Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Please email us with a note describing your interest in the following courses, and we will schedule the event as soon as we have a sufficient number of applicants. These workshops are usually one hour long and include both a presentation and hands-on activities designed for practice.

From Wordy to Concise Sentences

Do your sentences run wild? During this workshop, you can learn helpful techniques to eliminate needless words and expressions. We discuss how to avoid redundancies and unnecessary phrases and how to trim long sentences.

Clarity and Simplicity in Your Ideas

We can easily find unclear sentences in our colleagues’ writing, but we have a hard time recognizing our own unclear ideas. This workshop focuses on techniques to improve sentence clarity by avoiding ambiguities, clichés, and noun strings, and using active voice, parallel structures, and other strategies.

How to Control Sprawl in Academic Writing

Writing in clear and concise sentences is a big achievement, but the ability to write a sentence that is both long and clear is an even greater skill. During this workshop, we discuss different types of sentence structure problems such as choppy, run-on, and comma splice sentences. We also practice diagnosing sentence sprawl and communicating complex ideas in long and clear sentences.

Cohesion and Coherence in Academic Writing

Academic writing is a process where we make decisions on word choices, structural options, and organization of ideas. However, our writing may feel choppy and disorganized regardless of how careful we are in selecting words and arranging sentences. During this workshop, you will learn what principles contribute to cohesive and coherent writing and what makes us feel that our ideas flow smoothly.

Expressing Authority in Academic Writing

We often hear the advice that writing should be objective and impersonal. However, we need to learn how to write with an authoritative and confident voice in order to be more objective, convincing, and clear. During this workshop, we will discuss five of the most effective tools that can help you express authority in your academic papers.

Please email us with a note describing your interest in any of these courses, and we will schedule this event as soon as we have a sufficient number of applicants. These workshops are usually 1.5-hour long and include both a presentation and hands-on activities designed for practice.

Tips for Writing Excellence

Get helpful tips for graduate and professional students on planning, researching, citing, and writing excellent academic papers in graduate school. We discuss the characteristics of academic writing style, explore different stages in the academic writing process, and cover plagiarism issues. The workshop is intended for first and second year graduate students, but other graduate students are welcome to come as well.

Beyond Grammar: Mastering the Skills of Academic Writing

During this workshop, you will learn how to master idiomatic English, avoid unclear sentences, expand vocabulary, gain an academic writing style, and improve the flow of your ideas. Going beyond grammatical issues, we focus on the aspects of academic English necessary for successful academic writers.

Writing Clearly for Non-native English Speakers

This workshop offers strategies for reducing ESL writers’ grammar errors and prepares non-native English writers to become self-editors of their own writing. The workshop consists of four sessions discussing the topics of Articles and Nouns, Verb Tenses and Forms, Sentence Structure Problems, and From Sentences to Paragraphs. If you are not a native speaker of English, and you want to enhance your grammar skills, this is a workshop for you!

Seminar Paper Writing in the Humanities

If you would like help writing a graduate level seminar paper, this workshop is for you. We discuss how to organize a successful seminar paper, how to build a convincing argument and what problems to avoid. The workshop is about 1.5 hours long and is offered every fall semester. Check our calendar for the specific date this academic year.

Writing Synthesis Papers in the Biomedical Sciences

Learning to write a synthesis paper is a skill. It is crucial for organizing and presenting information in coursework papers, presentations, and publications. This workshop discusses the principles of planning and writing a synthesis paper and tips for academic writing style. The workshop is offered by request, so please email us if you are interested.

From a Final Paper to a Journal Article in the Humanities and Social Sciences

This workshop can help you revise a classroom essay, a conference paper, or a dissertation section into a journal article. We talk about every stage of writing a publishable manuscript and do various exercises that allow you to overcome anxiety about academic publishing. This is a five session workshop that is offered every fall semester in September and October. Check our calendar for the specific dates this academic year.

