am finding so many useful kernels of wisdom. Thank you both for writing an informative, accessible, and fun handbook on this important topic!

121

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

It's a great book, we are working through it now in a small faculty group

131

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Raul Pacheco-Vega @raulpachecovega.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

#NewReadingMaterial #RPVBooks I have always loved the work of @stephenbheard.bsky.social and can’t wait to read this book.

1142

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

In case you're looking for a palate cleanse for your feed, 🥳YOU'RE INVITED TO THE PUBLIC LAUNCH🥳 of the book that @stephenbheard.bsky.social & I wrote to try to change something for the better, even if it feels really small: lnkd.in/e3eDjmKE 1/

Smiling woman stands outdoors in a snowy environment. She is looking down at a book in her hands. The title of the book is legible: Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences.

3166

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Most of us are pretty good at spotting problems with grammar, word choice, sentence structure, etc., right? These small-scale “errors” are abundant in an early draft of anything, and it’s easy (if time-consuming) to mark them, and maybe correct them. 1/ #scientificwriting #highered #scicomm

154

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Regardless of your field, this is a great interview for academics to read and digest: @bgmerkle.bsky.social on the history and conventions around scholarly writing, the paucity of instruction in it, and the ways in which we can improve this area of graduate education.

patreon.com

Behold, a Deeply Compelling Science Writing Manifesto! | Culture Study

Get more from Culture Study on Patreon

122

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Ummmm...we sold out!?!? 😱 We thought this book was important; it's humbling to learn y'all agree. You can still order Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences for cheap! Use UCPNEW for 30% off the paperpack. 👉https://buff.ly/G5nWPqA #academia #scientificwriting #scicomm #teachingwriting

Screenshot of website to order the book linked to in the post. The option to order the paperback version is circled with yellow highlighter and the site indicates that paperbacks are on back-order.

084

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Can we also talk about this excellent illustration!!!! (but @THE, why no alt text!?!)

010

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Someone said to me, "I'm sorry but I got your book from a library." Nobody should ever apologise for that. You read my book! That's brilliant! I grew up hanging out in libraries and the idea of a world without them fills me with dread. Without libraries, authors, like readers, will only suffer.

332581517

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Delilah S. Dawson @delilahsdawson.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Look, I'm going to tell you a secret. If you buy an e-book while it's on sale, you never have to read it. If you have $2 to spare & want to help that particular author, you can just chuck the book into the oubliette of your TBR. Every sale helps. The author will never know, but you gave them a gift.

301570433

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

You guyzzzz! 🥹😱 Maybe teaching scientific writing better isn't as niche as we've been told! (Stage whisper: of course it isn't!!! But it sure is meaningful to hear it from someone else!)

161

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Hugely grateful that folks like Tim are taking the time to share incredibly affirming comments about our book! We really hoped it would be interesting, useful, and readable, too. Truly. That was our throughline while writing.

062

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Pamela Freeman @hamelafreeman.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

there's a lovely discussion about scientific writing in today's culture study with @annehelen.bsky.social and @bgmerkle.bsky.social www.patreon.com/posts/behold... I'm not sure where I learned to write scientifically, but I've definitely been subject to '“read a few papers and write like that”'

patreon.com

Behold, a Deeply Compelling Science Writing Manifesto! | Culture Study

Get more from Culture Study on Patreon

211

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Last year, I dedicated the lull between 12/25 and 1/1 to reflection, reading, and art-making. 🧵

Photo of a lot of books on a bookshelf; books are about things happening in the world, relationships, psychology, and more.

130

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

The history of Euro-American #scientificwriting intersects multiple times with longstanding traditions of writing letters for business, intellectual, and intimate purposes. 🧵

110

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

I was doing a little inbox housekeeping today (old emails, not my 5k+ unread). And I realized: it's time to move my book project into the COMPLETED folder! 🤯 I 1st thought this book should exist back in 2015 & pitched it to @stephenbheard.bsky.social & @uchicagopress.bsky.social 5 yrs ago!!! 😱🥳

Screenshot of folder organization in an MS Outlook email inbox. Under a main folder called Writing & Research is a Subfolder called Completed. In that folder, the top subfolder is: Book_Teaching & mentoring writers in the sciences. This book folder title is circled with yellow highlighter. A big yellow, highlighter check mark is drawn next to the Completed folder title.

030

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Please help me and @stephenbheard.bsky.social celebrate: our book is SHIPPING now*!!! 🥳 It's been a (long) labor of love & there were paper supply chain issues with printing timing this fall, but it finally exists as a physical object you can hold, highlight, and share with all your colleagues! 🧵

Red and white stocking stuffed with foil-wrapped candies and a copy of the book mentioned in this post.

161

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Virginia Schutte @vgwschutte.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

I'm on this project! Come work on #SciComm stuff with us!

