Hi Shahid - a very good response from Denis. It's not an unscientific question - it's one often thought about.

It is a 'wicked' question - as there are so many factors. Few academics are 'built the same' - so the answers are not always linear or obvious. Apart from the obvious demands of everyday academic life that get in the way of publishing , there are the personal ones as well. For instance, while I love music, I can't have any distraction when I am on a creative roll. Music etc is the reward afterwards for me.

While, as a teenager, I would never have thought it possible - my creative stuff comes between 6-8am. I have to be 'immersed' with no-one to disturb me.

Actually that's one of the most cruical questions in the life of a scholar. The strongest motivation is of course money. The problem is that one gets not paid for research articles and academic books, but there are essential to get you a tenured job. Besides these external motovation, the personal motivation is way more complex. As already mentioned a perfect environemnt is needed, wherever that may be (not necessarily an office), music helps in many cases. One of the major errors one can make is to expect too much of oneself. It is not possible to write for 8 hours a day on your manuscript. You have to find your own rhythm and do something else in between (reeding, grading, anwering e-mails, etc.). To prevent life from intervening (which is of course not really possible, unless you have no life outside of academia ;o)) it can help to find a retreat outside of your home for a couple of days. For me this works when finishung a book, not when starting to write it.

Hi Shahid, I like your question as it is one I have asked myself again and again over the past 20 years. And now again as I publish my 20th academic book and loose enthusiasm. 2 key points. 1. Inspiration-for me this comes from continuing to work in practice with public health professionals in different contexts and 2. Routine-set aside time to write everyday if possible and always turn up to work-sometimes you produce nothing but sometimes you can be an inspiration to others.

There have been excellent answers on this thread.

My personal solution, which can be taken as advice (or not), is to disconnect myself from any part of the world that is not related to my project. That means unplugging the phone (I don't own a mobile phone, but if I did I would turn it off and put it out of sight and out of reach), isolating myself from interaction with other people, so that I can really concentrate on the matter at hand.

One problem I have found with this strategy is that when I achieve a deep state of concentration, it can last for several hours, and I forget to move about from time to time, and to look out my window to change the focal distance of my eyes. I have been working on this. One solution is to drink tea, which forces me to get up and walk now and then, both for preparation and elimination. It is important to keep the blood circulating and to avoid straining the eyes.

Thanks to everybody for such excellent responses

I was curious to know and reveal the diverse styles adopted by different scientists and thereby we may possibly correlate or pick up the best strategy over here.

Isn't it wonderful to know how other fellows are getting their job done

Like my commonest observation is that people require some exclusively part of their time to actually do justice with their research Alternatively, their writing lives at the mercy of having themselves freed from non-research distractions.

I wonder is there a way out amongst such unavoidable circumstances?

The motivation to write arises from the application of the scientific method to respond to different questions that arise in the process, what?, how?, why?, for what?, etc. In this process the researcher builds a series of arguments that can be the basis for developing a scientific article, a breakthrough note, etc.

Your question is important, many researchers enjoy all stages of scientific research and implementation and may be stressful and difficult stages, but when they reach the writing stage they become bored and slower , they start a new research and follow-up and renewed, with the accumulation of older research writing, and here the role of head of research centers or management, by providing different motivations and motives Such as upgrading The motivations vary, and reactions to research writing differ. in the field and laboratory scientific research, usually there are team work. The percentage of skills of each team member varies. Usually the writing is done by some. The oldest is the most experienced in making the necessary modifications, abbreviations and revisions. As literary writing requires different talents, inspiration and perception of the best arrangement, the development and best expression of results from the pattern of tables and graphs, and continues to see the best types of statistical analysis and methods of data inclusion and analysis.ز

Unless self-motivation can not be done, skills develop with more work and training

Scientific writing as a result is one of the most important skills required for any research

researcher maintains his motivation for writing

Shahid - an excellent question that has prompted some excellent answers.

It is also far from 'unscientific', either in terms of the 'soft' or 'hard' sciences. Much of the advice given here could be readily interpreted in terms of Herzberg's Two Factor Theory, with most (but not all) contributors concentrating on hygiene factors. The best book I have read that deals with the subject is Alice W. Flaherty's The Midnight Disease, which looks at the subject from a very personal perspective but also that of a neurologist.

I would also like to add to the previous contributions that writing is not a separate activity, but part of the complex multidisciplinary process that is the research project. If you need to become re-enthused, try talking about your research to a knowledgeable colleague. If you can capture the enthusiasm that comes across in describing your work, it may help you achieve the same thing with the written word.

To help your writing, remember, the best way to learn to write well is to read well. Unfortunately a lot of academic writing does not meet that definition, so look outside academia. The Economist is a good starting point.

Finally, take regular breaks and use them well. Get out of your chair and away from your desk and get moving -- your body will thank you for it. Do some Yoga or stretching, go for a run, walk your dog, dance. You'll look at your writing with fresh eyes. Mens sana in corpore sano.

Hello,

The academia can not flourish and prosper without writing. In other words, writing is central to all academic achievements.The statement, " publish or parish" enacts the significance of writing. However, the question of motivation, as you have rightly observed, matters. Indubitably, writing has a great bearing on researchers' identity. As a consequence, publishing in prestigious journals, number of citations, and international recognition are significant motivating factors for the researcher.

Best regards,

R. Biria

For me, writing is something that I love to do and that makes me feel complete and whole. So I set a manageable schedule and stick to it, trying not to overexert myself by writing more than a certain number of words or pages a day. By not tiring myself out, I keep the passion alive for writing the next day.

The scientific writing is very important but is neccessary have motivation and particularly for the time it deserves. I agree with Dean because the writing must be developed in times where the inspiration flows and the mind is only thinking about the beautiful production. Also, the motivation is of course money, but reason why we strive to improve income, but the personal motivation is way more complex.

Claus Tieber ratified something very relevant; It´s neccessary have a perfect environemnt, even wherever that may be and the music helps

Hi

I totally agree with Denis' answer.

This paper will clarify more:

http://ler.letras.up.pt/uploads/ficheiros/6021.pdf