Writing a Successful Research Paper in the Natural Sciences

During this workshop, the graduate students in the sciences learn how to prepare a research manuscript. The topics cover how to write introduction, methods, results and discussion sections, how to design effective tables and graphs, and how to prepare a title and an abstract. By the end of the workshop, the participants are expected to have a draft of their research paper. The workshop consists of five or -six 1.5 hour sessions and is usually offered in the spring semester.

Preparing Successful Conference Presentations

Are you worried about that upcoming conference presentation? Do you consider yourself a great scientist, but a poor public speaker? Conference presentations are essential to success in scientific fields, yet many people never learn how to effectively communicate the results of their research. Find out about some easy-to-use tricks, and make your next conference presentation a success! This workshop is usually offered in the spring semester.

Writing a Research Proposal for a Fulbright Application

Learn the ins and outs of writing award winning research proposals and personal statements from Dean Robert Harper-Mangels, the Fulbright Program Adviser for Yale Graduate and Professional students. Bring your questions! This workshop is offered every year in June and September. Check our calendar for the specific date this year.

NSF Grantwriting Seminar

This seminar is designed for 1st and 2nd year graduate students who wish to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Dean Robert Harper-Mangels addresses the goals of the NSF, the terms of the award, and the application process. Come and learn some helpful tips for writing a successful research proposal! The workshop is offered every year in September. Check our calendar for the specific date this year.

Writing a Research Statement in the Humanities and Social Sciences

In this workshop, you will learn how to approach the writing of personal statements for grant, fellowship, and admission applications in the humanities and social sciences. Dean Edward Barnaby provides useful tips on how to make the process more meaningful and less daunting. The workshop is offered every year in September or October. Check our calendar for the specific date this year.

Choosing a Dissertation Topic

Not sure what to write about? Wondering how to spin your big idea? Curious about the latest trends in your field? Come to our panel of three all-star professors, here to answer your questions and share their own thoughts on the perils, pitfalls, and potential pleasures of choosing a dissertation topic. Separate panels for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences are offered every year in October or November.

Strategies for Writing a Dissertation Prospectus

The purpose of this workshop is to help Ph.D. students in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities write a successful dissertation prospectus in a timely manner. We provide an overview of the aims, organization, and main components of a dissertation proposal in your field. We also talk about writing tips and dissertation planning. The workshop is offered every year in January and February. Check our calendar for the specific dates this year.

Please email us with a note describing your interest in the workshops below, and we will schedule this event as soon as we have a sufficient number of applicants. These workshops are usually 1 or 1.5-hour long and are offered almost every year.

First Book: How to Edit, Pitch, and Publish Your Yale Dissertation

How should I edit my dissertation to make it appealing as a book manuscript? What should I include in my cover letter? How do I approach editors? Publishing a scholarly dissertation as a book is a complicated process. We will speak about the nuts and bolts of publishing and getting your scholarly work through the publishing process.

Successful Collaborative Writing in the Sciences and Engineering

Graduate students in the sciences and engineering are invited to a panel discussion on strategies, psychology, and technology that can improve the way scientists work together and co-author publications. The panel will address both practical and ethical issues that inevitably arise when multiple authors are involved in scientific research. Discussion topics include organizational and writing mechanics to improve multidisciplinary collaborations, as well as the issues of credit and accountability in the writing of scientific publications (e.g., rules of authorship).

When to Put Down Your Pipette and Start Writing

Ever wonder when to stop filling up those lab notebooks and start putting together an article? Come meet our distinguished panel to discuss when and how to start thinking about writing up your results. You will also learn how to choose the right journal and how to read and respond to the journal decision.

Ergonomics for Writers: a Workspace Workshop

Achy back? Cramped hands? Tired eyes? You must be a writer (or a graduate student). If you want to learn how to write like a pro, come to this workshop and find out the best kept secret in the writing business: the art of ergonomics! Hear how to set up your workspace and write for hours without the usual pain and soreness. This workshop gives you the tricks and tips for a lifetime of healthy writing habits.