Skip to main content

Workshops, Courses, and Write-Ins

The Graduate School Writing Center offers workshops and short courses to support graduate students and postdoctoral scholars as they communicate in a range of academic and professional situations. All workshops and courses are open to enrolled University of Maryland graduate students and postdoctoral scholars free of charge. We also welcome suggestions for workshops and will design and provide programs for specific disciplinary needs upon request. Please contact Dr. Linda Macri with questions or suggestions.

The weekly Friday Write-In will continue this semester, each Friday from 9 - 11am via Zoom. Check back for new workshops.


Attending Academic Conferences Series:  Why Go, How to Prepare

Presenting at academic conferences is a mainstay of an academic career. Conferences are places where you share early findings, get valuable feedback, and hone your communication skills. In this series, we’ll demystify the idea of going to a conference, starting with the why and how and then moving through the steps of writing an abstract, preparing a talk or a poster presentation, and refining your delivery, and being prepared to network.  All workshops will be hybrid -- see each session for location or join via zoom Register here

The Why and How of Academic Conferences – Feb. 27, 12-1:30pm, Benjamin Banneker Room, Stamp Student Union. Understanding how to select a conference, how to submit an abstract, ways to fund your trip. What is a CFP?  What’s the difference between submitting a poster or a paper? Can graduate students organize panels?  How should I dress? Hear from a panel of graduate students about attending conferences. Lunch will be provided.  Co-sponsored by the Pepsi Enhancement Fund.

Writing Abstracts for Conferences – March 5, 1-2:30pm, 5109 McKeldin You’ve identified a conference to attend – now you need to submit an abstract! Writing an abstract for a conference proposal can be a challenge–you have to be able to describe work you haven’t done yet or you have to summarize a large project. In this session, we’ll talk about strategies for responding to a call for a conference. Participants are encouraged to bring in the calls for conferences in their disciplines they are interested in and we’ll start to draft abstracts for submission

Drafting a Conference Talk - March 14, 1-2:30pm, 5109 McKeldin You submitted an abstract for an academic conference and it has been accepted–congratulations!  Now you have to actually write the presentation! In this session, we’ll focus on moving from abstract to draft of a talk. What do you want to say to make sure your audience gets excited about your topic? What do you need to tell them about the background, your research, etc.?  Join us to discuss effective strategies for creating a memorable conference presentation

Drafting a Conference Poster - March 28, 12-1:30pm, Benjamin Banneker Room, Stamp Student Union You submitted an abstract for an academic conference and your poster has been accepted–congratulations!  Now you have to actually create the poster and plan how you will present your findings. In this session, we’ll focus on moving from abstract to draft of a poster presentation.What will you include on the poster?  What’s the best way to structure the information to make sure you grab your audience’s attention? How do you get it printed? How will you coordinate what’s on the poster with what you say during the poster session?  Join us to discuss effective strategies for getting started with your poster design and presentation. Lunch will be provided.  Co-sponsored by the Pepsi Enhancement Fund.

Polishing Your Conference Delivery – April 4, 12-1:30pm, 5109 McKeldin You’ve prepared your talk or poster for that upcoming conference–now it’s time to work on your delivery! Join us for this workshop about strategies for ensuring that your delivery is as brilliant as your research!

Networking at Academic Conferences -- April 9, 2-3:30pm, Benjamin Banneker Rom, Stamp Student Union As a graduate student, you may have heard about the importance of networking over and over, especially when you go to academic conferences.Yet, the thought of talking to a room full of strangers can be a little overwhelming, let alone academic scholars who seem entirely unapproachable. In this workshop, we will share all the behind-the-scenes you need to know about academic conferences (and scholars!). We will also discuss how you can engage in networking before, during, and after the conference. Refreshments will be provided.  Co-sponsored by the Pepsi Enhancement Fund.

 


Literature Review Series

In conjunction with Research Education at University Libraries, the GSWC will offer this series on understanding and developing the literature review.  A literature review documents the disciplinary conversation you are joining as you embark on answering your own research questions. All sessions in this series will be held virtually. 

