Communication

The course is aimed at people who may be anxious about speaking in public and who would like to increase their confidence in developing structured presentations in order to present their material with flair and style. One of the main aims is to offer a supportive environment, giving positive and constructive feedback to help participants gain confidence and develop their skills through practice. The tutors aim to make it informal, interactive and fun by encouraging participation throughout the day.

The content of the course is tailored to meet the needs of the group (identified through completed pre-course questionnaires). In essence, it covers the knowledge and skills you need to prepare and deliver a well structured, engaging presentation with confidence to a variety of different audiences.

This course relates to domains A1, D1 and D2 of the RDF.

Pre-Course task

You will need to prepare one short presentation (maximum of 5 minutes) in advance, preferably with visual aids, on a subject of your choice.

For example, you might choose to give an overview of your subject (which would be ideal for a 5 minute talk) or you might choose to do a presentation on a subject of interest to you such as a hobby.

This course is for PhD students.

 The course covers:

• Modern grammatical terminology
• Constituents of a sentence, the structure of phrases
• Plurality and agreement
• Tenses, auxiliary verbs, modal verbs, aspect and voice
• The dangers of the verb phrase
• Using grammar for effective communication
• Grammar and punctuation
• Common errors, how to identify them and avoid them

 This is an intensive one day course with lecture time interspersed with exercises and discussion.

The aim of the course is to give participants confidence in their knowledge of English grammar. At the end of the day, they should have the vocabulary and understanding necessary to discuss practical everyday aspects of grammar in academic and general writing; have a deeper understanding of the role grammar plays in clear, unambiguous writing; have the necessary grounding for further self-directed study.

It is a requirement for the proof-reading course.

This course relates to domains A1, A2, A3, and D2 of the RDF.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of different aspects of the writing process, from planning to drafting and editing. We will start by looking at common writing habits and writing problems. What makes writing so daunting or frustrating that most of us postpone it to the very last minute? Is there a way of making writing less stressful, or even enjoyable? What is the most effective way of articulating ideas or research results on paper? Working with putting together a draft and editing it, we will identify ways in which core academic objectives for high-quality writing can be achieved.

This course relates to domains A1, A2, A3, and D2 of the RDF.

Pre-Course Work

Students need to bring:

• printed copy of a short piece of their own writing (appr. one page)
• printed copy of an academic article in their field that they enjoyed reading
• a laptop if they have one

Does academic writing have to be dull or obscure, or can it be engaging and direct? This workshop explores the standards and expectations associated with academic writing. We will look at relevant linguistic and stylistic choices (active or passive? first or third person? plain English or jargon?) and consider academic conventions in terms of organisation and writing style. This is very much a 'hands-on' workshop with plenty of room for discussion.

This course relates to domains A1 and D2 of the RDF.

Prerequisites

If possible, students should have attended 'Effective Writing: The Writing Process'

This course will provide you with a small toolkit of techniques that you can apply to help you to manage the piles of information, papers, letters and articles that clutter your desk and mind. It will help you to make notes quickly and in a way that your mind may process more readily. After the course, if you practice and use the techniques, you may improve your recall of information, improve your note-m/taking and enhance your creativity.

During the workshop you will:

• Understand how using tools such as mindmaps relate to the way your mind deals with information . Examine how note-taking can restrict your ability to process information . Learn how to use graphical and mapping techniques that can aid your creativity and research

This course relates to domain A1 of the RDF.

A follow up to the previous poster design workshops.

In this workshop we will focus on how you pitch your poster using new 'elevator' and 'pecha kucha' techniques in verbal/visual communication.

We'll explore your capacity to listen and influence others and give you some personal advice/tips to improve your overall pitch at conference. 

With increasing numbers of posters being displayed and presented in these new ways. This is an ideal opportunity to be ready for any eventuality in the conference hall!

N.B. Please bring your poster with you to the workshop so that you can practice presenting with it.

This course relates to domains A1 and D2 of the RDF.

This course is for postgraduates who are preparing an academic poster for presentation at conference in the School of Biological Sciences.

In this initial course we follow key communication skill guidelines to focus on layout and writing (text). Posters require us to change our academic writing habits and style. We need to write with clarity, conviction and PUNCH (all will be revealed).

The second half of this course also runs a seperate course called Poster Production.

