University Library of Bern UB

Research Support Services

Workshops, Courses and Events

ACADEMIC WRITING

Tutors:

UniBE members: please register via ILIAS link in course description.

Policy Academic Writing Service (PDF) | Fees (PDF)

Students from low- and medium-income countries (LMICs) are welcome to join our courses. Please check the enrollment criteria and registration details here.

 

SYSTEMATIC SEARCHING

Tutor: Tania Rivero (tania.rivero@unibe.ch)
Registration for UniBE affiliates via link, externals please contact the tutor.

Policy Systematic Literature Searching | Fees (PDF)

SPRING 2025 COURSES

25 February 2025, 13:00-16:00: Organizing Your Scientific Paper: Note-taking and Outlining for Success  (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

This workshop covers the organizational skills you need to write as you do science, beginning with recommendations, tracking literature, taking and organizing notes, and sorting your notes thematically into the appropriate sections of your paper. The course also covers outlining—an essential skill for writing while you do science and one that English native speakers use as the basis for constructing all their papers. You will come out of this course with a clear organizational plan and the skills to execute it. (3-hours, highly interactive)

11 March 2025, 13:00-16:00: Writing the Methods and Results Sections of a Scientific Paper  (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

This course offers a set of evidence-based rules for writing clear and consistent Methods and Results sections, creating structure and relieving anxiety about the scientific writing process. You will learn skills and become acquainted with tools that enable you to start writing your Methods section early in your research process, and to incrementally build Results sections that match your methods. You will benefit most from this course if you a researcher or clinician who must write articles, reports, or grant applications, whether your are currently working on or planning a research project.

18 March 2025, 13:00-16:30: Write Better Scientific Papers and Plain Language Summaries: Fundamentals of Writing in Plain English (Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD)

In this course you will learn how to write easy-to-understand, concise, and clear scientific papers and summaries for non-specialist readers by applying the principles of plain-language writing. You will learn how to use simple words and craft effective sentences to convey the context and significance of your research. You will learn how to and how not to use AI tools for improving your writing. The tips, tools, and guidelines shared in the course will help you communicate your research effectively to a broader audience: researchers from other specializations, students, healthcare professionals, research participants, interested communities (e.g., patients), policymakers, grant reviewers, ethics committee members, journalists, and the general public.

25 March 2025, 13:00-16:00: Improve Your Scientific Writing in English: Focus on the Paragraph (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

Designed for researchers or clinicians who want to improve their English-language writing skills. This course focuses on writing proper paragraphs, which are the building blocks of English argumentation. Many other languages, like German, can express complex ideas and multiple relationships within a single sentence, but good English writing requires thinking and writing in shorter sentences within a disciplined paragraph structure. This is not a simple grammar course—you will earn advanced techniques for writing and organizing excellent paragraphs into a strong and persuasive argument.

1 April 2025, 13:00-16:30: Introductions and Discussions: Writing the Narrative Sections of a Scientific Paper (Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD)

This course also guides you through the process of writing an Introduction for a scientific paper, paragraph by paragraph. You’ll learn what goes into an Introduction and what does not, when to start writing it, and how to trim it to meet your word count. You’ll also learn what literature to cite in your Introduction and why, and how to craft a proper narrative arc. Many researchers and clinicians find writing the Discussion the most complicated and challenging part of writing a scientific paper. This course offers you clear, evidence-based rules for writing your Discussion, so you are always sure what belongs in this section… and what does not. You will learn the function of each paragraph in a Discussion section. The course is designed for researchers or clinicians who must write articles, reports, or who wish to submit grant applications. (Students who have already completed their data analysis will get the most out of this course, but those at an earlier stage may appreciate the information.)