Course Facilitator: Olga Akroyd , Ph.D 

The Idea
GIRES, the Global Institute for Research, Education & Scholarship supports scholarly community and offers a series of workshops and seminars in collaboration with GIRES’ Skills Hub. Is there an essay that makes your life difficult? Does it seem easier to climb mount Everest than writing your thesis or dissertation? We know! We ‘ve been there! When you have the right support and guidance you will eventually enjoy it (yeah, really!). Dr. Olga Akroyd will teach you the wonderful craft, guide through the world of academic writing and will reveal the secrets for a successful scholarly outcome. 

The Aim
This workshop, organised in a 4 hour-long session, is aimed at undergraduate, masters’ and doctoral-level students, as well as early career researchers and independent scholars. Delivered in a friendly, informal manner, the workshop aims to help the attendees improve their academic writing skills, which would come in relevant both for smaller-scale pieces (such as term time essays) and larger-scale, longer assignments such as doctoral theses and research articles. By the end of the workshop, the attendees should be feeling more confident with their academic writing skills (in English) and in approaching set assignments or research work. 

The Structure
The workshop consists of a condensed discussion of a core text chosen for each session.
They are separated into three (3) main blocks + Q&A: 

1. Main topics
2. Analyses
3. Examples

+Q&A: Participants are welcome to discuss with Dr. Akroyd and clarify any questions/thoughts/opinions may arise during each seminar.

The Program
Block 1:Structure
We learn how to structure an assignment, representing the relevant arguments in appropriate sequencing, and we also look at how to write a perfect introduction and conclusion. We will look at one small-scale article and a larger piece of work, and try some hands-on exercises to practise our new skills.

Block 2:Unravelling the argument
We learn about various strategies that may help representing our research findings in a coherent and concise manner, organising them to form a clear argument that flows smoothly and is well structured. 

 Block 3:Academic writing styles
We discover what “academic writing” is, and what makes it distinctive, and look at various textual examples, helping us understand how a text can be made more readable to a scholarly audience, and specifically for things like academic articles, book chapters, etc. A lot of hands-on practice work will be involved, which would give the attendees an opportunity to refine their writing skills further.

Participants have the option to either attend the live sessions or watch at their own pace the pre-recorded sessions on GIRES’ Virtual Platform.
Please choose from the Options at the Registration and we will provide you with the right credentials (LIVE or VIRTUAL)

Due to the restrictions of Corona Crisis our event (for the time being) will take place VIRTUALLY