Embracing writing as a process can help us form more satisfying writing routines. Learn about the craft of writing as well as strategies for staying motivated.

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Learn about the habits of productive academic writers and explore strategies for making the most of your writing time.

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Scholarship proposals ask graduate students to make a case for their research briefly, concisely, and plainly. As a result, these proposals usually require much time and multiple drafts. Learn tips to make the task easier during this workshop.

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Learn how to organize a thematic literature review using CARS (Create a Research Space) moves in this workshop.

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• Workshop Recording - Sept. 13, 2021 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (76 mins)
• Writing a Literature Review 1 Learn about the role and purpose of a literature review as well as how to incorporate CARS ("Create a Research Space") moves in your literature review. (15:30 mins)
• Writing a Literature Review 2 Learn about strategies for organizing the literature, with specific consideration given to thematic organization. (11:52 mins)
• Writing a Literature Review 3 Learn to synthesize the literature so that you can effectively relate your study to key themes and trends in your field. (18:59 mins)
• Writing a Literature Review 4 Learn to demonstrate your critical engagement with the literature you are citing in your review. (9:05 mins)

In this workshop, we will learn how and why to avoid plagiarism. We will focus on two key skills: citing and paraphrasing.

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• Workshop Recording - Sept. 13, 2021 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (65 mins)
• Strategies For Avoiding Plagiarism 1 - Learn about the importance of academic integrity and citation and how to avoid plagiarism. (21:30 mins)
• Strategies For Avoiding Plagiarism 2 - Learn how to write effective paraphrase and avoid the common mistakes students make when paraphrasing. (16:20 mins)

Synthesis is a technique for combining two or more ideas from other sources while using your own words. This workshop offers practical insights for writing effective synthesis, and explains why striving for synthesis can help circumvent accidental plagiarism.

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We will focus on how to organize and develop coherent introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs.

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• Workshop Recording - Sept. 20, 2021 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (66 mins)
• Writing Well-Organized Paragraphs 1 - Learn how to write effective body paragraphs that feature clear topic sentences as well as supporting and summary sentences. (24:57 mins)
• Writing Well-Organized Paragraphs 2 - Learn how to write coherent introductory and concluding paragraphs. (15:58 mins)

Paraphrasing is a complex skillset, requiring that writers skillfully and accurately use their own words to represent the work of another. This session builds on the “Avoiding Plagiarism” workshop by reviewing the key elements of effective paraphrase.

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During this workshop we will focus on how to organize and develop a review and how to express critical comments.

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To create flow, professional writers use a technique called the old-new information technique. Learn how to improve your academic writing using this technique and others during our workshop.

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During this workshop learn how to smoothly work the ideas and findings of others into your papers.

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• Workshop Recording - Oct. 27, 2020 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (48 mins)
• Integrating Evidence 1 - Learn how to integrate the work of other scholars into your writing while maintaining your scholarly voice. (19:05 mins)
• Integrating Evidence 2 - Learn how to effectively integrate the words of other scholars into your work. (17:11 mins)

Review the conventions of scientific writing and learn strategies to help make your writing more clear and concise.

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During this workshop we will review the elements of an academic argument, distinguish between claims and facts, and engage with counterarguments to help strengthen our stance.

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• Workshop Recording - Feb. 25, 2021 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (60 mins)
• Writing A Well Argued Paper 1 - Learn about the importance of argument in academic writing and how to use language to modify your strength of claim. (18:43 mins)
• Writing A Well Argued Paper 2 - Learn to develop an academic argument by engaging with counter-arguments and counter-evidence. (19:56 mins)

Research, or academic, proposals are an important step when preparing your thesis. Join us for a workshop that deconstructs the purpose and conventions of research proposals.

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• Workshop Recording - Nov. 4, 2020 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (78 mins)
• Writing A Thesis Proposal 1 - Learn to think about your proposal as a persuasive document and how to avoid common mistakes. (22:21 mins)
• Writing A Thesis Proposal 2 - Learn about how to apply the CARS model to your proposal as well as how to write a successful abstract, introduction, literature review and methodology for your proposal. (27:48 mins)

Are you ever confused about what verb tenses you should be using in your academic writing? If so, this workshop is for you. We will discuss the most common verb tenses used in academic writing and the conventions for their use.

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When you write, are you ever unsure about whether to use the, a/an, or no article in front of nouns? If so, join our workshop on articles. We will review the basic rules for using English articles and consider some exceptions to these rules.

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This workshop will discuss tips for organizing and starting your thesis, focusing on the abstract and introduction.

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• Workshop Recording - Nov. 17, 2020 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (70 mins)
• Structuring and Writing a Thesis 1 - Learn about thesis and dissertation requirements at USask as well as how to manage anxieties, create a plan, and stay motivated while writing. (25:50 mins)
• Structuring and Writing a Thesis 2 - Learn how to write a methods section that suits your discipline, a results section that is logically structured, and a discussion section that situates your work within the larger academic conversation. (18 mins)

As part of your coursework, you may be asked to write a reflection – but what does it mean to write reflectively? Learn strategies for writing purposeful reflections.

Student writing is often weakened by punctuation errors. Learn how to recognize your own mistakes and how to correct them.

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• Workshop Recording - Mar. 4, 2021 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (61 mins)
• Perfect Punctuation 1 - Learn to distinguish between independent and dependent clauses. (20:08 mins)
• Perfect Punctuation 2 - Learn the seven rules for comma use as well as the difference between commas, dashes, and parentheses. (23:09 mins)
• Perfect Punctuation 3 - Learn about the rules governing colon and semicolon. (10:19 mins)
• Perfect Punctuation 4 - Learn about common apostrophe errors and how to avoid them. (7:34 mins)

Learn practical strategies for writing abstracts that are comprehensive and concise. Graphical Abstracts and Plain Language Summaries are also featured.

This workshop will focus on the second part of your thesis, focusing mainly on the critical discussion section.

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• Workshop Recording - Nov. 24, 2020 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (79 mins)
• Structuring and Writing Your Thesis 3 - Learn how to write a methods section that suits your discipline, a results section that is logically structured, and a discussion section that situates your work within the larger academic conversation. (25:36 mins)

Learn revision strategies to make your writing more clear, plain, and concise. This workshop also introduces participants to plain language summaries.

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• Workshop Recording - Mar. 15, 2021 by Graduate Writing Specialist Jill McMillan (59 mins)
• Plain Language - Learn how to use plain language, eliminate zombie nouns, and reduce wordiness in your sentences. (21:30 mins)

Clear and effective writing is the result of deliberate and thoughtful revision. Learn practical strategies that you can use during the revision process to help you view your writing from a new perspective.

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Interested in writing for a wider audience? This workshop identifies strategies and opportunities for communicating research to non-specialist audiences.