Reviewed by Mary Sepp, City University of New York, BMCC

This is a much-needed ‘how-to’ book for aspiring linguists. Monica Macaulay provides answers to many of the questions that are posed by graduate students in linguistics, and to some extent, by graduate students in general. The approach is thoughtful and practical, and largely achieves its purpose (xi) of uncovering the mystery of how to succeed in linguistics. The content is fairly comprehensive, assuming a target audience interested in academic careers. In addition to the more obvious practical concerns, M touches upon some of the psychological issues that affect graduate students.

The book is divided into nine chapters covering most of the important and relevant topics for graduate students (e.g. funding, writing, job hunting). Ch. 1 is a guide to getting acquainted with graduate school. M points out some of the built-in resources of a graduate program—faculty advisors and other students. Such resources are important in a number of situations. For example, students may be afflicted with the ‘impostor syndrome’ (6–7) and convinced they cannot compete with the seemingly superior intellects of their peers. The fear that their supposed incompetence will be discovered may cause these students to give up. Thus, according to M, it is important for students to talk to each other, as well as to department faculty, in order to alleviate what are most probably unfounded insecurities. This discussion is covered in just under a page; however, it is one of the more insightful sections in the volume as it identifies what can be a serious problem for many graduate students.

The book as a whole focuses on the topic of writing, including why and how to write as a linguist, how to get feedback, and how to get published. Ch. 2 enumerates the types of writing that linguists do. In Ch. 3, M offers suggestions on the often agonizing chore of finding a topic. There is also a constructive account of how to structure an argument. Ch. 4 deals specifically with writing a linguistics paper. An outline of its conventional structure is presented, along with specifics on critical elements such as how to choose and format examples. Ch. 5 addresses problems that arise in the actual writing process. Here M stresses the value of effective time management and suggests ways to get the process going and actually completed. Ch. 6 covers the topic of conferences and includes tips on writing abstracts, preparing handouts, and presenting a paper. Conference papers and other publishing opportunities are discussed in Ch. 7. In addition, M underscores the importance of getting work published, advice which should not be taken lightly. Ch. 8 is about the graduate student’s ultimate challenge: the dissertation. Again, the emphasis is on time management and staying focused on the task at hand. Finally, the last chapter concerns the end goal of the graduate experience, that is, getting a job. The tips on writing a CV and interviewing are quite helpful, though they are particularly geared toward academic jobs.

This volume should be required reading for first year students, perhaps incorporated into an introduction to linguistics or a research methods course. It has great informational value and also includes exercises at the end of each chapter, making it suitable for classroom use.