Everything you don´t learn in the lab
Scientific writing: publications, theses and grants
Topic area
Science communication
Format
Online or in-house workshop
Workload
4 webinars of 2.5 h each = 2 workshop days
Trainer
Karin Bodewits or Philipp Gramlich
Target group
PhD students and postdocs
In brief
Learn to write convincing scientific publications, theses, and grant proposals – and develop skills that will benefit you throughout your career.
Good research deserves good writing
You may have spent months generating fascinating results. But how do you turn them into a compelling publication or a coherent thesis? Scientific writing is about more than presenting data. You need to build a convincing argument, guide readers through complex ideas, and explain why your research matters. The same principles apply when writing grant proposals, and you don’t need to be a professor to start! Applying for smaller research, travel, or scholarship grants during your PhD is an excellent way to practise persuasive writing, gain experience with funding applications, and gradually build your scientific independence (see this article). In this interactive workshop, you’ll explore how to structure scientific texts, write for different audiences and overcome common writing challenges. Whether you’re preparing a manuscript, tackling your thesis, or applying for funding, you’ll develop writing skills valuable in academia and beyond.
In this course, you’ll learn about:
Different texts, different purposes
- Writing scientific publications and theses
- Developing grant proposals for research, scholarships, and travel
- Understanding the expectations of different readers
The scientific writing process
- Structuring complex ideas into a clear, convincing argument
- Explaining your research and its significance
- Overcoming writer’s block and developing effective writing routines
Writing for your target audience
- Choosing suitable journals and funding opportunities
- Understanding what reviewers and readers look for
- Adapting your structure, language, and arguments to the context
A grant proposal is more than a research outline: Self-presentation skills
- Presenting your expertise in short CVs and motivation letters
- Pitching your project to funding bodies
Workshop format and materials
Online: Four interactive 2.5-hour webinars, combined with self-paced work on our learning platform. Alongside the webinar phase, participants have three weeks to deepen their learning and can receive individual feedback from the trainers.
In-house: All participants receive a PDF script of the course, allowing them to revise the material at their convenience.
More information and next steps
Interested in reading more about this topic? Then you might be interested in Karin´s article The importance of applying for funding early in your career, published in Chemistry World.
Good scientific writing also needs a compelling narrative. Explore our workshop Storytelling for scientists, which covers storytelling techniques for publications, theses and other forms of science communication.
Planning a workshop for your graduate school or research group? Contact us to discuss how we can adapt the focus to your participants’ writing needs.