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This course serves as a continuation of the Academic Writing 1 course, but is also open to GSNS PhD students who possess adequate writing experience already, even if they have not previously completed Academic Writing 1 (see Prerequisites below).

The ability to write a scientific paper with impact is crucial for any researcher who aims to communicate their findings effectively and contribute to their field. In the world of science, the quality of research is not solely judged on the merits of the research itself, but also on how well it is communicated. A well-written paper not only ensures that the research is accessible to a wider audience, but it also has the potential to influence future research and shape the direction of a field. Writing a paper with impact requires more than just presenting data; it involves crafting a compelling narrative that connects the findings to existing research, emphasizes their significance, and conveys the broader implications.

The IMRaD structure, consisting of Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, is widely used in most life science fields for scientific paper writing. This 8-week course delves deeply into the nuances of composing these elements effectively and impactfully, with particular attention to argumentation, storyline, and academic doubt and certainty. Learning in this 8-week course takes place through e-learning modules on the ULearning platform, supplemented with several online meetings.

Learning objectives

This course is a thorough preparation for writing a scientific paper with impact. Specifically, you learn how to:

1. Compose a title with the required elements and in the required style.
2. Identify the relevant “moves” in an abstract, and compose an abstract that finds a balance between simplicity and depth.
3. Identify the relevant “moves” in an introduction section and write an engaging and effective introduction.
4. Identify the relevant “moves” in a method section and compose a clear and concise method section that highlights the quality of the research.
5. Organize a results section with a selection of data relevant to answer the research question, synthesized into patterns that fit the story.
6. Refer to figures and tables with higher-level summaries and big-picture trends, or highlighting striking results.
7. Identify the relevant “moves” in a discussion section and write a convincing and impactful discussion.
8. Improve general skills in writing readable and cohesive texts, and writing in a concise language with a high information density that is still easily understandable.
9. Apply techniques for academic doubt (hedging; being careful when needed) and academic certainty (boosting; being strong when needed), improve argumentation skills, and avoid pitfalls.

Instructional method

You are trained through weekly e-learning modules on the ULearning platform consisting of theory, examples, short knowledge clips, and interactive exercises. Throughout the course, you will also engage in peer feedback, and receive feedback from your teacher. There will be 4 online meetings (each 1 hour long) in which you can get to know your teachers and peers and engage in discussion.

The course consists of the following topics:

• Designing a storyline
• Publication strategies (brief)
• Writing the individual sections: methods, results, introduction, discussion, conclusion, and abstract & title.
• Composing tables & figures (brief)
• Readability and cohesion
• Conciseness
• Academic doubt & certainty
• Argumentation

This course is specially designed for PhD students in the natural and life sciences, and the provided examples will be from natural and life sciences writing.

Prerequisites

To ensure readiness for this course, we require the following prerequisites:

1. Completion of the GSLS PhD course "Academic Writing 1: Composing an Excellent Academic Text" is required.
2. You should be fully prepared to begin writing your paper at the start of the course, meaning all experimental results must be finalized before the course begins.
3. You should be ready to write a paper using the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure, or a format that closely follows this structure.

If you do not meet these prerequisites but are still interested in taking the course, please visit this page [link to: ] for information on exceptions and additional details.

Trainer

This course will be taught by one of the teachers from the Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��’s  (a joint GSNS/GSLS initiative). These teachers have a strong linguistic background and substantial experience with academic writing in the natural and life sciences.

Group Size

10 to 12 participants

Number of credits

2.5 EC 

Study load

This course is designed to be flexible but expect to spend a significant amount of time on your writing. On average, it involves 64 hours of self-study (about 8 hours per week) plus 6 hours of group meetings.

Your actual time investment will depend on where you are in your writing process. The course is designed to support you whether you are polishing near-final drafts or building a paper from the ground up:

• If you already have a draft ready (around 500 words of a section) and work efficiently, you might spend around 6 hours per week reviewing the course materials, revising your draft and giving peer feedback.
• If you are starting from scratch, work more slowly or thoroughly or need additional data processing or literature search, you may spend up to 2-3 days per week writing and taking part of this course.

Apart from meetings and occasional mid-week deadlines (usually for peer interactions), you can schedule your work whenever you like. Each week, you'll receive an email and you're expected to complete that week's content by the end of the week.
 

Course schedule & registration

From the start date, learning units will become available each week for you to complete, for a total duration of 8 weeks. In week 2, 3, 6, and 7, there will be online meetings (see data below), which are from 09:30 - 11:00h.

