Writing support
You’ll often hear people referring to the “writing-up” phase of your thesis, but ideally you would be writing from the very start. Although your early drafts might not make it into your final thesis, they are vital for clarifying your thoughts and exploring ideas. Also, getting into the habit of writing every day will improve your fluency and clarity.
If you’re writing in English as a second language, you can attend workshops run by the English Language for Academic Study (ELAS) team and also book 1-2-1 sessions.
All researchers can request a meeting with the Royal Literary Fund Writers-in-Residence. The fellows offer 50-minute tutorials, during which they’ll give you constructive feedback on your writing. For more information, or to make an appointment, see the RLF page on Skills Hub.
This is a short introductory video about ELAS by Julian King detailing support available for all PGRs at Sussex, regardless whether English is their first language or not.
Training
The Researcher Development Programme includes a number of training events on writing.
You can access the following online modules via Canvas (Sussex login required):
Here’s a recording of our Practical Tips to Improve Your Academic Writing webinar from Autumn 2016:
And a recording of our Undertaking a Literature Review webinar, also from Autumn 2016:
Other support
Throughout the year, you’ll find less formal writing events, like the Shut Up and Write! sessions organised by the Research Hive Scholars. Many Schools also run regular writing groups for postgraduate researchers, so talk to your colleagues to find out what’s happening.