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)

FALL 2024 COURSES

Academic Writing Courses Fall 2024 of the Medical Library of the University of Bern Overview
Download brochure by clicking on time table

3 September 2024, 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)

10 September 2024, 13:00-15:00: Strategic Collaborative Writing for First and Corresponding Authors (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

The average journal article in medicine has over a dozen co-authors. Coordinating work and schedules is an art, and soliciting constructive criticism is a skill. If you are a first and corresponding author who needs to successfully manage the collaboration process and meet scheduled deadlines, this workshop is for you.

17 September 2024, 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 medical researcher or clinician who must write articles, reports, or grant applications, whether your are currently working on or planning a research project.

24 September 2024, 13:00-16:00: Qualitative Data Reporting for Beginners (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

This course covers guidelines and best practices for reporting qualitative research in scientific papers, with a focus on medicine and health science research. Whether you are writing qualitative papers or papers that report on both qualitative and quantitative findings, this course will help you organize the process of reporting methods and results and interpreting your findings.

1 October 2024, 13:00-16:00: Designing Effective Tables, Figures, and Posters: Basic Graphic Design for Scientists (Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD)

Researchers present visual data to make concepts and information easier for their audiences to grasp, but few researchers are taught basic principles of graphic design. This course will quickly familiarize you with best practices in the aesthetics of data presentation, including the use of color, images, animations, and other tips and tricks for making sure that your images get your message across without distracting or confusing your reader. Participants will analyze images of tables, figures and slides, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and learn techniques to improve them. The course is designed for researchers or clinicians who want to more effectively use images and tables to support their text.

8 October 2024, 13:00-16:00: Write Better Scientific Papers and Lay 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, patients, grant reviewers, ethics committee members, journalists, and the general public.

15 October 2024, 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.

29 October 2024, 13:00-16:00: Introductions and Discussions: Writing the Narrative Sections of a Scientific Paper (Tutor: Kali Tal, 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 medical 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.) 

5 November 2024, 13:00-14:30: Citing and Writing (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

Have you ever been confused about when to cite and how to cite other people's work and ideas?  Do you want to know how to cite (and not cite) with the new AI tools? Find out in this short workshop, which will introduce you to principles and resources.

7 November 2024, 13:00-15:00: How to Communicate With Journal Editors and Respond to Peer Reviewers (Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD)

Preparing your scientific article for submission and responding effectively to reviewer comments are key to getting your article accepted for publication. The course covers the process of minor and major revisions, resolving conflicting recommendations, and how to politely say no to reviewer suggestions. The course will also help you organize the reformatting process for submission to an alternative journal.

Course information: https://ilias.unibe.ch/goto_ilias3_unibe_crs_1312063.html

19 November 2024, 13:00-16:00: Introduction to Grant Writing (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

What do funders want to see in your grant application? This course will help you figure that out and tell your scientific story so that the importance and urgency of your project is vividly clear to funders. It will introduce all aspects of grant writing, from choosing the right grant, writing short and long proposals, and presenting your work to a review board. This is essential information for any medical researcher or clinician who will need to write a grant application and applies to most grants and funding proposals. This is a good introductory workshop for researchers who will also take more advanced workshops targeted to specific grants.

3 December 2024, 13:00-17:00: Supervising Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations: A Proven Method for Ensuring Your Students’ Success (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

As a faculty member, you may have received little or no training in how to supervise the writing of a Master's thesis or doctoral dissertation, and so you probably learned by trial-and-error. But there is a systematic way to approach supervision. This course will introduce you to tried-and-tested methods of organizing the writing process so that you can guide your students to produce high-quality manuscripts at a swift pace while working together harmoniously.