Understanding the Literature Review -- February 20, 12pm-1pm Register here 

New to research writing at the graduate level, or getting ready to write your first literature review? Not sure how to start the process of a literature review? Join us for this workshop to understand the fundamentals of a literature review. 

Searching for SourcesFebruary 29, 12pm-1pm Register here

How do you run an efficient and effective search when looking for sources and citations for a literature review or other research project? Join us to learn about how to frame and conduct your search on databases and search engines, and get a brief introduction to citation managers.

Reading and Notetaking -- March 5, 12pm-1pm Register here 

You’ve collected your articles—now you have to read them! Join us to learn more about reading for writing, effective note taking, and writing brief summaries for the literature review process.

How to Pick Your Citation Manager -- March 12, 12pm-1pm Register here 

Have you wanted to use citation management software but aren’t sure where to start? Then this is the workshop for you! This workshop will review options for citation managers here at UMD, how to download citation manager software, and open courses on citation management.

Introduction to Zotero – March 26, 12pm-1pm Register here 

Zotero is a free, open-source citation management software useful for keeping track of bibliographic information and generating citations and bibliographies. This workshop is designed for new users of Zotero and will cover creating bibliographies. Other topics will include adding items to the library, in-text citation generation, changing citation styles, organizing citations.

Introduction to MendeleyMarch 28, 12pm-1pm Register here 

Mendeley is a free, open-source citation management software useful for keeping track of bibliographic information and generating citations and bibliographies. This workshop is designed for new users of Mendeley and will cover creating bibliographies. Other topics will include adding items to the library, in-text citation generation, changing citation styles, organizing citations.

Equitable Citation Practice -- April 2, 1pm-2pm Register here 

Citation practice has broad implications for who gets a voice in academia.  Yet even while improving equity practices in education and grant-funded research is increasingly mandatory, research still suggests that scholars with marginalized identities are under-cited, across disciplines.  In this workshop, you’ll learn why diversity in citation is crucial and how to build a more equitable citation practice in your writing and research. 


Sentence Structure & Style Series 

Your research is humming along, and your ideas are smart. But the actual writing can be frustrating and leads to many questions. When do I choose to use a semicolon? Do I need a transition word here? Are my paragraphs too long? How do I structure a good introduction?  In this series, we’ll look at texts across disciplines and consider some elements of structure, syntax, and style each week. The intent of the series is to consider how we can shape language to create the effects we want, whether those effects are clarity, detail, depth, or something else. All sessions are Mondays at 2pm via zoomRegister here

March 4:  Sentence Style and Syntax:  Foundations

March 11:  Commas, Semicolons, and Periods, Oh My!:  Using Punctuation for Style 

March 25:  Active Voice, Passive Voice:  Why Both are Correct

April 1:  Writing Paragraphs:  Building Blocks 

April 8:  Transitions and Coherence:  Making Connections for Clarity

April 15:  Structuring Introductions:  Starting Well

 


Spring Courses

Introduction to Writing at the Graduate Level Enroll here

Virtual/Synchronous, Fridays, 1:30-3pm, February 2- March 1

Writing is essential to communicating your research, knowledge, and skills in graduate I.  In this five-week course, we’ll explore ways to recognize and respond to the requirements of different writing situations in disciplinary writing and develop strategies for composing, structuring, and revising prose.  Students will bring examples of writing they are working on in their graduate courses as examples to develop and refine. 

Communicating Your Research to Broader Audiences  Enroll here

In Person, Thursdays, 12-1:30pm, February 15-29
Learning how to communicate about your research beyond your discipline is essential to ensuring that your research is a public good and has an impact in the world around you. In this three-week course, participants will learn strategies for communicating to broader audiences in different modalities (print, video, audio) and create a message using a medium of their choosing.

Writing the Literature Review (enrollment to open soon)

In Person, Tuesdays, 12-1:30pm, March 26-April 30

In the course, students will develop an understanding of the literature review, identify the key steps for developing a literature review, and structure a literature review. Students in the course should be writing a literature review for a class, qualifying exam, proposal or other other requirement.

Back to Top