Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Juristische Fakultät

Trainer: Adam Wilkins

Date: 18.-19.11.2019; 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Target Group: Candidates in all years of doctorate (open to all doctoral candidates)

OBJECTIVES

To help the doctoral candidates begin developing their abilities to write well about science, namely in how to convey scientific information in clear, interesting and memorable ways. The ability to write well in science is crucial not only for writing research articles, which are essential to professional success, but also grant applications, review articles and miscellaneous other descriptive pieces. It is an essential skill but one that is not often taught by advisors or other senior colleagues. The workshop aims to instruct in the essential elements that characterize good scientific writing, how to avoid common flaws in writing, and to provide some initial experience.

CONTENT AND FORMAT

The workshop will include two lectures by the trainer, on, respectively:

1) the kinds of different kinds of scientific writing and their specific goals and desired characteristics, and

2) specific instructions on how to write a research article. The bulk of the workshop, however, will involve reading parts of scientific articles, followed by group discussion, to illustrate, identify and clarify the strengths and weaknesses of current scientific writing. The workshop will end with a summing up discussion of what has been learned about the art of writing about science effectively.  

Since writing is a skill and skills are only learned through practice, the doctoral candidates will be given the chance to deploy what they have learned, by writing an article. Since a two-day workshop does not provide enough time for this writing exercise, it will be carried out as an assignment after the class and will be due about three months later. Doctoral candidates will be given the choice of writing either a research article (if the participant has enough material to do this) or a “news-and-views” type mini-review. Doing this assignment is essential for completing the workshop and receiving credit.

Registration