The Research Writer

Blog

  • Writing in the 3rd Year of Your PhD

    This is a one day workshop for students in the final stages of writing up a doctoral thesis. It deals with tasks and issues important to finishing off a thesis, such as the difficulties of editing a large document and writing to deadlines.

    The workshop covers:

    • How to edit, formatting and proofreading the thesis
    • Producing a detailed plan of what they have achieved and what they have left to do
    • Create a timeline for a schedule of works
    • Create a synopsis of their thesis so far
    • Shed light on important procedural issues around submission and examination.
    • How to talk about the thesis in the viva

    Audience: Doctoral students in the 3rd year, or part-time equivalent of study. The workshop can be generic to all disciplines, or made more specific to a particular academic discipline. Participants are provided with a set of analytical tools aimed at analysing their own discipline’s standards and writing tasks suitable to all fields of study. Participants are also asked to bring example texts from their discipline to use in workshop exercises. The workshop can either be cross-disciplinary or have a STEM, Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences focus.

    Mode of delivery: This is a workshop style event, requiring participants to work individually and in small groups, as well as to occasionally contribute to whole group discussions. Workshops are interactive and based on experiential and reflective learning models. The content is evidence based, drawing on linguistics, sociology and education research, and professional editing and proof-reading guidance. All activities are practical and directly relevant to writing a doctorate in the early stages of study. The workshop can be run for between 8 to 20 participants, ideally in a workshop/seminar room equipped with workshop tables.

    Length and timings: The workshop is 1 day long, for example run from 10am – 4pm with 1 hour for lunch, and one 15 minute coffee break.

    Resources: The tutor brings packs of interactive materials; participants should bring four pages of writing from their own thesis with which to practice editing. They should also bring copy of a research paper they have recently read, pens and paper, and a laptop, if they wish; the tutor provides a comprehensive workbook to the institution for printing prior to the workshop; a flipchart and pens or white board is also useful, though not essential.

    Previous client(s): University of Glasgow, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Stirling, University of the Highlands and Island, Glasgow Caledonian University

  • Writing Retreats

    Retreats have been shown to be a very effective way to facilitate busy researchers to write. The retreats are typically two days long and can be held on or off campus. Unlike other workshops, a retreat is unstructured and more about providing time away from the office and a space dedicated purely to writing.  The tutor gives support and advice on an individual basis through the two days, acting as both editor and motivator.

    Audience: Researchers, experienced or novice, staff or postgraduates,
    who are publishing research. Retreats can be both mixed or done by discipline
    or for a specific research team.

    Mode of delivery: This is a workshop style event, requiring participants
    to work individually or with co-authors. The content is evidence based, drawing
    on education research on research writing. The workshop can be run for between
    8 to 20 participants, ideally in a workshop/seminar room equipped with workshop
    tables. If off campus an appropriate venue can be sourced, costs are usually on
    top of the fee.

    Length and timings: The workshop is 1 to 2 days long, typically run from
    9:30am – 4:30pm with 1 hour for lunch, and one 15 minute coffee break in the
    morning.

    Resources: The tutor brings packs of interactive materials; participants
    should bring pens and paper, a laptop, and any research papers or data which
    will enable them to write their researcher paper/chapter/proposal; a flipchart
    and pens or white board is also useful, though not essential;

    Previous client(s): Queen’s University Belfast, Staff Development Unit, Dublin City University, School of Nursing

  • Drafting, Editing and Proof Reading Skills

    The workshop focuses on developing, drafting, editing and proofreading skills which are helpful to professional research writers and postgraduate students, who are producing long, complex documents for critically reading audiences. The workshop shows how writers can use knowledge of planning, drafting and editing to facilitate the writing process. It also demonstrates how to take a professional approach toward the production of written outputs and how to develop as a research writer. These skills are also particularly useful for researchers who write in teams or who have to perform editorial tasks, commenting on the work of peers.  The workshop is based on works in linguistics, sociology and education, as well as professional copy editing and proof reading practices.

    Audience: Any research writer, staff or postgraduate who has to write professionally or edit and review the work of their peers. The workshop can either be cross-disciplinary or have a STEM, Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences focus.

    Mode of delivery: This is a workshop style event, requiring participants to work individually and in small groups, as well as to occasionally contribute to whole group discussions. Workshops are interactive and based on experiential and reflective learning models. The content is evidence based, drawing on linguistics, education research and editorial and proof-reading manuals. All activities are practical and directly relevant to professional research writers or postgraduate students. The workshop can be run for between 8 to 20 participants, ideally in a workshop/seminar room equipped with workshop tables.

    Length and timings: The ½ day workshop is 3.5 hours long, with one 15min coffee break and can be run either in the morning or afternoon. The 1 day workshop would typically run from 10am – 4pm with 1 hour for lunch, and one 15 minute coffee break in the morning.

