Writing in English for Researchers

Joint Scientific Writing Course University of Fribourg / HEG Fribourg 

This 5-day interactive, workshop-style course is open to researchers and academic staff with B2 to C1 English language skills who would like to further develop their writing proficiency in academic and professional contexts. It will take place between 09:15 and 13:00 on the following dates at HEG Fribourg (see room information below):

• Day 1 - 11.02.2025: Introductions, audience design & structure

  The focus lies on writing Introductions as well as questions of audience design and the overall structure of research articles.

  Instructors: Andrew Hart and Marc Matter

  Room 405, HEG Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 4

• Day 2 - 11.03.2025: Discussion sections & academic style

  The focus lies on writing Discussion sections and the linguistic issues of academic style features, hedging and paragraphing.

  Instructor: Andrew Hart

  Room 405, HEG Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 4

• Day 3 - 08.04.2025: Methods sections, conciseness & coherence

  The focus lies on writing Methods sections and the linguistic issues of creating conciseness and coherence.

  Instructor: Marc Matter

  Room 405, HEG Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 4

• Day 4 - 13.05.2025: Students presentations & creating flow

  The focus lies on student presentations and the linguistic issue of creating text flow.

  Instructor: Marc Matter

  Room 405, HEG Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 4

• Day 5 - 17.06.2025: Abstracts & individual coaching

  The focus lies on writing Abstracts as well as on individual coaching based on students’ writing.

  Instructor: Andrew Hart

  Room 405, HEG Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 4

Throughout the course you will benefit from the opportunity to engage and share information with peers about your research, areas of knowledge and expertise. You will also be encouraged to develop your critical thinking skills and to express your ideas more effectively across a range of academic disciplines and professional contexts. You will receive feedback on your writing as well as individual coaching from the instructors.

Learning outcomes

• To express ideas in writing more clearly and accurately, and in an appropriately formal, academic style
• To better understand the rhetorical features of writing, e.g. the purpose for writing, the importance of audience design, content, organisation, conciseness, style and flow
• To engage in the processes involved in writing, e.g. brainstorming, planning, drafting, revising and editing
• To write using a range of different sentence types from simple, single-clause sentences to longer more complex sentences with several main and subordinate clauses
• To understand the importance of paragraphing in scientific texts
• To build resources for connecting and focusing ideas
• To gain a better understanding of the use of hedging in academic writing
• To use a greater range of reporting verbs when paraphrasing or summarising source materials
• To develop confidence in writing a greater range of academic and professional texts in English
• To improve writing skills for specific and immediate use in your field of study/area of work
• To increase awareness of the grammar and vocabulary used in academic and professional contexts

 Registration