Writing and reading programmes

We offer a range of workshops on writing, and reading, that are designed for researchers, but which easily adapt to the needs of other groups. We show some examples here, but will be happy to discuss clients' needs and provide workshops, master-classes or courses to meet these. Email us to discuss your requirements contact@incusassociates.co.uk

  • 1 Writing development

  • A creative approach to becoming a productive academic writer. This is for researchers who want to understand more about the processes of writing and is designed to build confidence and skill through a consideration of the features of academic writing, the cognitive nature of writing, the processes of planning, drafting and editing work. A critical approach to reading is introduced. We look at ways to become self-critical and how to draw upon the skills of others to improve our own writing and how to become an effective academic writer.This is a one-day workshop, but Norman Staines and Shirley Ellis can provide it in different formats for graduate research students or more experienced research staff. Separate workshops are available on thesis or dissertation writing.



  • 2 Writing with style & confidence
    A writing workshop in which participants draft a research paper and plan a personal development programme to develop their personal writing skills. This uses the participatory approach of the one-day <Writing Development> workshop, and is designed to encourage participants to set up their own writers’ group as an aid to active learning. One day or half day, suitable for graduate research students or for research staff, according to their individual need. This is facilitated by Norman Staines.


  • 3 Critical reading
  • Taking the view that an ability to read is central to an ability to write, we offer a workshop in which participants read selected research papers, discuss them in groups and develop their own approach to critical reading. Tutors working with the participants give guidance and support. At present available only for researchers in the experimental biomedical sciences. Norman Staines facilitates this workshop over one day, or a half-day.

    • 4 Writing the doctoral thesis
    Doctoral research students are proven skilled writers, but the doctoral thesis presents special challenges to even the most seasoned author. In this workshop we look at the requirements for an academic, doctoral thesis, how to plan its structure and content and to draft and edit it against a timeframe that ensures it is submitted on time. We consider how students and supervisors can most effectively work together in thesis writing and how finally to produce the finished, bound book.

    Norman Staines directs this half-day workshop, which is suitable for doctoral candidates of mixed subject backgrounds.

    We offer a companion workshop on Preparing for the Doctoral Examination

    5 Writing the Master’s dissertation

    Half day, or one day, for master’s programme degree students, based upon the successful workshops aimed at doctoral research students. This can be designed around the needs of students on a single degree programme, or for mixed groups. The focus will be on the features of academic writing, techniques for drafting essays, reports and dissertations and managing the time effectively. The workshop includes an approach to the critical reading of the author’s own work.

    This is a half-day, or whole-day workshop led by Norman Staines. We also offer this as a one-day course combining development of writing and speaking skills by including activities on the preparation and delivery of a research talk.


    6 Writing an Abstract

    Abstracts are essential means of communicating research in a variety of situations and for a variety of purposes. In this half-day workshop, designed and facilitated by Shirley Ellis, we will consider: what an abstract is and what it does; different sorts of abstract (thesis, paper, conference) and different readership; titles and key words (be informative); structure (adhering to the rules); organisation (introduction, aims, methods, results and conclusion); writing style (tense, sentence length and construction); introductory and concluding sentences; common problems. Exercises will use selected abstracts which we will provide, and participants will have the opportunity to analyse them and make suggestions for improvement. Other exercises will involve a focus on writing the opening and closing sentences of published work and the participants’ own writing.


    7 Strictly Grammar and Communication

     Advanced English communication for those who study and work in higher education: this one-day workshop will be especially valuable to those who are non-native speakers of English. The participants will engage in discussion, and in individual and group writing tasks. There will be an opportunity for personal tutorial and individual, diagnostic feed-back for those who have completed a pre-course task.

    This workshop is designed and facilitated by Etain Casey who will focus on understanding and developing language skills and the course will include issues such as: errors in English and how to avoid them; helpful punctuation and how to apply it; the barriers to successful written communication and how to overcome them; the appropriate style choices for academic writers; the best long term strategies to improve accuracy in writing.

    8 Proofreading

    If you require help with proofreading, please see our One-to-one support pages.