Scientific Writing Workshop - 4 weeks

4 weeks

Keywords:

Scientific writing, overcome writer`s block, efficient writing strategies, make progress with writing projects

Introduction to the course topics:

When writing a paper or thesis, doctoral candidates often face several challenges. Amongst others, scientific texts have to address the target readership, be structured strictly and logically, and be written in a precise and concise style. The complexity of such a writing project can be overwhelming, leading to lack of motivation and enhanced procrastination - especially when writing alone, as an isolated author.

In this 4-week online workshop, we will address the components of the scientific writing process, covering efficient planning and writing strategies, techniques for adequate application of scientific style- and structure conventions, and efficient revision and feedback strategies. Besides theoretical input on writing topics, you will have plenty of opportunity to work with your own text, make progress with your manuscript and profit from the exchange with fellow writers and mutual text feedback. In addition, we will develop individual strategies to avoid writer´s block and to optimize the writing process.

4 Units / 1 Unit per week

• 1. Efficient planning and structuring of scientific texts
• 2. Getting started: writing drafts and overcoming writer`s block
• 3. Revision of scientific texts / Scientific style convention
• 4. Feedback / Publishing process

Course aims:

• Participants are aware of the impact of the research question(s) on scientific manuscripts.
• Participants know strategies for specifying their research questions and for structuring their results accordingly
• Participants are able to identify structure and style conventions in scientific publications and know strategies to apply them to their own texts
• Participants know how to optimize your individual writing skills and how to avoid writer`s block.
• Participants know criteria for successful publishing.
• Participants have proceeded significantly with their personal writing projects.

Teaching methods:

• Short talks for the introduction of new topics
• Writing exercises, which can be conducted with focus on individual writing projects
• Group exercises
• Reflection of exercises
• Setting weekly writing goals and reflection of goals
• Discussions
• Discussion of individual questions
• Mutual text feedback
• Digital pinboard: Padlet for exchange of documents and information

This course fits doctoral candidates in the following phase:

during the doctorate │ at the end of their doctorate

Participation requirements:

• This 4-week online workshop addresses doctoral candidates who are currently starting, or are currently within a writing project.
• Participants will benefit most from the workshop, if they are able to take some time for writing in between the online session.

Technical requirements:

Laptop/tablet with stable internet connection, microphone, webcam, Zoom (in most cases)

Additonal information, notes:

In this semester, we added this writing workshop to our course program in the 8-week version (starting at September, 30). The contents stay the same, but participants will have more time in between the sessions for their writing process.

Information about the trainer:

Dr. Kerstin Minnich is a biologist who obtained her doctoral title at the Ulm University, followed by a postdoctoral research period at the Leibniz Institute on Aging in Jena. In 2016, she founded SCIENCE WRITING and since then works as an editor, writing coach and workshop trainer for scientific writing with students, doctoral candidates and postdocs in life sciences

What participants say about this course:

• Großer Benefit des Kurses: Die zeitliche Verteilung über mehrere Wochen, man hatte zwischendurch die Gelegenheit auszuprobieren und nochmal darüber zu sprechen
• This is a very good course, with a wide variety of writing methods, very hands-on and practical. It finally motivated me because it allowed me to intensively work with my own text and because Kerstin provided great support throughout the first, difficult steps. I am happy I overcame the "writing block".