Online Workshop

Date: 10.-11.11.2026 
Time: 09:00 – 13:00 h each day + brief individual task between Day 1 and Day 2
Trainer: Marcy Scholz
Language: English
Participants: max. 12 persons
Credit Point: acknowledged with 1 CP for the doctoral training programme of RUB-RS Certificate
Participation requirement: Prior to the workshop, a submission of a publication by a leading scientist in the participant’s field is required (guidelines before the workshop). After the workshop, participants can submit an abstract within three days after the workshop for individual trainer feedback. 

Course Description

This workshop is designed to help doctoral researchers use writing also as a tool to develop  their scientific content and argumentation. Many researchers struggle with writing, especially if they are unsure about what to write. Academic writing involves more than just communicating research results. To produce a successful academic text, a researcher needs strategies to think beyond the text production. These strategies involve reflective writing that supports both the development and understanding of one’s own academic thinking to decide what to publish, explain the relevance and contribution of one’s work, build a convincing argument, and organize own texts effectively. 

During the workshop, participants will explore how reflective writing strategies (e.g., short writing tasks, clustering, listing, illustrating) can support capturing and organizing thoughts. These reflections prompt participants to explore their results to understand what they consider their unique message and contribution within their field to be. Parallel, participants will also examine a model text from their field to understand how a writer can use language and style to demonstrate academic thinking to the reader.

Once participants have gained an initial insight on both aspects, they will have an opportunity to produce a preliminary abstract that mirrors their contribution as well as the language and style used in the participant’s model text. Consequently, the participant emerges from the workshop not only with an abstract for a future text production, but also with a better understanding of how to organize one’s thoughts for writing as well as writing that more accurately reflects their thinking.

At the end of the workshop, participants will have learned about as well as practiced reflective writing:

• to evaluate their acquired knowledge
• to narrow a topic to write about
• to determine how and for whom might their message be appropriately told
• produce an abstract of their planned paper

Methods
During the workshop, professional input from the trainer will alternate with practical written exercises and discussions of relevant issues. Participants will work individually as well as in groups. In between the workshop sessions, participants will be given an assignment to be completed before the following session. Following the workshop, participants can submit an additional text for feedback.

English language skills
A prerequisite to benefit from this course is that participants should have achieved the English level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and be progressing towards level C1.

Trainer
Marcy Scholz is an english native speaking expert and trainer for Academic Writing and a Writing Consultant for many years. She also edits and provides additional coaching for individual authors.