Online training for researchers
Write Up Your Paper
Prepare, draft & revise
by Dr. Martina Michalikova
Write up a strong paper quickly & effectively
Write Up Your Paper is an intense practical course that helps you prepare, write and revise a complete research article manuscript in 10 weeks and get it ready for publication.
Whether you are an inexperienced PhD student going to write your first research article or a seasoned scientist frustrated with writing, there is no need to suffer and waste weeks and months in disorganized activities.
The course is ideal for you if your research belongs to
- natural & life sciences
- other STEM fields
- the quantitative branch of social sciences
Insert Quote lorem ipsum
Write the first draft of your paper in one or two weeks
(as dozens of researchers have done before you)
It’s highly effective to first prepare all materials and then write up your paper in “one go”. Your project is firmly present in your mind, you settle in a routine and can focus better. It’s also very motivating to see the daily progress. And as a bonus, you get a coherent draft that is easy to revise.
The drafting sessions worked really well for me. The act of writing continuously every morning for two weeks allowed me to better enter in a sort of routine.
Writing in a group of peers provides additional motivation and accountability:
Drafting in group gives you the impression of being in a classroom and this motivates you to write and to respect the timing. It forces you to give more importance to the task of writing (that very often comes after all the other things to do).
Last year everyone who participated in all drafting sessions finished their first draft in two weeks. Some participants were even faster:
This year, it can be you and your paper 😉
What the 10-week course Write Up Your Paper provides
- videos, texts & checklists with all the relevant information from how to create a research article’s storyline and select a journal to effective communication with co-authors and detailed instruction for step-by-step revision
- guidance in structuring the whole writing process to get organized and achieve optimal writing productivity
- 10 drafting sessions for a focused and motivated writing up of your manuscript
- opportunity to ask questions and get help with individual issues in regular Q&A rounds (weekly in the preparation & revision phase, daily during the two weeks of drafting)
- facilitation of peer support among the participants for additional motivation, support and reciprocal text feedback
- two moderated peer-feedback sessions to learn & practice effective text feedback
- individual trainer support through one-on-one consultations and feedback on the whole manuscript contained in the individual support package
Meet your trainers
Dr. Martina Michalikova is a biologist and computational neuroscientist who obtained her doctoral title in 2016 from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. She is also a certified writing consultant specialized in scientific writing in English as a second language.
Since 2017, she has been working as a freelance trainer for scientific writing & publishing, giving workshops, leading writing groups, and providing individual writing support as a coach & consultant. Since 2020 she is leading the Scientific Writing Pro online course, which has been successfully completed by over 80 students by now.
Dr. Kerstin Minnich is a biologist and certified writing consultant who obtained her doctoral title in Human Biology at the Ulm University Hospital, followed by a postdoctoral research period in the fields of endocrinology, immunology and cancer biology.
In 2016, she founded the editing service LIFE SCIENCE WRITING. Besides editing scientific texts, she is now giving workshops on scientific writing and working as an individual writing coach. In 2021 she has joined Martina as a co-trainer for the Write Up Your Paper online course and now, in 2023, is joining the Scientific Writing Pro course as well.
I learned so many useful things about writing, reading, drafting. I was blown away by the level of expertise and commitment to the course. The video format and the option to click a “finish” button after every lesson was very satisfying. Overall I am certain that my manuscript is much better now than it would have otherwise turned out. So thank you very much for this great course 🙂
Course structure & contents
I. Preparation (4 weeks)
Feb 03 — Feb 28, 2025
In the first phase you will prepare everything for effective & quick write-up.
You will be guided to
- select & finalize figures and tables
- create a storyline
- select a journal
- write a preliminary Abstract
- learn how to structure each section
- learn how to approach the writing efficiently
- get support in weekly Q&A sessions
(Thursdays, Feb 6, 13, 20, 27 at 5 PM UTC+1)
II. Drafting (2 weeks)
Mar 3 — Mar 14, 2025
In the second phase, you’ll write the first draft of your manuscript.
This part runs in daily 4-hour live online sessions, which contain:
- warm up session with freewriting and goal setting
- writing time structured with Pomodoro technique (optional)
- coffee break with yoga (optional)
- Q&A session at the end
Daily schedule (in Central European Time, UTC+1):
- 09:00 — 09:15 Warm up
- 09:15 — 10:30 Writing
- 10:30 — 11:00 Coffee break
- 11:00 — 12:15 Writing
- 12:15 — 12:30 Q&A
The drafting sessions helped me to stay focused and not procrastinate at all. The yoga was brilliant, and the 25 min (pomodoro) were a really good interval in which I could work without interruptions.
III. Revision (4 weeks)
March 17 — April 11, 2025
In the third phase you’ll revise your manuscript and get it ready to submit.
You will be supported by
- detailed step-by-step revision instructions including practical checklists
- two Q&A sessions (Thursdays, March 20 and April 3, at 5 PM UTC+1/UTC+2)
- two moderated peer feedback sessions (Thursdays, March 27 and April 11, at 5 PM UTC+1/UTC+2)
- information on the publication processes (peer review, writing a cover letter, responding to reviewer comments)
IV. Bonus classes
Get further resources to optimize related processes:
- Effective reading strategies
- How to approach the literature review
- How to leverage your message with great figure design
- How to effectively use chatGPT and other AI tools
V. Bonus support after the course
Join monthly peer-feedback sessions for alumni for free.
