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Student Opportunity: Skills

Researchers

These sessions are specifically for research students (PhD, MPhil, Masters by research, EngD & those pursuing the Professional Doctorate). If you are a taught student, please refer to the appropriate courses listed under your degree.

Academic Writing Series

A yearly online course starting in November and ending in July.

As the standard of academic writing is most advanced at postgraduate research level, you should be able to:

  • critically engage with material at expert level;
  • produce complex, analytical arguments;
  • make substantial contribution to knowledge through your research.
“…when I was writing my PhD – a real shot in the arm”
Dr Deborah Biggerstaff, Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School

Here, your writing ability needs to access aspects of

  • semantics
  • grammatical versatility
  • detail emphasis
  • lexical fluency
  • coordination.

Its result should be a written product which investigates specific topics in a manner aimed towards discovery and, essentially, education of readership.

This series of practical talks and workshops covers the intricacies of writing required in an academic research-level context. It addresses all students of all disciplines.

Workshops in the series:

  
  • Understanding academic writing
  • Elements of structure and organisation in your writing
  • Paragraph construction: elements & transition
  • Developing critical analysis: the cognitive domain
  • Ordering a critical argument: the P.E.A. matrix model
  • Reporting using critical resources: paraphrase, summary & synthesis
  • How to write an abstract
  • How to write a literature review
  • Grammatical accuracy: morphology & syntax
  • Grammatical accuracy: syntax
  • Revision, proofreading & editing for clarity and readability
  • Writing to engage the reader
  • Positioning your ideas in the research context
  • Thesis structure
  • Defending your argument
  • How NOT to write: common problems and errors in academic writing

Sessions can be booked via SkillsForge

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Selective bibliography

  • Craswell, G. 2004. Writing for Academic Success. Sage Publications.
  • Gillett, A. 2009. Inside Track to Successful Academic Writing. Pearson.
  • Murray, N. 2012. Writing Essays in English Language and Linguistics. Cambridge University Press.
  • Murray, R. Thomas, 2008. Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing, Corwin Press.
  • Creme, P. and M. Lea, 2008. Writing at University: A guide for students. Open University Press.
  • Hamp-Lyons, L. and Heasley, B. 2006. Study Writing. Cambridge University Press.
  • Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. 2005. Writing Academic English. Addison-Wesley, New York.
  • Swales, J.and C. Feak. 2012. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Skills and Tasks. Michigan University Press.

Writing Consultations for PGRs

Every Tuesday 2:30-5pm, via MS Teams

The weekly online Writing Consultations for PGR’s, in support of the Academic Writing Series, start in September . If you who would like to talk specifically about the topics on this course or, more generally, academic writing, then please book a 20-minute MS Teams appointment via myAdvantage.

For any queries about any of our activities on this page, please email: academicwriting@warwick.ac.uk or M.Balanescu@warwick.ac.uk