Each group is limited to 12 participants on a first come first serve basis. If a group is full we work with waiting lists. If you want to be placed on the waiting list please email science.phd@uu.nl

Please keep the GSNS cancellation & no-show policy in mind. 

Course certificate

You will receive a course certificate after completing all 8 learning units and being an active participant on the online platform.

When you present, you expect your audience to be attentive throughout your talk - after all, they love science. Sadly, this is rarely the case. We blame this on a short attention span, but why can the same audience watch movies for hours on end? Apparently, actors and playwrights have found a way to engage their audience better. So, why not use their tools to learn how to present better? In this three-day course you will learn to engage your audience with theatrical skills and shape your content with storytelling and style tools. Master your performance skills and let your content take centre stage!

Learning objectives

During this course you will learn the fifteen signals necessary for effective communication. You will learn how to get attention at the start of your presentations and how to keep the audience attentive by using style and transitions. You will learn to design a presentation using story tools and supportive slides that allow you to be the main act on the stage and you will learn how to respond to questions effectively.

Instructional method

You will discover the necessary tools and apply them to your presenting. Various methods will be applied, such as theatre exercises, individual presenting exercises, group discussion, peer review, story design exercises and interactive lecturing. The course will be taught on-site

Trainer

You will be trained by a trainer of Artesc.

Number of credits

1.0 EC

Course certificate

You will receive a course certificate if you attend and complete at least 2.5 course days. You cannot miss the first morning session.

Course fee

€750

Quotes

• "This course offered me a broad set of tools that will make my future presentations more exciting and interesting for both me and my audience"
• "I learned how to bring myself into a presentation, to speak in a way that makes people listen. I also learned to really make contact with my audience and not just deliver information"
• "Even though I thought I could already present pretty well, this course taught me many useful tips and tricks that can get your audience to really listen to what you are saying. This will greatly increase the impression you make."

Course Schedule 2025-2026

Please not that the groups are limited to 7 participants

Contact science.phd@uu.nl with any questions regarding the course and (late) registration. Please keep the GSNS cancellation & no-show policy in mind. 

This workshop is for PhD candidates towards the end of their PhD. 

Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� offers you the opportunity to give a layman’s talk right before your PhD defense: a concise and accessible explanation of your research aimed at a broad, non-specialist audience. This gives you the opportunity to tell your friends and family more about your research, and helps them understand a little bit better what is going on during your PhD defense directly afterwards. 

This workshop is designed specifically for GSNS PhD candidates in the final year of their PhD, preferably no more than 6 months before their PhD defense. It is a hands-on, supportive session aimed at helping you shape a layman’s talk that’s both accurate and accessible. We will focus on strategies for making complex topics engaging and understandable, with an emphasis on clarity and structure. 

Learning objectives

In this workshop, you will learn how to connect your research to real-world contexts, build a compelling and logical storyline, reduce or explain jargon, and effectively use analogies and metaphors.

Trainer

Dr. Nieske Vergunst, Faculty of Science communications department 

Language 

The workshop will be taught in English, although your resulting layman’s talk may be in Dutch. 

Workload 

3 hrs 

Please note that the groups are limited to 15 participants

Contact science.phd@uu.nl with any questions regarding the course and (late) registration. Please keep the GSNS cancellation & no-show policy in mind. 

As a researcher, being able to write about your work for an audience outside your research field is an increasingly valuable skill. Whether for blogs, public reports, science magazines, or grant applications, popular-scientific writing helps you share your insights with society. This workshop will give you a general basis in science communication, since the underlying principles are equally useful when preparing presentations or other non-written forms of communication. 

In this workshop, we will visit various topics related to popular-scientific writing, including structure, tone, and style. Through hands-on exercises, you will experience the differences between academic and popular-scientific writing and learn to translate your research into written pieces that are engaging, clear, and accessible for non-specialists.

Learning objectives

In this workshop, you will learn how to structure a clear text, tailor your writing to specific audiences, identify key messages in your research, reduce or explain jargon, and use storytelling techniques to bring your story to life. 

Trainer

Dr. Nieske Vergunst, Faculty of Science communications department 

Language 

The workshop will be taught in English. 

Workload 

3 hrs 

Please note that the groups are limited to 12 participants

Contact science.phd@uu.nl with any questions regarding the course and (late) registration. Please keep the GSNS cancellation & no-show policy in mind. 

The data support teams of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Geosciences are co-hosting a series of workshops on research data management topics. More information, workshop dates and registration as well as a detailed description of the workshop content can be found .

For questions please contact rdm-beta@uu.nl