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 the 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.

The first workshop days begins with a reflection on the character of the English language, also in contrast to other languages. The special features of English have important consequences with regard to what makes a good writing style. Based on this, various scholarly examples will be used to illustrate the characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon academic writing style, e.g. its conciseness.

Next, participants receive guidelines on how they can write their texts to a high academic standard and how to make them lively and interesting at the same time. Common linguistic pitfalls non-native English authors often run into are pointed out and strategies to avoid them will be introduced.

Participants will also be given tips on further reading and electronically supported research and in-depth methods.

The participants are asked to write or revise an own scientific paper, applying the findings of the first day. These are sent to me about ten days after Day 1, edited by me and checked for how they keep Anglo-Saxon academic writing standards.

The second workshop day functions as a mini retreat where participants receive feedback on their texts through a structured peer coaching session and by me. Additionally, there are short one-on-one coaching sessions to discuss individual writing issues (e.g., general insecurities, writing problems related to dyslexia, ADHD, etc.) in more detail.