If someone posts a copyrighted image of yours, try just asking them to remove it. No threatening legal action or other intimidating language. You can escalate if they refuse, but no need to start aggressive. Most will be happy to act on a respectful request. open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

Quick sentiment analysis of a client’s socials after they posted the clarifying statement we developed… Before: Negative comments: 95% Positive comments: 5% After: Negative comments: 23% Positive comments: 77% The right words can’t fix everything (need actions, too), but they can help A LOT.

Need to do a layoff? Even if you do absolutely everything else right, poor communications has the power to leave everyone thinking that you did nothing right at all. open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

When science becomes political, it’s easy for political credit to be claimed without any accountability for actual outcomes. And that’s the part that’s worth watching. open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

Did Kanye West write this? Probably not, and here’s why that doesn’t matter #kanyewest #apology #crisiscommunication open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

…a solution that only addresses a symptom will only leave you with a hidden problem. Here are three mindset shifts for managing reputational risk that actually work: open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

What is going on with Brene Brown? I did the sentiment breakdown so you don’t have to… and provide some advice on what you might do if you end up in a similar situation: open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

One thing we can all learn from this is that anything we say in writing can be used against us… #taylorswift #blakelively #justinbaldoni open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

Despite fresh unsealed court documents fueling endless online speculation... does the evidence actually show that Taylor Swift and her team lied about her involvement in the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni controversy? #blakelively #justinbaldoni #taylorswift open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

What’s the biggest mistake you can make if you’re accused of plagiarism? Saying you’ve NEVER plagiarized. Here’s why: open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

An AI company is paying grad students to fake stories about their supervisors stealing their work. This marketing tactic is unethical and puts the students' academic careers at risk... open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

What’s a good indicator of whether to trust someone? Well… if you’ve got someone telling you all the ways they’ve screwed others over in the past & they’re sharing this from a position of accomplishment, not “shouldn’t have done that”… You’re not a trusted confidant of this person. You’re next.

"Our journal isn't a fit for your research, but here's one we think might be" OK, sure... my framework for defending academic freedom against coordinated political attacks ABSOLUTELY fits in <checks notes>

What to do when you fail at the one thing you're an expert in Hint: It's NOT the statement that SHRM (the “world's largest HR group") put out when they somehow LOST an employee discrimination case... open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

“When an organization targeting university employees defines the narrative on social media and subsequently in right-wing news outlets, university administrations have already lost control…” Read more in my article in AAUP’s Academe Blog ⬇️ academeblog.org/2025/12/05/a...

The Fulnecky/University of Oklahoma/Turning Point USA situation from a crisis comms perspective… and why universities *must* stand firm and defend academic freedom open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

My crisis comms book is specifically for academics and will help you if you’re targeted like the graduate student instructor in the Samantha Fulnecky case. I’m trying to secure a publishing contract and keep being told the same thing: highly publishable concept, target audience is too small.

Something I’ve noticed about advice that I tend to put in the ‘toxic positivity’ category like “you can’t control what happens but you can control your response” and (don’t come after me) the ‘Let Them’ theory is…

How did THIS get published in Scientific Reports, a Nature Portfolio journal?

Asked ChatGPT why publishers might not want to buy my non-academic book targeted at academics and it said it's because they “can't imagine academics as humans" and see them as "BRAINS ON STICKS". On sticks? What is this?! We can’t even be in a vat anymore?

“The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.” (Sir John Harvey Jones)

Epstein typed like he was writing on a Nokia 3330 without looking at the screen and if you think that wasn’t intentional…

Being an effective communicator in a crisis or conflict starts *outside* of your present situation. It’s our approach to conflict/disagreement in general that shapes our underlying attitudes when it unexpectedly appears in our lives.

University faculty facing harassment, doxxing, retaliation… this is for you.

So the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a regulatory inquiry into your work. Everything is falling apart… How will you maintain their trust in you and your credibility? open.substack.com/pub/louisepa...

Handling the “not a question but a comment” person at your #academic conference talk Q&A

Tired of tables moving all over the place in your Word document? Try this!

I recently edited a response to reviewers letter where the reviewers had pulled out a few of the author’s very nicely structured sentences and told them that they needed to change these to… not so nicely structured sentences.

How to delete all comments from a Microsoft Word document with one click:

Coauthor screwed up your formatting? Here’s a quick fix #microsoftword

Non-breaking spaces are formatting tools, not a sign of #AI writing

What if I told you you might never have typed a minus sign?

Just saw an article titled “World-first pet germ study” and opened it fully expecting it to be a study on people who keep germs as pets...

I’ve said this before and will keep saying it for as long as it is necessary:

The little things in life are what make it. My aunt keeps saying “motherfucker” at the end of sentences because of a new season of a TV show I’ve never seen and makes me laugh so much for no good reason.

Knowledge without action is just potential. It does not create change. Why soft skills, connection, and human insight still matter: www.unfilteredacademia.com/p/nothing-fo...

One of the editing companies I freelance for added a policy that editors cannot use *any* AI in the editing process. I got an email about it this afternoon and am still thinking about it. Why?

The sunk cost fallacy gets us stuck doing things we don’t want to be doing any more just because we’ve spent so much time on them already. Is this your sign to STOP? #sunkcostfallacy #careerchange #science #success

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

Inspired by a random internet commenter hating on my friend’s perfect presentation slide… this week’s Substack post will be about presentation slides and why you DON’T want them to be the excessively designed, pretty, visual-heavy version you might find on Canva and Envato.

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing

#Science #research #academia #academicediting #editor #editorial #services #scientific #medical #socialscience #academicwriting #mastersdegree #academiclife #phdlife #thesiswriting #phd #womeninstem #typos #mistake #solution #gradschool #problems #professional #expert #englishlanguage #editing