996016 Planning, Thinking and Deciding - Using Writing in the Research Process (WS) (WiSe 2021/2022)

Writing a dissertation is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires not only stamina but also curiosity and a certain amount of stubbornness to stick to your own interests while managing an open-ended research process over an extended period of time. Therefore, young researchers and writers need to develop strategies to organise complexity and deal with contingency right from the start.
In this workshop, participants:

- picture the phases and steps involved in the process of writing a dissertation;
- get to know and apply a procedure for writing down ‘thinking pieces‘ or chunks of text;
- break down their research questions into a realistic framework for the future iteration of the dissertation project;
- work with different strategies for organising ideas and structuring academic texts;
- become aware of the stumbling stones and challenges of long-term writing projects;
- get to know strategies to start, and stick to, personal writing routines;
- learn to plan their writing processes more realistically;
- learn how to give and receive constructive text feedback to produce better texts;
- hear about useful online and offline resources on academic writing.

The workshop provides the opportunity to share experiences and network with fellow doctoral researchers at Bielefeld University, and to profit from peer feedback and other people‘s experiences to become more productive. Ideally, the workshop will facilitate the formation of a collaborative space for researchers-writers within and across various disciplines and departments at Bielefeld University.

Please note: This workshop focuses on the writing process, not on language. The working
language is English to make the workshop more accessible for international doctoral researchers who do not speak German well enough to attend a writing workshop in German. If you are mainly interested in strategies to successfully publish in international journals or edited volumes, please check the information on the workshop “Writing for International Research Communities“.

Methods:
Individual reflection, writing tasks, small-group work, plenary discussions, peer feedback, and trainer input.

Trainer:
Dr. Vera Leberecht (Maastricht/NL) studied Linguistics, Intercultural Communication, and Theology in Germany and Finland. She worked at Maastricht University Language Centre for several years before starting her own training and consulting business in 2008. She is enthusiastic about empowering professionals to communicate with reason and resonance, in academia and beyond

Please make your registration until 2 March 2022 by sending an e-mail to stefanie.haacke@uni-bielefeld.de.