Workshop Day 1

The first day will focus on important differences between writing a PhD and writing for publication in an international context. The sections on writing tips, addressing the readership and presenting an argument will draw on examples from the participants’ own work to illustrate what journal editors look for in a scholarly article. There will be a mixture of presentation, discussion and interactive exercises in which participants are encouraged to consider their projects in relation to the criteria of journal editors and referees in the peer-review process, in order to identify areas for development beyond the PhD.

Why publish, and where to publish?

• Reasons for writing (and reasons for others to read your work)
• Choosing the right journal

What journal editors look for

• What are their criteria, and how will you meet them?

Addressing your readership

• Context, genre and level
• German and international readerships
• What’s in it for the reader?

Writing tips

• First impressions and avoiding clichés
• Stylistic principles

Presenting a scholarly argument

• Making claims with confidence
• Use of secondary scholarship
• Case studies and their larger implications

The peer-review process

• Readers’ reports, revision and acceptance

Article publication

• The production process - implications for what you submit
• Copyright issues – what you need to know
• The afterlife of a published article – readers’ access to your work

Workshop Day 2

The second day (morning only) is an intensive session on writing research abstracts – an essential means of attracting readers to your journal article. Abstracts are a key form of scholarly communication in the humanities and social sciences, so this training is also highly relevant for gaining acceptance to speak at academic conferences, and more generally of importance for raising the profile of your research and developing an academic career. This short form of description, representing the essence of a research contribution, places particular demands on academic writing style, in terms of clarity, economy and precision. This session is designed to develop the necessary skills, encouraging participants to find clear, concise and powerful ways to summarize their research and make an impact. There will be a mixture of presentation, group discussion and interactive exercises; handouts will provide reference material and further resources for continuing to develop the skills learned in the workshop.

What are abstracts for, and what makes a good abstract? Group discussion

Differing conventions between subject areas

• Identifying norms and expectations in your discipline

Key elements of your abstract: writing exercise

• Rationale – Research question – Evidence and Methods – Findings and Results – Conclusions – Implications and Applications

Workshop tutor:

Josie Dixon is an experienced publishing and research training consultant and specialises in running workshops for postgraduates, postdoctoral researchers and staff in the humanities and social sciences. She has over 80 university clients in the UK, USA, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Principal areas for training are publishing research, conference presentations, peer review, impact and research communication skills. She was previously Publishing Director for the Academic Division at Palgrave Macmillan and before that spent 11 years in commissioning and managerial roles at Cambridge University Press. For more details see