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Research, writing, and presenting are closely linked. When it’s about your research, you’re the expert. Expertise is also necessary when it comes to writing about and presenting findings and proposals. That’s exactly where my expertise comes in. I have specialized in the art of academic communication for both English and German, making sure that your research findings and grant proposals captivate your (international) audience’s attention and that you can successfully navigate international teaching and collaborations.

Communication

English Academic Writing – Academic Storytelling – English Academic Presenting – Academic Graphs – Follow-Up Sessions

The art of English academic writing

How do you successfully write an academic contribution in English? In this workshop we cover the basic principles that make a text reader-friendly regardless of discipline: how to be to the point, and how to create flow in sentences, paragraphs, and whole texts. For non-native speakers of English, I additionally address the differences between their native language and what I have come to call the character of the English language. Equipped with this knowledge, participants then apply the newly won insights to their current writing projects and receive immediate editing feedback from both the group and me.

This two-day workshop is offered either as an in-person or online event and contains numerous hands-on exercises from a large range of disciplines. It is accompanied by the textbook “The Art of English Academic Writing,” and after successful completion participants receive a certificate.

The art of academic storytelling

How do you compose an academic text that captures and retains a reader’s attention? By knowing how to arrange all pieces of information in such a way that they seemingly flow effortlessly from one to the next. In this workshop you will learn how to the following: decide on your take home message, develop a coherent storyline, argue for your research design, establish your line of reasoning, even how to come up with a catchy title. Will we also address problems one might encounter when attempting to write about one’s research. Equipped with this knowledge participants then draft an abstract of their current research project and receive immediate editing feedback from both the group and me.

This two-day workshop is offered either as an in-person or online event and contains numerous hands-on exercises. It is accompanied by the textbook “The Art of Academic Storytelling”, and after successful completion participants receive a certificate.

The art of captivating academic presenting

How do you create an academic presentation that captures and retains your audience’s attention? This workshop begins by introducing the stylistic elements a typical Anglo-Saxon audience would expect, and you will learn how to utilize them for your findings. Regardless of your level of English you will learn how to give the presentation and handle the Q&A in English. All participants will have the opportunity to either work on a presentation they are preparing or to draft a new one and everyone will receive immediate feedback from both the group and me.

This two-day workshop is offered either as an in-person or online event and contains numerous hands-on exercises. It is accompanied by the textbook “The Art of Captivating Academic Presenting”, and after successful completion participants receive a certificate.

The art of creating convincing academic graphs

A picture is worth a thousand words. There is a lot of truth in that saying, especially for modern academic contributions, where more and more is being visualized. In this workshop participants will learn how to best “translate” their findings into graphs that instantly communicate the answers to their research question. We begin by giving a general overview of the different visualization types and address which type is best for which purpose, e.g., timelines, volumes, changes, etc. We also offer advice on different graphic programs.

This one-day workshop is offered either as an in-person or online event and contains numerous hands-on exercises. It is accompanied by a handout, and after successful completion participants receive a certificate. I offer this workshop in cooperation with Mira Antonijevic from ach&krach, who is a very experienced graphic designer for academics.

The Art of Applying

After having learned HOW to write and present academic findings in a convincing way, it’s time to apply that knowledge. Since old habits have a habit of not dying that quickly, I offer follow-up sessions to all workshops. During those session we work on each participant’s current project to ensure that the Anglo-Saxon structural and stylistic elements are applied, and they can begin to become second nature when communicating the latest findings.

Before each session participants turn in parts of their writing/presentation and I edit it. During the session participants receive individual and group feedback on their contribution and have the opportunity to further improve it.

How often we meet depends on the individual needs. The sessions can either take place as an in-person or an online event.

Coaching

Grant Applications – Intercultural Teaching – Intercultural Cooperation

Grant applications – Summary pages

Third-party funding has become ever-more important for scholars and academic institutions. Of course, what is to be researched takes center stage. What’s of equal importance is that those not familiar with the topic, namely the granting committee, can immediately grasp its importance. Thus, the submitted application must be spot on. Often this has proven to be difficult. The applying scholars often struggle to pinpoint the research gap they intend to close and to clearly communicate how the newly won knowledge will contribute to a larger cause. Your answers to my tried and tested probing questions inevitably will produce clarity and significantly improve your application’s written quality so that it matches the significance of your research. The stronger the application, the more it stands out, the likelier it is to win the grant.

I offer this service for applications in English and in German and we can either meet in person, online, or a combination of both.

