Description
The workshop allows you to reflect on what makes a good paper and to adjust your writing accordingly. It looks at the writing process and how to draft and review your texts so that they are appealing and understandable to a wide audience. It includes information on writing abstracts and titles, classic mistakes in academic written English, punctuation and editing tools. It will also look at the publication process and getting a narrative into an academic text. The focus will be on writing for the political sciences and European studies.
Participants are expected to bring a paper written (presumably) by an English native speaker.
The workshop relies on active participation and uses group discussions and individual exercises throughout. It will be based on improving the texts you have written for/during the research design course. Where possible, the facilitator will provide writing support during the workshop. It is primarily about using structure and style to improve readability. It does not cover grammar issues in detail, although any specific questions will be answered.
Aim
To improve the style and structure of the participants’ English academic papers. After the workshop, the participants will have a better understanding of the following
- the writing process and finding a narrative
- writing abstracts and titles
- cultural differences in academic texts
- the structure of an English paper, paragraph and sentence
- classic mistakes in written academic English
- English punctuation
- tools for correcting and improving texts
- revising a text to improve readability
- choosing a journal and what reviewers are looking for in a paper
Course material
Download (log-in required)
Teaching
Anne Wegner, Write English
Anne comes from the UK and worked for 20 years in German business and the NGO sector. Since 2004 she has worked as a freelance trainer and consultant, focusing on written academic English. Anne proofreads and edits academic texts with the reader in mind and teaches with an emphasis on cultural differences in the academic context.
Twitter: @WriteEnglish1
Practical information
This course is offered to PLATO's PhD researchers at PLATO PhD School 2 (Vienna)
IHS will arrange for accommodation for PLATO PhD researchers from 11 to 17 March (covered by PLATO's overall network budget).
The Vienna PLATO PhD School will also include a 3-day PhD course in research design (12-14 March).