You’ll often hear people referring to the “writing-up” phase of your thesis, but you should 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 Sussex Centre for Language Studies 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, please visit the RLF Study Direct module (Sussex login required).

Training

The Researcher Development Programme includes a number of training events on writing, including:

• Practical Tips to Improve Your Academic Writing (half-day)
• Kickstart Your Academic Writing (full-day)
• Writing Your Thesis in the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences (half-day)
• Undertaking a Literature Review in the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences (half-day)

You can access the following online modules via Study Direct (Sussex login required):

• Writing a Literature Review
• Writing an Article
• Writing Tips for Researchers
• Writing Your Thesis

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 also find less formal events, such as Shut Up and Write and Write Club – the dates are advertised on the events listing. Many Schools also run regular writing groups for doctoral researchers, so talk to your colleagues to find out what’s happening.