Intercultural teaching

Teaching international students can be challenging for even the most experienced docents. Being an expert in your field is one thing, being aware of and navigating the pitfalls of a foreign language and socio-cultural differences is another. My personal and academic background allows me to help you close that gap by highlighting both the character of the English language and the implicit expectations we have when teaching. After having identified typical pitfalls, we then apply the newly developed communication patterns to your specific teaching situations and thus can make sure that your expertise in your discipline is matched by your international teaching skills.

I offer this service either in-person and/or online and include numerous hands-on exercises.

Participants are provided a manual for future reference; German-speakers are also provided my book “Englisch in Siebenmeilenstiefeln”, which gives special insights into English from a German perspective. After successful completion participants receive a certificate.

Intercultural cooperation

Research has become ever more international. But next to it enhancing the range of aspects that are covered, the range of intercultural misunderstandings is also enhanced. These can often lead to unintended problems and in some cases can even seriously compromise the whole research project. By creating a strong awareness of socio-cultural and language pitfalls, you can shield your project from unnecessary stress. During this workshop I will alert you to phenomena such as felt and silent language, culture codes, cultural translations. Once you know of them you can avoid cultural misunderstandings and ensure successful collaboration across socio-cultural lines.

I offer this service either in-person and/or online and include numerous hands-on exercises. Participants are provided a manual for future reference. After successful completion participants receive a certificate.

Consulting

Sparring and Editing – Doctoral Candidates – Getting published in English

Text-Sparring and Editing

As your sparring partner, I critically read through your academic contributions and grant applications. The questions I put to your texts or presentations highlight unclear or confusing passages, thus allowing you to create the clarity you want. My editing further focusses on identifying clear take-home messages and storylines, allowing you to present your research intentions in a convincing style. My starting point is always getting to know who your intended audience is and what your intended goal is so that your contribution will be right on target. This can all be achieved in a few back-and-forth rounds by communicating via online or in-person meetings and via emails.

Doctoral Candidates

Successfully working on a PhD dissertation takes more than intellectual capacity and understanding your research subject. Although they are no doubt necessary, they are typically not what PhD candidates stumble and fall over. From my own experiences and those of many others I know that seemingly trivial issues can be serious unexpected challenges. How do I organize my time efficiently? How do I effectively handle feedback from supervisors and colleagues? How do I deal with self-doubt and the fear of being found out as an impostor? How can I get through all the tedious stretches? How can I best prepare for the oral exam? How can I deal with the stress and fear of finishing the project?

Being burdened down by those issues is not the way it has to be. Having gone through the process myself and having helped many others, I have a good sense for what it takes to tackle those and other hurdles and to clear the way to making this milestone process a successful and even fun one. I offer this service either in-person and/or online.

Getting published in English

Publishing in English has become irremissible when wanting to reach an international and thus larger audience. This module addresses general publishing customs typical in the Anglo-Saxon world, it focusses on what you need to pay attention to, and it reflects on the necessary resources you should have available. For PhD candidates, differences related to publishing doctoral works are introduced and a wide range of consequences are pointed out.

This one-day workshop is offered either as an in-person or online event and is accompanied by a handout. After successful completion, participants receive a certificate.

About me

Dr. Kimberly Crow Dr. Kimberly Crow

I am a German-American social scientist and for close to 20 years I have been supporting non-native speakers of English from a broad range of natural sciences, the humanities, and social sciences to improve their academic writing and presenting skills in English. After majoring in sociology and minoring in psychology and social psychology, I worked in sociological and economic research institutes and then went on to receive my PhD in political science.

My customers include many renown research institutes, universities, and graduate schools. In conjunction with my freelance work, I wrote a number of books: “The Art of English Academic Writing”, “The Art of Academic Storytelling”, and “The Art of Captivating Academic Presenting”. For my German audience I wrote the book „Englisch in Siebenmeilenstiefeln. Eine Entdeckungsreise” that gives unexpected insights into what makes English English.

About the formats

My input is always interactive, tailored to the individual needs of my clients, and designed to immediately flow into current research projects. The number of participants is limited to ten so to ensure that everyone has ample opportunity to actively participate and receive whatever support they need in connection with what is being discussed. After successfully completing a workshop, participants receive a certificate. All offers can either be conducted in person or online.

About the materials

Depending on the workshop, participants either receive a corresponding textbook or a condensed script—both written by me. Additionally, I point out other relevant materials and resources.

To ensure that the workshops address authentic issues, I only use examples from my longstanding practice. To ensure the immediate use for participants’ research, we then apply what was discussed in the workshop to the contributions they are currently working on. I edit contributions turned in either prior or after the workshop and they are then discussed during group sessions. All material provided by participants is treated confidentially.

