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RDO Writing Support

Writing support during your Research Degree

We all need support for our writing during our research degree; it is a craft that we need to learn and practice. Through the Researcher Development Online programme we offer training, development, groups and resources to help you.

You are a specialist in your field. But do you still find yourself getting stuck or frustrated when you try to write about it? Whether you are from a Science or Humanities background we offer sessions to ensure your writing is as effective as your research.

The sessions range from starting out and challenges with grammar, to writing bids and grant applications.

RDO Writing Series Autumn 2026

05/10/2026 13.00-14.30 Finding, Reading, and Quoting Research Book
06/10/2026 11.15-12.45 Get your Writing on Track Book
12/10/2026 13.00-14.30 Writing and Giving Conference Papers Book
15/10/2026 10.30-12,00 Writing Proposals and Abstracts Book
17/10/2026 10.30-11.30 Writing Tips - Focus on Style: How to be more Concise Book
27/10/2026 11.15-12.45 Representing other research fairly, organising your reading, filling the gap Book
02/11/2026 13.00-14.30 Making your thesis easier to read for your examiner Book
03/11/2026 13.00-14.30 Get your Writing Organised - Stage 1: storyboards Book
06/11/2026 10.00-11.30 Paragraphs: the building blocks of your thesis Book
10/11/2026 10.30-12.00 Get your Writing Organised - Stage 2: signposting & mapping Book
14/11/2026 10.30-12.00 Writing Sentences: starting strong Book
16/11/2026 10.30-12.00 Long documents: practical tips, structuring your work, signposting Book
17/11/2026 15.00-16.00 Writing Tips - Academic Hedging: advantages and pitfalls Book
26/11/2026 10.30-12.00 How to Respond to Feedback Book
04/12/2026 10.00-11.30 Finding, Reading, and Quoting Research Book
04/12/2026 10.30-12.00 Advanced Writing: How to Edit Effectively Book

Top Tips

Orwell sums up:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2. Never use a long word where a short one will do it

3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.

5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

6. ( Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous)

George Orwell Politics and the English Language pp348-360 in George Orwell Essays 2000 Penguin Classics

Writing Resources

Referencing Style Guide

University of Warwick

Also

6 Minute Grammar Podcasts

Thesis Whisperer

Write that journal article in seven days( Thesis Whisperer)

Pat Thompson Blog and BlueSky

@patthomson.bsky.social

Writing Advice from University of Toronto

POWA Paradigm Online Writing Advice

Learning English for Academic Purposes LEAP

Further support across Warwick

In addition to the support from the RDO and the PhD in Second language, you may find these resources useful:

Write Right : Academic Writing Moodle (this is for resource only as the course has now been archived and no longer monitored but contains useful info)

PGCTS: f you can take nine week assessed modules

English for Academic Purpose in sessional English Language support and writing surgeries for International PGRs ( Archive)

Centre for Linguistics offer support. There is an additional cost to you for this course

The Academic Skills Moodle. A resource for UG & PGT but might have something useful ( Archive)

Academic Writing for PGT & UG

Return to the Researcher Development Online page.

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