Guidance for researchers and PhD candidates on how to develop their research writing skills.
Research writing encompasses many forms of writing, for many audiences. While there are disciplinary differences, writing to disseminate research and make an impact follows many well-established conventions and practices. We work with researchers and PhD candidates to develop their research writing skills. We can work with you on:
- Planning your writing project:
- Managing your research
- Developing research questions
- Outlining your thesis structure
- Writing for different audiences:
- Using an academic writing style
- Writing for a wider audience
- Writing in different disciplines
- Writing for different stages of the research cycle:
- Research proposals and Confirmation of Candidature documents
- Thesis sections and chapters (abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion)
- Publications (journal articles, review papers, systematic reviews)
- Research statements for Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) as part of ERA reporting.
Here are some guides and modules to help you get started:
Creative and practice-based research
Resources and techniques used for searching the literature and writing for creative and practice-based research.
Literature reviews
How to start a literature review, including searching the literature and writing the review.
Strategic publishing
How to apply strategic measures when considering publishing, promoting and tracking your research.
Becoming a research writer
This online module looks at ways research writers use premises and claims to build arguments. Also covered is the significance of thesis statements and how to position your own work by identifying gaps in the field.
Writing your literature review
This module describes a literature review, and outlines the steps in writing, structuring and styling the review. It also covers the techniques for note-taking and writing an annotated bibliography.
Developing an effective research proposal
This online module provides key information, strategies, and resources for developing an effective research proposal.
Strategic publishing workshops
We offer an individual advice as well as tailored workshops for groups that cover any of the following topics:
- Collaboration: Identify potential research collaborators, at a broad institutional level and at a specific researcher level, using benchmarking and research tools such as SciVal and InCites.
- Planning: Develop a publication plan to identify relevant high-quality publication sources based on your target audience and publishing objectives.
- Writing and submission: Use strategies and practical tools for generating a writing focus, developing your voice, and tailoring your writing to the style of the publication. Tips on navigating submission, revision, and publication processes.
- Promotion and discovery: Share, promote and track your research and publications using different discoverability tools (such as researcher profiles and social media) and open access.
Research writing for HDR research methods courses
Academic Skills Advisors offer workshops for Research Methods courses on the following topics:
- Writing different text types (research proposals, confirmation of candidature, thesis, journal articles)
- Writing different thesis sections and chapters (abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion)
- Thesis writing and academic writing style (structuring your ideas, writing with authority, developing voice)
- Preparing for academic publication (including writing journal articles and strategic publishing).
