Perfecting Writing Skills

Two recorded courses on how to write winning proposals and how to write excellent papers.

How to write winning proposals, Dr Robin Drennan

This is a recorded course which although was designed for the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, does have many general ideas. Since the workshop was over three hours long, it has been split into 10 videos of roughly 20 minutes, and it should be watched in order.

Writing Excellent Papers

This is a recorded course which although was designed for the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, does have many general ideas. Since the workshop was over three hours long, it has been split into sessions of roughly 20 minutes, and it should be watched in order. The six videos include:

The Paragraph, Prof. Elly Grossman

This video is part of a series which will help early career researchers to write better. This one deals with the paragraph, and shows what it is for and how to use it properly for good writing. It ends with some exercises so that you can check your understanding.

Punctuation, Prof. Elly Grossman

This video explain punctuation: what it is and how to use it. Good punctuation is necessary for clarity.

Thinking about Writing a Paper, Prof. Elly Grossman

This presentation covers what you should think about before planning to write a per. It also shows you how to structure a paper, and could help your paper be accepted.

Proofreading, Prof. Elly Grossman

Before submitting any work, it should be checked. This presentation describes proofreading and editing and gives many useful tips on how to do these effectively.

The Art of Creating a “Read Me” Journal Article Title, Prof. Elly Grossman

It is very important to have a good title for your paper, because then not only will readers be drawn to it, but a good title can also improve the paper’s chance of being found by search engines.

Signposting Your Writing, Prof. Elly Grossman

This video shows you how to signpost your writing to make it clear to your readers. Many examples are given.

Scientific Argument, Prof. Elly Grossman

This video explains what scientific argument is, and shows how to structure your paper to give good scientific arguments. As with all these writing videos, there are plenty of examples.

Your Voice in Scientific Writing, Prof. Elly Grossman

Scientists and engineers often find it difficult to give their “voice” to their writing, because of the way we write in these disciplines. Here are some definitions, and some examples of “voice”, which will help your writing gain a voice and flow better, to become more readable.