Write Track
Scientific writing coaching
Do you struggle to write?
In science, it’s often said that if it’s not communicated, it wasn’t done. As scientists, the vast majority of what we do is writing; yet many of us struggle to communicate our ideas clearly in writing. At best, this makes our work slow, laborious, and painful, robbing us of some of the joy of discovery. At worst, it results in negative paper reviews and failure to secure grant funding.
There is help!
At Write Track, we offer live, instructor-led courses that will help give you the tools you need to communicate your science effectively.
Do you recognize any of these?
Do you feel like writing is an obstacle?
Do you lack confidence in your writing
Do you feel that you don’t know how to start writing?
Do you feel that you don’t know when to stop writing?
Does it takes forever to write anything?
Have you received panel or journal reviews that left you asking yourself whether the reviewers even read your proposal or paper?
If so, you’re not alone!
Science writing is a skill, and it’s one that few of us are taught. We are often forced to learn by trial and error; but if you’re a scientist in today’s academic landscape, you don’t have time for trial and error.
If you’re ready to learn useful skills that will help you break the cycle of frustration and make writing less painful—and, dare we suggest, even enjoyable—then Write Track is here for you.
Getting your message across:
A proposal-writing bootcamp for early career researchers
Are you an early-career researcher learning to navigate the funding landscape?
Have you received panel reviews that left you wondering whether the reviewers even read your proposal?
Do you wonder what you can do to give your ideas the best possible shot at being funded?
If questions like these sound familiar, this proposal-writing bootcamp might be for you.
A proposal is a story
Our job as proposers is to tell a story; and that story has to be one that the reader can understand.All too often, proposers bury the vital elements of their stories somewhere in the depths of the proposal, asking the reviewers to work hard to discover them. Or they include far too much detail about basic concepts while glossing over the key details; or jump into the middle of an argument that is incomprehensible to reviewers who are not as familiar with the specific topic as the proposal writer.
This leaves reviewers feeling exhausted and annoyed, and often leads to a low score.
Make the reviewers happy
By contrast, a proposal that leads the reviewer step by step from problem to proposed solution to perceived impact is much more likely to leave the reviewer feeling that they understand the proposal. And this leaves them feeling satisfied.
In the best case, it leaves them feeling excited and inspired!
Clarity is the key
Clearly, there are no guarantees in this business — but leaving reviewers happy is much more likely to result in a high score than leaving them exhausted and annoyed because they can’t understand what the proposal is trying to say.
A True Story
A few years ago, I was on a review panel in which we had a number of proposals from self-described early-career researchers. One such proposal was chock full of good ideas and solid methods; but it was very confusingly written.Some of the panel members took the time to review it thoroughly, reading it more than once, and teasing the message out of the text.But some didn’t.One of the primary reviewers read it once, didn’t understand it, and gave it a very low score. During the discussion, the rest of the panel tried to convince this reviewer that the proposal actually had merit, but in the end, the aggregate score pushed it into unlikely-to-be-selected territory.I felt very frustrated by this situation: had the proposal simply been clearly written, the outcome might have been very different.
I decided that I could help: and the idea for this bootcamp was born.
How does the Getting Your Message Across boot camp work?
Each boot camp cohort will work together for five weeks. Two weeks before the start of each boot camp, all participants will submit a five-page proposal draft. As your instructor, I will do an initial reading of the proposals, and will tailor the course exercises to the specific issues I observe.Each week, we will meet for a two-hour live video call. During these calls, we will discuss the review comments we have given and received. We will also participate in exercises created specifically to help us practice the skills we need to improve the clarity of our writing.
There will be homework: depending on the week, this will either be a review of someone else’s proposal focusing on the specific topic we’ve covered that week, or revisions of our own proposals based on those reviews.One week after the final live session, participants will submit another draft to me, and I will return them with final comments no more than three weeks after the final live session.This will be a collaborative effort. The success of this course depends on full participation by all. Therefore, we expect all participants to attend all sessions and to complete all the homework assignments.At the end of the course, participants will have:
Learned how to craft a clear, compelling proposal that is a pleasure to read and review
Gained fundamental writing skills that are transferable to any form of science writing, including journal articles, job applications, and more
Gained confidence in their ability to tell the story of their ideas
Learned how to give review comments that are constructive, honest, and kind
Worked with their colleagues in a supportive and uplifting collaborative learning environment
About me
Write Track Coaching was founded by me, Dr. Rebecca Ghent. I have been working in the field of Earth and Planetary Science for 25 years, and I was a university professor for 14 of those years. I have been a student; a postdoctoral fellow trying to establish myself as an independent researcher; an overworked new faculty member navigating the simultaneous demands of teaching, establishing a funded research program in a new country, and professional service; a tenured faculty member focused on keeping funding flowing to my research group; and a full-time soft-money researcher living entirely on grants, without institutional salary support. In inhabiting these roles, I have read, reviewed, and written thousands of pieces of scientific writing. I have also experienced all the struggles with writing blocks, frustrating reviews, and the feeling that writing takes far too long, when time is always of the essence. On the other end of those 25 years’ experience, I have learned how to write clearly, how to know when I’m ready to write, and to learn that scientific writing can actually be quite fun!
I’d love to show you what I’ve learned. Join me for a course!
FAQ
FAQ
Getting Your Message Across boot camp
Will we learn a “secret sauce” that will guarantee funding in a particular program?
This course is not a formula, hack, or trick. It is about understanding how to write clearly and how to organize a proposal for maximum impact. Though there is no guarantee of funding, this course will give you the best possible chance to communicate effectively with your review panel. These skills also readily translate to any type of scientific writing, including journal articles, job applications, or policy or opinion pieces.
Is this a boring course in grammar and punctuation?
No. Though grammar and punctuation are important (and we will correct any errors together), these are not the main culprits in making proposals hard to understand. We will focus on bigger-picture issues.
How much time can I expect to spend on this bootcamp per week?
This course is built on practice, which includes reading the writing of others and revising our own work. It’s safe to assume that you will spend 2-4 hours in addition to the 2-hour live session each week.
Are my research ideas safe?
Absolutely! All participants will sign a confidentiality agreement indicating that we will not use, report on, or share the research ideas of the other participants.
I’m afraid of letting others eavesdrop on my writing process. Will this be painful?
Sharing our ideas and our writing with others is a vulnerable activity. We will respect the vulnerability of our fellow participants, and embrace our own. We will be honest and kind in our critiques and accept critiques of our own work with humility and a recognition of the helpful spirit in which they have been made. We are on the same team, and we will work to lift each other up even as we offer constructive criticism.
Other courses
Coming soon!
General
How can I find funding to pay for Write Track courses?
Write Track courses are professional training courses, and as such, they represent an investment both in your research career and in the success of your academic or professional department. Well-reviewed papers, and, obviously, successful grant proposals, benefit everyone in an institution. This is an idea that you can discuss with your supervisor or department head. It might be helpful to estimate the financial benefit to your department in terms of overhead from a single successful grant proposal, which is certain to far exceed the cost of your Write Track course!