This course relates to domains D1, D2, and D3 of the RDF.

This course is for you if you are new to speaking in front of an audience and want to gain advice and skills practice in a safe environment.

It is also geared towards anyone who has to present at an upcoming event and you wish some support with your preparation. It is for research staff at all career stages.

The course addresses the issues and skills involved in delivering effective presentations and talks. You will review your own current style of presentation and identify practical ways of enhancing it.

The course will also explore:

• perceiving the subject from the audience's perspective
• adding impact through verbal and non-verbal communication
• structuring content for added clarity
• imparting key messages at the opening and conclusion
• using tools and techniques to help you overcome your nerves.

The session will use a range of learning activities including presented content, group discussion, practical exercises and feedback. You will also receive a course handbook for reference.

By attending this session, you will:

• increase your confidence in developing your professional presence and know how to present persuasively
• understand how to combat fears or nerves prior to giving a presentation
• learn how to construct well organised content
• be better able to support the transfer of learning from your presentations to your listeners.

This course relates to domains B1 and D2 of the RDF

This course is for PhD students.

The course will include the following topics:

• Practical Advice on spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Language myths and your audience
• House styles
• Learning to be your own best critic
• How to identify your own writing habits (good and bad)
• How to proof-read your own work effectively
• Proof-correction marks (and how to devise your own)
• Practical proof-reading exercise (your text, or a text provided)
• Revising texts and presenting them to different audiences
• Bibliographic & Reference Styles

The course will be delivered in an intensive half-day workshop.

The skills learned on this course will help participants in the preparation of their thesis and in their future careers as professional academic writers.

This course relates to domains A1 and D2 of the RDF.

Pre-course Work

In preparation for the course, each participant should submit a draft sample of their academic writing, which they would be willing to discuss with the tutor, and (optionally) with other participants (approx. 1000 words). Please submit this to us by 1 week in advance of the course as a word or pdf attachment to an email to iad.phd@ed.ac.uk.

In order for academic reading to be effective, it needs to be a combination of efficient (in terms of speed and retention), strategic (in terms of appropriately targeted) and critical.  This short workshop will give you a number of tools to help you to read more quickly, more strategically and more critically.

The workshop will cover:

.Initial exercises to identify personal needs for rapid reading .Reading and assimilating written material .Techniques to increase speed of reading, comprehension and retention including dealing with complex and difficult material . A short introduction on how to maintain improved information selection, absorption, retention and recall.

This course relates to domain A1 of the RDF.

A text stands a better chance of achieving its aims when it is coherent and well structured. This workshop focuses on how coherence and structure are realised at different levels of a text. Course topics include ordering sentences and paragraphs; organisation, argumentation and linkage; clarity of reference; and the use of tense in academic writing.

This course relates to domains A1 and D2 of the RDF.

Prerequisites

If possible, students should already have attended 'Effective Writing: The Writing Process'

Pre-Course Work

To attend, participants need to bring printed copy of something they are currently working on, such as a thesis chapter or a paper.

Writing a literature review is a more complex task than many people assume. It requires the ability to place a research issue in context; to select, organise and evaluate source material without becoming overwhelmed by it; to read actively while taking effective notes; and to shape relevant information into a focused and coherent piece of writing. In this workshop we will look at what that means in practice, and work with developing a short review.

This course relates to domains A1, A2, and D2 of the RDF.

Prerequisite

If possible, students should have already attended 'Effective Writing: The Writing Process'

Pre-Course Work

Participants are invited to bring any work they have already done on their literature review, including notes and references

This course is for Informatics, 2nd and 3rd Years.

During a full afternoon, this lecture discussion will cover the basics of what you need to know to write a scientific paper and get it accepted at the journal of your choice. We will start by discussing a strategy for reading scientific papers, then carry on with the analysis of an example paper published in the journal Science.

Following this, we will discuss the different types of scientific papers and the different types of journals available for Informatics publications. Some attention will be given to explaining what an impact factor is and how to choose the best journal for your work.

