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Getting going with academic writing

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Getting going with academic writing – Prof. Louise Vincent speaks to post graduate scholars at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) 16 March 2016

HEICET lead researcher Professor Louise Vincent was invited to facilitate a workshop at NMMU for Masters and PhD candidates on academic writing. Vincent told the delegates that writing anxiety was high among academics at all levels and that like sex in the 19th century, many academics feel that writing is something that should be done in private and not spoken about publically. She urged academics who want to strengthen their writing self efficacy to make their writing more public and to tackle head on the obstacles they face to becoming successful academic writers. Blogs, writing groups and journal clubs were discussed as ways to make writing more public, less private and less nerve wracking.

Delegates left the workshop saying it had ‘eliminated a lot of myths’, ‘simplified the writing process’ and ‘inspired’ them to tackle their theses. They found the workshop ‘exciting’ and were able to see academic writing as ‘more achievable’.