Dissertation Writers' Workshop

Keywords: Writing style, writing process, clarity, cohesion, concision, writing as thinking, narrative in scientific writing

Introduction to the course topics:

Many researchers worry about grammar and word choice in English but ignore writing style. The word “style” does not refer to making your text fancy but rather to practical, big-picture questions such as these:

• Can my reader easily understand each sentence the first time through?
• Am I respecting my reader’s time by being precise and concise?
• Does my writing bring my science to life or put my reader to sleep?

The workshop also explores the writing process—namely, techniques to boost your productivity and make your everyday work at the computer more enjoyable. The topics build on one another and should prove engaging for doctoral candidates from any language background, even native English speakers.

Course aims:

• Learn to write about your research with clarity, cohesion, and concision
• Discover strategies to make the writing and research process more productive and enjoyable
• Learn to make your research interesting to your readers

Teaching methods: This workshop includes short lectures, group discussions, exercises, individual feedback from the instructor, and—most importantly—lots of peer workshopping of your actual texts. We will also work extensively with sample texts written by top scholars in your various fields.

This course fits doctoral candidates in the following phase: during the doctorate│end of the doctorate

Participation requirements: C2 Level of English

Literature: The workshop draws heavily on Joseph Williams’s classic book Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. You may want to read this as preparation. (If you come from a natural science or engineering background, you may prefer Anne Greene’s Writing Science in Plain English, which is modeled after Williams’s book).

Technical requirements: none

Additonal information, notes: You can complement this workshop with free one-to-one sessions at TUM’s English Writing Center or through the English Coaching Program, where you can delve more deeply into individual writing challenges.

What participants say about this course:

• The trainer explained the concepts in a clear way and had very nice examples.
• It was a very helpful workshop and I highly can recommend it!