We will then discuss the process of producing a paper from beginning to end. This will start with the importance of working with your lab head to decide when you are ready to write, why it is important to choose a title very early on in the process. We will end end with how to respond to comments from journal editors and scientific referees.  In between, we will discuss what goes where in the manuscript, what data manipulations are acceptable (and some that are not!), how to explain your main points clearly, how to ensure that referees are not confused when they read your paper, and how your lab-mates and colleagues can help you to prepare a better manuscript. Significant attention will also be given to explaining how the editorial process works at common biological journals, and how to effectively interpret and then deal with comments from referees.

This course relates to domains A1, A2, A3 and D2 of the RDF.

Publishing a paper in a journal is the main and most important way of communicating the results of your research to the research community. This course offers advice and guidance from senior researchers at the University of Edinburgh on how to write a paper and get it published, from notebooks to the first draft, submission, referees' comments, publication and all steps in between.

The workshop will cover the following topics:

*Writing for publication
*How to read a paper
*How to write a paper
*Presenting your work for publication
*Choosing the journal
*Preparing the paper
*Journal formats, submission
*The editorial process
*Co-authors agreement, copyright transfer, reprints

This course relates to domains A1, A2, A3 and D2 of the RDF.

This course is for Biology, 2nd and 3rd Years.

During a full afternoon, this lecture discussion will cover the basics of what you need to know to write a scientific paper and get it accepted at the journal of your choice. We will start by discussing a strategy for reading scientific papers, then carry on with the analysis of an example paper published in the journal Science.

Following this, we will discuss the different types of scientific papers and the different types of journals available for biological publications. Some attention will be given to explaining what an impact factor is and how to choose the best journal for your work.

We will then discuss the process of producing a paper from beginning to end. This will start with the importance of working with your lab head to decide when you are ready to write, why it is important to choose a title very early on in the process. We will end end with how to respond to comments from journal editors and scientific referees.  In between, we will discuss what goes where in the manuscript, what data manipulations are acceptable (and some that are not!), how to explain your main points clearly, how to ensure that referees are not confused when they read your paper, and how your lab-mates and colleagues can help you to prepare a better manuscript. Significant attention will also be given to explaining how the editorial process works at common biological journals, and how to effectively interpret and then deal with comments from referees.

This course relates to domains A1, A2, A3 and D2 of the RDF.

Precourse Work

Students should be familiar with common concepts in biological research, have experience in reading the primary literature, and have a minimum of 6 months laboratory experience.

Prerequisites

Course is open to all Ph.D. students working in Biological research.  Experience with Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry or Genetics is desirable, though not essential.

Publishing a paper in a journal is the main and most important way of communicating the results of your research to the research community. This course offers advice and guidance from senior researchers at the University of Edinburgh on how to write a paper and get it published, from notebooks to the first draft, submission, referees' comments, publication and all steps in between.

The workshop will cover the following topics:

*Writing for publication
*How to read a paper
*How to write a paper
*Presenting your work for publication
*Choosing the journal
*Preparing the paper
*Journal formats, submission
*The editorial process
*Co-authors agreement, copyright transfer, reprints

This course relates to domains A1, A2, A3, and D2 of the RDF.

Sign up for a writing clinic if you would like some one-to-one feedback on your writing. You will need to submit a piece of writing in advance and book a half-hour session with me. You will receive constructive comments and suggestions for improving your writing and, where relevant, feedback on any problems you are encountering in writing thesis chapters or papers.

This course relates to domains B1 and D2 of the RDF.

Time Slot

Each student will be allocated a 30 minute slot.

Prerequisite

If possible, students should have attended 'Effective Writing: The Writing Process

Pre-Course Work

You will need to submit a piece of writing that you would like feedback on, no later than two days before the clinic. .pdf or .doc format only please. Feedback will concentrate on the first two pages, but you are welcome to submit a longer text (e.g. a thesis chapter) if you wish.

This course focuses on stylistic aspects of writing and the way these may contribute to making a piece of writing more engaging or more effective. Students will become familiar with the general issue of style as a manageable aspect of written text, and the idea of style as varying with language, context, and purpose. The emphasis will be on the analysis and discussion of linguistic patterns and constructions in written extracts.

The course will deal with the following overlapping topics: the linguistic idea of style; noun and verb styles; style and the sentence; paragraphing; and some practical skills for academic writing (such as punctuation and catching blunders).  

This course relates to domains A1 and D2 of the RDF.

Prerequisite

Students taking this course should have already attended the following three courses: The Writing Process; Grammar; Text -- structure and texture.