031

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Chris J Fisher @c-j-fisher.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

I like to jokingly say "numbers are hard" when I make a mental math error. But in all seriousness, it can be difficult for many to grasp numerical information, especially when it lacks rich context. #SciComm #MedicalCommunications (1/7) 🧪

Evidence-based Tips for Communicating Medical Numbers
1. Use numbers to convey risk
2. Keep denominators constant & round
3. Use absolute values to articulate change
4. Employ “part-to-whole” visuals
5. Provide context & comparators

12410

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Though I've been involved with a couple of writing-related retreats/workshops lately, most of the time I must fit my writing, art, and really any kind of creative expression, into the rest of the demands and opportunities of my life. 1/

schoolofgoodtrouble.substack.com

Five steps for focus

Considering what object meditation can offer us on our eternal quest for "focus"

171

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Holly Bik @hollybik.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

YES!! Saying No is transformative - you have way less time than you think you do, and all those little tasks fragment your time and lead to death by 1000 paper cuts. And note once you start saying no, it takes a while to shed lingering responsibilities - it feels worse before it gets better!

042

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

I'll say it again: art & science aren't mutually exclusive. It's not just artists who are creative. It's not only scientists who are rigorous. We can get philosophical about this, but the key thing is that we can make our science & #scicomm look way better...even if we don't feel like an artist. 1/

schoolofgoodtrouble.substack.com

Even if you say "I'm not an artist," it's worth a little effort to create compelling, accessible science visuals

Resources to help you do so

150

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Low-key 📢: I’m resuming a creative project I’ve done off & on for 20+ yrs & setting off on a long creative journey & most of the work will feel hard, imperfect. & I think we should f*ck perfection and lean into our innate, human impulse to be creative, no matter how it turns out. 👉

buff.ly

F*ck perfect

Make something, do something, feel something--no matter how it looks

030

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

I'm officially on sabbatical*--an extraordinary opportunity, period, and one made more so by the fact that I don't have a tenure-track appointment. This is one point of equity that my institution gets right & we should all be advocating for widely in #HigherEd. 1/

130

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

I wrote abt word play to deal w/ #WritersBlock (buff.ly/bdbjLMp) w/ found poetry, collage, etc. Uncommon words for familiar things is another option. This list from @merriam-webster.com on unusual nature words buff.ly/gFSSgpM taught me 3! What's a list that could refresh your thinking?

buff.ly

Word play

Writer's block is a great excuse to actually have some fun with science writing.

010

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Collaborators & I scanned 27 career dev, leadership & mentoring progs worldwide. Key insight: mentoring most impactful when ppl are connected to #mentor networks, not lone mentors. More here: buff.ly/VrLj9pn and read the original paper here: buff.ly/GSQJRcN #scicomm #HigherEd 🧪

Screenshot of paper mentioned in post. Title of paper is Community voices: the importance of diverse networks in academic mentoring.

041

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

I think of departments as the academic "scale" where most change is possible, because at the departmental we academics still have substantial (if not total) influence over the "vibe" and impact of the people in our departments (staff, students, faculty). 1/

schoolofgoodtrouble.substack.com

*Not* an exposé: Publishing a department-level climate survey as a tool for action

Making our departments better is possible...and more necessary than ever.

141

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

tl;dr: saying no truly did change my life. Everyone from @loleenberdahl.bsky.social to the latest trendy "productivity guru" has things to say about unrealistic to-do lists. (HT: Loleen's stuff is *awesome*!!) 1/

buff.ly

Forget the 'summer of everything': saying no changed my life

Tl;dr: You need a no buddy; I owe mine some of the biggest accomplishments of my life!

131

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Tl;dr: for the PhDs, postdocs, and early career faculty (hoping to be) among us, I have a recommendation for *the* book for early career academics trying to stay afloat (plus bonus recs). 1/ #scicomm #AcademicSky #🧪

schoolofgoodtrouble.substack.com

*The* book for early career academics trying to stay afloat (plus bonus recs)

For the PhDs, postdocs, and early career faculty (hoping to be) among us

1122

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Stephen Heard @stephenbheard.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

One issue the preprint identifies is that mentors are super important - but they (we!) lack training in effective writing mentorship. That's exactly why @bgmerkle.bsky.social and I wrote our forthcoming book, 'Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences" - our next month.

122

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

I refuse to police AI/LLM use in my classroom, even though I'd rather totally prohibit AI in my academic writing and #scicomm courses. I'd also rather not talk about it, but that's just not an option any more. So, I've been using a course policy that seems to...NOT be working. 1/

buff.ly

I'd like to 100% prohibit LLMs, but I refuse to police AI use in my academic writing & writing-intensive courses

So, here's what my course policy is, and how it's working.

150

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

AAUP @aaup.org · 01/10/2025

In thus series, then AAUP members share their stories of repression and resilience in the face of partisan interference and violations of academic freedom. Learn more about the project at the link below👇 #academicsky #academicfreedom #defendhighered #highered #socialjustice #academia

aaup.org

Faculty on the Frontlines

0106

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

AAUP @aaup.org · 01/10/2025

Introducing “Faculty on the Frontlines,” a new series from the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom that documents the stories of AAUP members! Over the next 2 weeks, we will spotlight the stories of 10 AAUP members fighting to defend academic freedom. Check out our teaser 🔥

15236

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

UCD Proposal Development Services @ucdproposaldev.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

"Good editing is about structure, flow and signposts. It concerns your audience and how they will receive it. It is not about you." - Melanie Smith See the full post for how to shift your views and approach to editing your academic writing. academiccoach.info/blog/how-to-... #academicsky

academiccoach.info

How to edit your writing — Academic Coach

I have these little mantras here at Academic Coach and this is one of them: write without fear, edit without mercy. Write quick, edit slow. What is editing? Let’s start with the basics. Editing is t...

