This episode offers guidance and commentary on the process of academic research and writing, particularly within the humanities. This episode also outlines the mechanical and structural requirements for formal papers, including the MLA formatting guidelines for margins, headings, and the placement of a Works Cited list. It also focuses on the research methodology, providing a comprehensive overview of the steps involved in a project, from topic selection and literature reviews to various qualitative and quantitative methods, including surveys and textual analysis. The episode scrutinises literary criticism, explicitly contrasting the historical and persistent practice of "close reading" with newer "distant reading" methods favoured by digital humanities scholars, debating the value and scope of each approach. Finally, there is practical instruction on specific components of academic writing, including the structure and purpose of an abstract, as well as a description of the peer review process for journal submissions.