Author Ben Mudrak, PhD

Dr. Mudrak graduated from Duke University with a PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and performed over eight years of research on pathogenic bacteria at Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For several years, Dr. Mudrak led webinars and workshops on academic writing and publishing as part of AJE's Author Education program.

Ben Mudrak, PhD Global Communications Manager, AJE

Ben Mudrak, PhD

AJE Author

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  • Article

Self-Plagiarism: How to Define It and Why You Should Avoid It

What is self-plagiarism, and why is self-plagiarism wrong? Understand the ethical (and practical) reasons to avoid this behavior in your research writing.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

4 min

A researcher looking at a computer screen while gaining peer review experience
  • Article
  • Peer Review
  • Writing
  • +1

Gaining Peer Review Experience

  • Most researchers are not meaningfully mentored or trained in the process of peer review.
  • There are ways to gain experience, even before you are leading your own research group.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

3 min

A researcher writing a presubmission inquiry to an academic journal
  • Article
  • Peer Review
  • Research Process
  • +1

How to Write a Pre-Submission Inquiry for an Academic Journal

Writing a good pre-submission inquiry can help you find the right journal for your paper the first time. Here are the things you should include and a template to get you started.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

4 min

aje editing tips
  • Article
  • Writing
  • Peer Review

Editing Tip: Word Choice Suggestions

  • The English language contains hundreds of thousands of words, each with its own conventions of use
  • Confusion often arises with pairs like 'affect'/'effect' and terms like 'evidence' or 'research' that can be nouns or verbs

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

3 min

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  • Article
  • Writing
  • Peer Review

Editing Tip: Attributive Nouns (or Adjective Nouns)

Attributive nouns are nouns serving as an adjective to describe another noun. They create flexibility with writing in English, but they can cause confusion and should be used purposefully.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

2 min

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  • Article
  • Writing
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Editing Tip: Anthropomorphism in Scientific Writing

The tendency to ascribe our own feelings and behaviors to anything we are discussing can make its way into our manuscripts. Here's how to manage these accidents.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

2 min

Researchers connected by a web to incidate developing an online presence
  • Article
  • Visibility
  • Research Process
  • +2

5 Methods to Develop Your Online Presence (for Researchers)

Make use of online sites and networks like LinkedIn and ResearchGate to improve your online visibility and highlight the information about your research that you want others to see.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

6 min

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  • Writing
  • Peer Review
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Apostrophe Usage in Academic Writing

  • Apostrophes can be used to create contractions (shortened forms of words or phrases).
  • Apostrophes also indicate possession.
  • Overall, the apostrophe is not common in scientific writing.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

2 min

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  • Guide
  • Visibility
  • Research Process
  • +2

Open Access Myths

This free white paper discusses five myths about open access publishing, from lack of authors' rights to poor journal quality.

by Ben Mudrak, PhD

3 min