- Get regular feedback on your texts
- Practice your revising skills through feedbacking other texts
- Get answers to your questions
- Feel inspired and motivated through the community support
The course was one of the best things that happened to me this year 🙂 I would recommend it to all my colleagues. Right now one of my articles is after a minor revision. I have to make some changes, but actually most of the work is done. In the meanwhile I am starting the next one, so I am really satisfied with the progress I’ve made. Of course it’s not perfect and I’m still learning, but I don’t have this feeling of fear when thinking about it.
Choose a course variant according to your needs
Group support package
- access all course materials
- get support in live Q&A sessions
- practice peer feedback in moderated sessions
Individual support package
- everything included in the group support package
- individual trainer support in three one-on-one consultations (30min each)
Materials for self study
- videos, texts, checklists
- detailed guidance for effective preparation, drafting, revision, and publication of your manuscript
600€
8 weekly Q&A sessions
- answers to all your questions during the preparation
& revision phase
320€
10 days of live sessions
for drafting
- incl. daily warm-up and Q&A session
- structured writing with group support
450€
2 moderated peer-feedback sessions
- learn & practice effective text feedback to speed up the revisions
160€
Bonus classes
- reading strategies
- literature review
- figure design
- AI & ChatGPT
200€
Monthly peer-feedback
sessions for alumni
- answers to your questions
- peer support
450€
Materials for self study
- videos, texts, checklists
- detailed guidance for effective preparation, drafting, revision, and publication of your manuscript
600€
8 weekly Q&A sessions
- answers to all your questions during the preparation
& revision phase
320€
10 days of live sessions
for drafting
- incl. daily warm-up and Q&A session
- structured writing with group support
450€
2 moderated peer-feedback sessions
- learn & practice effective text feedback to speed up the revisions
160€
Bonus classes
- reading strategies
- literature review
- figure design
- AI & ChatGPT
200€
Monthly peer-feedback
sessions for alumni
- answers to your questions
- peer support
450€
Individual trainer support
- three one-on-one consultations
- incl. text feedback on the whole manuscript
500€
The course was one of the best things that happened to me this year 🙂 I would recommend it to all my colleagues. Right now one of my articles is after a minor revision. I have to make some changes, but actually most of the work is done. In the meanwhile I am starting the next one, so I am really satisfied with the progress I’ve made. Of course it’s not perfect and I’m still learning, but I don’t have this feeling of fear when thinking about it.
Frequently asked questions
Booking & access
Q1: I would like to ask my unversity/Phd program to cover the course fee. Can you provide a summarizing information to show to the administrators?
Yes, we are happy to provide a PDF with course overview.
Q2: Can I get an invoice addressed to my university?
Yes: When you are booking the course, you can choose the option “I am ordering as company” and then enter the address of your university (you will need to provide the VAT identification number of your university as well — this is usually published online on the website of the university). Then you will get an invoice that is addressed to your university. Should anything not look like you need it to be, please let us know and we will fix it: info@writingscientist.com.
Q3: What are the payment options?
You can pay via PayPal, credit card, bank transfer (called “bank wire” here) or, if you are located in EU, via SEPA Direct Debit from your bank account.
Q4: What if I don’t like the course? Can I withdraw and get my money back?
Yes, you can cancel your booking within 14 days and your money will be refunded. No questions asked.
Q5: What if I need longer than 8 weeks to get through the course contents? How long can I access the materials?
The live Q&A sessions stop after 8 weeks, but the participant retain access to all course materials as well as the course facebook group for at least the next 2 years. Moreover, there will be a bonus Q&A and peer-feedback session two months after the course ends for additional support.
Q&A sessions
Q6: When do the live Q&A sessions take place?
The Q&A sessions take place on Oct 18, 25 and Nov 01, 15, 29, 2024, at 3 PM (UTC+2 until Oct 27, UTC+1 afterwards).
Q7: What is the duration of the Q&A sessions?
The Q&A sessions will last as long as it is needed to answer all participants questions (typically around 1 hour).
Q8: What if I can’t attend the live Q&A sessions?
All Q&A sessions will be recorded. You can submit your questions prior to the live sessions and then watch the answer in the recording. Recorded Q&A sessions will be annotated with timestamps for each question, so that you can quickly find the answer to your question.
Moderated peer-feedback sessions
Q9: When do the moderated peer feedback sessions take place?
The three moderated peer-feedback sessions take place on Nov 08, 22 and Dec 06, at 3-5 PM (UTC+1).
Q10: What if I can’t attend the moderated peer-feedback sessions?
You can later watch the recorded peer-feedback sessions and practice on your own with the provided text.
Miscellaneous
Q11: Will I get a certificate so that this course can be acknowledged for my (PhD) studies?
Yes, you can get a course certificate outlining the course contents and the workload (20h without homework, 30h with completed homework).
Q12: Is this course for me if I have problems with the English language?
This course does not provide materials for improving the English language but it does tackle the issue of how to write effectively if English is not your mother tongue. To maximally benefit from the course, you should be sufficiently fluent in English: you should be able read & understand English papers from your field without the need to use a dictionary.
Q13: Will there be also a course for writing review papers?
No, such a course is not planned at the moment. However, there is a bonus lecture on writing a literature review included in this course.
