Online Workshop On Academic Writing (12th-13th October)

Anthropos India Foundation hosted a two-day online workshop on academic writing and research that focused on enhancing writing skills and understanding some of its inherent complexities. The event brought together scholars, students, and professionals by providing them a platform for exchanging knowledge on writing, time management, research ethics, and digital tools for organizing and referencing etc. This workshop was particularly beneficial for the 40 early-career researchers and PhD students who attended it as it tried to address their immediate needs and challenges with regard to academic writing.

The workshop was led by several distinguished speakers including Prof. Vaishna Narang, Dr Abhijit Guha, Dr Stephen Christopher, Dr Minakshi Dewan, Dr Asher R Jesudoss, Dr Bamdev Subedi, Dr Sandesha Rayapa Garbiyal, Dr Sunita Reddy and Dr Shaweta Anand. They shared insights on a wide array of topics ranging from writing a thesis and making presentations to the politics of publishing in peer-reviewed and high-impact journals. The workshop emphasized the need to master writing skills, overcoming writer’s block, and the ethical use of digital tools to streamline the research and writing process. Participants were also introduced to reference management softwares such as Zotero, which is useful in systematically organizing research material.

The central theme of the workshop was the art of academic writing that was largely viewed both as a craft and as an intellectual exercise. It explored how academic writing involved original thought, critical reading, and the ability to present complex ideas clearly and concisely. Special attention was given to the process of writing a thesis and the importance of consistently working on one’s chosen research topic especially in Prof. Narang’s lecture. She also provided practical guidance on systematic organization of one’s research work through techniques like mind mapping. Participants were advised to use mind maps for planning their research topics and structuring their papers well in advance. This method, as Prof. Narang emphasized, would help them in visualizing connections between ideas and ensuring coherence in the flow of academic writing.

Further, Dr Reddy shared her personal journey of getting comfortable with English language, building confidence over time and she also highlighted the importance of writing with discipline in another interesting and informative session. To enable that, she encouraged the participants to make the surrounding environment conducive and appealing to the senses. She recommended that they start with free writing before moving on to more structured academic writing. The concept of time management was emphasized with the advice on finding one’s own optimal creative hours for writing as different hours worked well for different people.

Dr Sandesha advised participants to stay organized throughout their journey as an academic. She suggested that they kept everything in a ring folder to avoid being unprepared at the time for submission. She emphasised on the importance of selecting a research topic which answered the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ questions. Her session covered ethical research practices, avoiding plagiarism, and narrowing research topics. She also stressed on well aligning research questions with research objectives.

In addition to writing, the workshop covered the art of academic presentation as well. Dr Asher’s session not only focused on the differences between spoken and written communication, but also offered tips for creating effective presentation slides that incorporate visuals, graphs, and bullet points to avoid overwhelming the audience with text. Participants were encouraged to rehearse and time their presentations and focus on engaging the audience through gestures, voice modulation and eye contact.

Dr Dewan shared her journey in academic and non-fiction writing while discussing her debut book The Final Farewell. She highlighted the challenges of finding accessible information on India’s major faiths and adapting writing for different audiences. She emphasized the nuances in the art of storytelling, proper use of social media and academic networks in promoting your work, along with the importance of writing effective book proposals. She also shared her research on mourning traditions in India and tourism in Varanasi, stressing persistence and ethical responsibility in writing.

Dr Anand discussed overcoming the writer’s block by emphasizing the basic concepts of body-mind balance, regular breaks during writing periods to stay inspired, and the importance of emotional nurturing of self. She introduced a psychological way of looking at self-image issues through Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), highlighting the importance of positive self-talk by learning to become less self-critical and more accepting of oneself. More strategies suggested by her include regular journaling and revisiting past achievements to re-ignite confidence if one felt too discouraged to write. She urged everyone to continue reading if they wanted to write a lot. Participants were introduced to the utility of Zotero – a reference management software – by Dr Subedi. He termed it as a valuable tool for organizing research material, for managing citations, and streamlining the writing process. He demonstrated the detailed usage of Zotero and encouraged the participants to experiment with it at their
own pace.