Could you use some support to build your skills and confidence in academic writing?
Whether you are relatively inexperienced with academic writing, would like to improve your writing style, or could use some additional support because English isn’t your primary language, this exciting new course will be a valuable experience.
This series of workshops provides tips and strategies for refining your writing submissions for publication.
We will explore:
- key concepts in academic writing
- questions of structure, word choice and style
- learning to identify weaker areas and developing expertise in improving them.
Together, we will analyse and edit extracts from published papers with a particular focus on clarity, precision and logical flow. Participants are also expected to bring their own work for critical analysis and peer review.
All sessions will be guided by an expert facilitator from the Department of Engineering’s Centre for Languages and Inter-Communication (CLIC).
When and where is the course taking place?
The course consists of four two-hour, in person sessions at the Eddington Postdoc Centre:
- 13:30-15:30 on Tuesday 11 November
- 13:30-15:30 on Tuesday 18 November
- 13:30-15:30 on Tuesday 25 November
- 13:30-15:30 on Tuesday 2 December
You are expected to attend all four sessions, so please do not apply if you know you will miss any of the sessions.
Session-by-session content will be determined by the needs of the participants.
If you are unable to attend the course this time, but would like to be notified of future opportunities on this topic, please complete the application form and indicate this when prompted.
How do I apply?
There are limited spaces on this course, so we are operating an application process.
On the application form, you will be asked about your prior experience, expectations for this course, and how you hope to benefit from attending. You will also be asked to commit to attending all four sessions during the course.
We will use your responses for participant selection in the event that the course is oversubscribed, so please take care when preparing your application.
Please complete this application form by 2pm on Friday 17 October
You will be notified of the outcome of your application no later than Friday 31 October. In the event that your application is not successful, we will signpost you to other resources and opportunities happening throughout the year.
Who is the course facilitator?
Nicola Cavaleri will facilitate all sessions of this course. These sessions are co-sponsored by Cambridge University Library and Archives and the Postdoc Academy.
Nicola teaches part-time for CLIC’s English and Communication for Global Engineers’ programme that supports all research students and postdocs in furthering their academic, professional and language skills in the Department of Engineering.
She has a rich background in applied linguistics, teacher training, educational management and curriculum development. Her expertise lies in the areas of research skills (English academic writing and presentation skills), professional communication skills, learning strategies, and the influence of different cultural and rhetorical frameworks on engineers’ performance in both academia and industry.