    Resources: The tutor brings packs of interactive materials; participants should also bring copy of a research paper they have recently read, pens and paper, and a laptop, if they wish; participants should bring 4-8 pages of writing from their own with which to practice editing; the tutor provides a comprehensive workbook to the institution for printing prior to the workshop; a flipchart and pens or white board is also useful, though not essential.

    Previous clients: University of Stirling

    Participant comments: (2012-2013) “It is interesting and useful”, “Prepare yourself to produce a quality research paper”, “Interesting, informative and helpful”, “Helpful in developing writing skills”, “Very helpful resource with lots of good tips”, “Very important and useful workshop”

  • Mastering academic style

    A one day or half-day workshop for postgraduates, Masters or doctoral level. The characteristics of academic style, including developing an objective tone, and the use of references in a critical way, are explored and presented within the context of a professional writing process. This is an excellent workshop for introducing students to postgraduate level writing and forms a foundation on which they can develop their critical thinking.

    Audience: Masters or doctoral students in the first year of study. The workshop can be generic to all disciplines, or made more specific to a particular academic discipline. Participants are provided with a set of analytical tools aimed at analysing their own discipline’s standards and writing tasks suitable to all fields of study. The workshop can either be cross-disciplinary or have a STEM, Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences focus.

    Mode of delivery: This is a workshop style event, requiring participants to work individually and in small groups, as well as to occasionally contribute to whole group discussions. Workshops are interactive and based on experiential and reflective learning models. The content is evidence based, drawing on linguistics and education research. All activities are practical and directly relevant to Masters Students or doctoral researchers in the early stages of study. The workshop can be run for between 8 to 20 participants, ideally in a workshop/seminar room equipped with workshop tables.

    Length and timings: The ½ day workshop is 3.5 hours long, with one 15min coffee break and can be run either in the morning or afternoon. The 1 day workshop would typically run from 10am – 4pm with 1 hour for lunch, and one 15 minute coffee break in the morning.

    Resources: The tutor brings packs of interactive materials; participants should also bring copy of a research paper they have recently read, pens and paper, and a laptop, if they wish; the tutor provides a comprehensive workbook to the institution for printing prior to the workshop; a flipchart and pens or white board is also useful, though not essential.

    Previous clients: University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde

  • Writing for Academic Publication (Interactive) –

    Learn how to write a research paper for publication — with academic research coach Dr Daniel Soule

    As an academic, you are under increasing pressure to publish earlier in your career, with greater frequency and in higher-ranked journals. But how do you decide which journals to approach with your research, and what’s the best way to do that? This four-week course navigates the world of academic writing, research articles, journals and publications, while teaching you the skills you need to become a clear, effective and efficient research writer.

    Delivered in collaboration with the Professional Writing Academy.

  • Books

    Motivation and Procrastination:

    The War of Art: If you are procrastinator then this is the book for you. By the American author Steven Pressfield, ‘The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles’, is a great little book about all the ways writers (or ‘wannabe’ writers) waste time and self-sabotage themselves and their work. It’s part psychological assignation (of you), part practical guide to the mind-set and practice of a professional writer. It’s short and sweet too.

    How to Write a Thesis by Rowena Murray is something of a classic, now in its third edition. Very much a book about process and being smart about it. Essential reading for those of you having to write a thesis or dissertation. Great advice on over coming blocks.

    Developing Your Style:

    Mastering Academic Style by Helen Sword (2012) and published by Harvard University Press is a great book for helping you develop your style. Breaking things down into different aspects of style the book takes you through practical ways of working on your writing. The book also presents examples of writing from different disciplines and is underpinned by some useful linguistic analysis across subjects, to be able to say what different subjects actually do. There is a great chapter on how to hook your reader, and then another on keeping their attention.

    How To Write A Sentence and How To Read One by Standly Fish (2011). I love this little book, reading twice the summer when it first came out. It manages to be beautifully written, practical and at times profound, but the practicality of the book is its best feature. Perhaps more for those in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, there is, however, something in there for all academic writers. Professor Fish is breaks down some amazing pieces of literature and then shows us how we could try and emulate them. It is about both composition and content. For me it is a great book because of how it asks the reader to think about their writing: to be reflective; to practice; to breakdown what others have done before and use it as a model; to make writing about ideas and the ideas to have a form and function. The chapters on ‘First Sentences’ and ‘Last Sentences’ are very insightful, asking the reader to think about the potential power of these sentences and their relationship to the text as a whole. If I was to say there has one weakness, it is that there is a tendency to atomise sentences, to consider them in isolation (the afore mentioned chapters excluded), rather than their effects (and affects) when working well together, as in a paragraph. This is only a minor quibble however. A must read as far as I’m concerned. Perhaps the follow-up will be ‘How To Write a Paragraph…’?