Graduate Student Writing Workshops — University of Louisville Writing Center

The Researcher's Notebook

Developing as a researcher is about finding what systems work best for you and your work. In this informal workshop, advanced writers at UofL will showcase one technique in their research and writing toolbox. Graduate students, faculty, and staff, are invited to join us for coffee and discussion and leave with a new method that might assist the organization, development, or editing of your research.

Research Management with Obsidian: Building a Knowledge Network

Wednesday, February 5, 3:00-4:00pm, Writing Center, Ekstrom Library

For any research project, the organization and curation of sources is often one of the most challenging parts of the process. Once you've collected a wide selection of articles, books, and webpages related to your research project, the next step is determining how those sources relate to each other. Creating one long Word document or Excel sheet to keep track of your sources can sometimes trap you in a linear research framework. But in reality, knowledge is not linear; it's networked. In this workshop, Marie Pruitt (Ph.D. Candidate, Rhetoric and Composition) will discuss the setup and usage of a powerful tool, Obsidian, that allows you to build a fully customized knowledge network for your next research project.

From Experts to…Me?: Practices of Reading Alongside Manuscript Production

Wednesday, February 19, 3:00-4:00pm, Writing Center, Ekstrom Library

Ever read yourself into oblivion for weeks and then are paralyzed about how to write? Just asking…for a friend. Annmarie Steffes (Associate Director, University Writing Center) and Courtney Shareef (Assistant Professor, Strategic Research Initiatives Librarian) have an idea of what that’s like. In this workshop, we will give you a glimpse into how we read strategically to find the conversation, how we take notes effectively to prepare to write, and how we begin to write using our sources as a springboard. We will cover some tools that help us in the process such as the app Browzine and Zotero research software.

Generative AI for Research: ChatGPT and Elicit

Wednesday, March 5, 3:00-4:00pm, Writing Center, Ekstrom Library

How can you leverage generative AI for research? Join Tessa Withorn (Assistant Professor and Science Librarian) and Kristina Bloch (Instructor and Engineering Librarian) to explore the evolving GenAI research landscape by learning about two GenAI tools, ChatGPT and Elicit. You may be familiar with the strengths and limitations of ChatGPT but how can you use it ethically and efficiently for research? While ChatGPT is not recommended for finding sources, Elicit can give you real sources and a sample literature review. Other topics covered in the workshop include prompt engineering, source evaluation, and ethical considerations.

Moving From Concepts to the Page: Approaches for Working Through Early Stages of Your Research

Wednesday, March 19, 3:00-4:00pm, Writing Center, Ekstrom Library

We all have lots of ideas, but it’s not always clear how to move from those ideas to a focused, fully realized research project. Bronwyn Williams (Endowed Chair and Professor, Rhetoric and Composition) will be talking about how to develop ideas into research questions, navigate what you need in the early stages of reading and writing, figure out when you’ve read enough, and move on to conceiving of a structure or outline for your project.

Revise, Resubmit, Relax: Navigating Peer Review Like a Pro

Wednesday, April 2, 3:00-4:00pm, Writing Center, Ekstrom Library

Submitting your scholarship to an academic journal, understanding positive and negative editorial decisions, and responding to revision requests are often mysterious and stressful experiences. Drawing on his work in academic writing and editing, Rob Detmering (Professor and Head, Research Assistance and Instruction, Ekstrom Library) will discuss strategies to set yourself up for success in scholarly publishing. The primary emphasis will be on processing peer reviewer feedback and revising a manuscript effectively, but we’ll also touch on aspects of manuscript preparation and editorial communication. As an illustrative case study, we’ll also hear from Kristina Bloch (Instructor and Engineering Librarian) about her recent experience translating her doctoral research into a journal publication.

Communicating Research Value Across Audiences

Wednesday, April 16, 3:00-4:00pm, Writing Center, Ekstrom Library

Imagine pitching your research in a job interview, to a grant administrator, or even your family. Would they walk away informed and excited about your work—or completely confused? This workshop is designed to help graduate students across all disciplines communicate their research effectively to different audiences. Participants will explore how to best tailor their messaging for academic peers, state and federal agencies, industry professionals, and the general public. Christina Davidson (PhD Candidate, Composition and Rhetoric) will lead exercises and share resources aimed to help graduate researchers structure narratives that highlight the significance and real-world impact of their work. By the end of the session, attendees will have practical strategies to make their research more engaging, accessible, and influential across various professional and public sectors.

PLAN Workshops

The University Writing Center, in partnership with the Graduate School, offers workshops about academic writing. All graduate students are welcome. If you are interested in attending any of these workshops, please visit the Graduate School website to register. All workshops will take place online.

Approaches to Successful Grant Writing

Tuesday, February 4, 3:00-4:30pm, Houchens 105, Belknap Campus

This workshop will focus on the distinctive demands of successful grant writing. We will cover the overall genre conventions of grant writing, focus on specific sections of a grant proposal such as the examination of need or problem and the project proposal narrative, and discuss strategies for making a persuasive argument for funding. We will also talk about reviewer expectations for what they will find in the written proposal, as well as tips for how to make sure you respond to the specific needs of individual funding agencies. Use this as an opportunity to get feedback on any proposal drafts and bring materials for a short workshop.

Managing Large Writing Projects

Tuesday, March 4, 3:00-4:30pm, Houchens 105, Belknap Campus

Writing a dissertation or thesis can seem a daunting prospect that raises questions about structure, organization, as well as simply how best to get started. This workshop will offer strategies for how to approach a large-scale writing project such as a dissertation or thesis. We will discuss the genre and rhetorical conventions expected in dissertations and where those may differ from other academic writing experiences of graduate students. We will also offer suggestions and tips for getting started on your project, making consistent progress, working with committee member comments, and staying motivated.