Update: This course is now full.
Thursday 20 February 2020
Are you an emerging researcher, or clinician who would like to start publishing your own peer-reviewed manuscripts?
How to Write a Paper will demystify the publication process, and guide you through it – from planning a paper, through to writing it effectively, and finally dealing with the occasionally-brutal peer-review process. In this interactive course, you will come along with an idea for a paper you would like to write, and then work on throughout it the day as each session progresses.
Topics covered
In this course, we will cover the following:
- Planning and structuring your publication
- Habits of highly-effective writers
- Crafting a solid Introduction
- Communicating your Methods succinctly
- Effectively communicating your Results
- Bending and shaping your Discussion and Conclusion sections
- Choosing (and using) referencing tools
- Picking a journal to submit your paper to
- Approaching and dealing with the peer-review process
Style of course
This is an interactive course comprised of multiple short presentations, group and individual workshops, and opportunities for discussion. We ask that you bring along an idea for a paper that you would like to write, which you will work on throughout the day during our workshop sessions. We will finish with a panel session comprised of the most experienced writers from within the Department of Public Health, who share tips from their own writing process.
Who should attend?
This course is aimed at emerging researchers who are developing an interest in writing academic papers. We will use examples from public health/epidemiology during the day, but the principles of the course will apply to all medical and health science contexts.
Draft timetable
| Time | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30am | Registration | |
| 9am | Welcome, organisation, housekeeping Overview of today Why do we publish? Group Discussion – questions you would like answered in this course Group Discussion – introduce individual writing projects Before you begin: some simple questions you must know the answer to | Jason Gurney |
| 10:30am | Morning tea | |
| 11am | Planning for publication: Beginning with the end in mind Planning for publication: Structuring your paper The Introduction Workshop: The Introduction The Methods Workshop: The Methods | Jason Gurney |
| 12:30pm | Lunch break | |
| 1:30pm | The Results Workshop: The Results The Discussion Workshop: The Discussion Titles, abstracts and authors Workshop: Titles, abstracts and authors | Jason Gurney |
| 3pm | Afternoon tea | |
| 3:30pm | Referencing tools Choosing a journal Submitting your paper Surviving the peer review process The Writing Wizards Panel Session: • How panellists choose a topic • How panellists write • How panellists choose a journal • How panellists deal with reviewers • Other questions from participants | tbc/ Jason Gurney |
| 5pm | Finish |
Teaching staff
- Dr Jason Gurney is a Senior Research Fellow and the Research Portfolio Leader of the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington. He has a deep, slightly-peculiar passion for both academic and non-academic writing.
Course cost and registration
$300 early bird, $400 after 19 December 2019.
A 50% discount is available to full-time students, those unwaged and University of Otago staff.