Customers

A selection of The Academic Crow’s customers

  • Austrian Institute of Technology
  • Bucerius Law School
  • Centre for Continuing Education and Knowledge Management, OTH Regensburg
  • Cluster of Excellence ROOTS: Social, Environmental, and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies
  • Department of Biology, Hamburg University
  • Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, Hamburg University
  • Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
  • Germany’s State Distance-Learning University
  • Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences (GESS)
  • Humboldt University Berlin
  • International Office, University of Ulm
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
  • Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning (DIE)
  • Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (ZBW)
  • Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
  • Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology (Heinrich-Pette-Institut)
  • Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS)
  • Leibniz Institute German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
  • Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  • Max Planck Institute for Research on Common Goods
  • Medical Department at the University of Lübeck
  • Music and Theater Academy Hamburg
  • Physics Institute, University of Rostock
  • ROOTS: Social, Environmental, and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies, Exzellenzcluster Kiel
  • RWTH Aachen University
  • Scales of Transformation in Prehistoric and Archaic Societies, Collaborative Research Centre
  • School of Integrated Climate System Sciences, Hamburg University Cluster of Excellence
  • Technical University of Berlin
  • The Graduate Center at Kiel University
  • University of Applied Sciences Fulda
  • University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)
  • University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein
  • University of Münster
  • Yields of Evocative Entrepreneurial Approaches on Environment and Society
  • Zeppelin University


Testimonials

Thanks to working with Kimberly, my paper was accepted after submission without any revision requests. Hats off to that!
Working with Kimberly is well invested time. Even though she’s not a physicist, she was able to sort through my points and develop a storyline that convinced both me and my peers.
The digital workshop and editing sessions put the spotlight on how to improve my English academic writing.
Dr. Crow helped pave the way to writing my PhD dissertation in English. Thanks so much.
Thanks a lot, it was an amazing course and hope there will be opportunities for working together in the future.
Different from the many soft skill workshops I’ve attended, Kimberly’s workshops and edits are truly tailored to the immediate needs of academics. I’m looking forward to putting all the things we talked about to work!
Working with Kimberly is fun and always goes straight to the point. Answering her seemingly simple questions is challenging at first but after just a few rounds they turn into eye opening experiences. Now writing about my research is a breeze!
I have attended several of Dr. Crow's in-person and virtual workshops on academic writing in English and I really appreciate her way of teaching and consulting. I was particularly convinced that the tools she introduced us to led to an immediate success and significantly better texts in English. The content is very well structured, and it is designed in such a way that it can also be used independently after the course.
Dr. Crow's feedback is extremely efficient and helpful, as she has a keen eye for her participants' individual needs. I can also recommend participating several times because in the follow-up workshops, Dr. Crow works intensively on the writing process.
I can definitely recommend Dr. Crow's courses – both in-person and digital – if you are looking for professional and highly qualified guidance to improve your writing skills in academic English!
Speaking and writing in English is part of a scientist everyday work. But are we really good at it? Kimberly’s approach helped us get a realistic feel for where we stand with our English and she gave pointed advice for how to continue to improve our English speaking and writing skills.
The workshop showed me ways to improve my written English and gave structure to the oftentimes arduous and confusing process of finding a good style. This experience boosted my motivation to write texts that captivate my fellow researchers and serve as a sound foundation for communicating my results. While I still regard the writing process as a demanding necessity, it appears more pleasant with my newly won mindset. Thank you so much.
I would like to thank you once again for your workshop, editing, and for all your valuable comments and suggestions.
Kimberly’s workshops and edits are a must for every PhD candidate!
Many thanks for your remarks on the text and for this great and very helpful workshop in general!
Thank you so much for editing our texts after such an intense working day! Also, I would like to thank you sincerely for the great workbook you wrote. Wishing you all the best and looking forward to working with you again soon!
Thank you so much for sending me the literature. I do have lots of positive energy after all the advice you gave me. I will keep practicing my writing skills with the help of the Rules of Thumbs you put in a nutshell.
The video sessions were very useful, and they made me think about writing in a way that I didn't think about before. The XLS file recommendation to collect vocabulary is something I’ve already adopted. I’ve started a list with hedges, boosters, attitude markers, transitions etc. and they do make writing about my science a lot easier. Thanks so much.

Contact

The Academic Crow \ Barmbeker Str. 33 \ 22303 Hamburg
e-mail: E-Mail schicken \ phone +49. 40. 688 793 48



Impressum

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ach & krach GmbH, www.achundkrach.de
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