031

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

I've been a big letter writer since I was a little kid. Nothing compares to snail mail with a real postmark and handwriting from someone special. 1/

Pile of postcards stamped, addressed, and ready to send-view is of the back side of the postcards, so stamps are visible.

130

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

There are unhealthy myths about how much time people in #academia must spend working to be “successful.” Yet we also tend to be terrible at estimating how much time we spend working, or on a particular task or activity (hint we often way over-estimate time spent & underestimate time needed). 1/

schoolofgoodtrouble.substack.com

Academic time can feel as warped as in Wonderland: time tracking saved my mental health

Sounds like hyperbole, but time tracking helped me get a grip on calendar chaos, affirm the meaning of my work, and reclaim my personal time.

130

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

I really think scientists still need to be part of the media conversation--even (or especially) when journalists deal w/ contentious issues. That's why I responded to this "tricky" interview request & encouraged two colleagues to. Here's why I think this matters for #scicomm:

buff.ly

It is STILL vital that scientists engage with the media

Scientists need to be part of the conversation even, or especially, when journalists deal with contentious issues.

010

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

I will add: we are immensely grateful for all of you who have connected with the Meteor #Scicomm podcast & hope you still feel connected as we work together to foster capacity to do good in the world. There are amazing resources to help us all (a lot from way beyond scicomm); we'll focus there.

044

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Stephen Heard @stephenbheard.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Darn right we are!

051

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Faith Kearns, Ph.D. @fkearns.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

This is a great book for folks who need to train others in scientific writing but were perhaps never formally trained themselves. Which is probably a whole lot of us! Highly recommend.

2133

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

@stephenbheard.bsky.social & I are pretty stoked! Our book (from @uchicagopress.bsky.social) about mentoring #ScientificWriting is another step closer to being in your hands!! We now have a cover, a *funny* index (who knew that was possible!?!) & amazing blurbs from 3 scholars we deeply respect! 1/

schoolofgoodtrouble.substack.com

Owls, and blurbs, and a cover, oh my!

Our book, Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences, is several steps closer to your eager hands!

453

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

I recently led a writing feedback workshop with @stephenbheard.bsky.social, my co-author on a book about mentoring writing in the sciences. A lot of our advice from that workshop is distilled into a blog post I wrote a while back! So, I’m re-booting it in case you missed it: buff.ly/oIbXJdS.

buff.ly

You really *can* give useful writing feedback while doing very little "work" on the text itself.

And it's important that you do.

161

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

*Now* is the time to handle end-of-term evaluations. As a contingent faculty member, I'm more subject to the whims (and biases) of bad evals than I'd like to be. 1/

buff.ly

*Now* is the time to handle end-of-term evaluations.

It actually IS possible to make course evals meaningful for you and students in your class.

221

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

If you teach in higher ed, you might still have a couple of minutes left to fine-tune your syllabi for the coming term. So, I'm sharing ALL MY hashtag#SCICOMM SYLLABI, along with all my syllabi for writing courses, career prep, and art-science/transdisciplinary courses: buff.ly/2BUHuOt 1/

buff.ly

Sharing with you all my scicomm syllabi

Sharing the intellectual labor of my syllabi for courses on writing, scicomm, career planning, and art-science integration

131

Reposted by Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere)

Stephen Heard @stephenbheard.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

*check OUT, not our. Blergh. But while you're at the booth, you *could* also ask about OUR new book too ("our" in this case being me and @bgmerkle.bsky.social) I bet Jeremy won't mind if you preorder his and ours at the same time! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

press.uchicago.edu

Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences

Blending deep experience, evidence-based advice, and good humor, this is an invaluable resource for everyone involved in developing good scientific writers. Every scientist eventually teaches scient...

042

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I really think scientists still need to engage with journalists about contentious issues. That's why I responded to a "tricky" interview request recently. Here's my take on why this matters for #scicomm & how I handled a particularly touchy topic for WY Public Media:

buff.ly

It is STILL vital that scientists engage with the media

Scientists need to be part of the conversation even, or especially, when journalists deal with contentious issues.

020

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

I 1000% agree. After re-reading every word (& comma), I can confidently conclude: you should pre-order for the cheeky endnotes, alone! And, it is excruciating to reread a text I've written with the certainty that only massive errors can be changed. Zaps all the fun of editing.

buff.ly

Stephen Heard (@stephenbheard.bsky.social)

Two things are true. (1) Checking proof means a careful re-read, and it's making me very proud of this book. So glad @bgmerkle.bsky.social talked me into co-writing! (2) Checking a book-length set of…

010