The Writing Group for Research Students is a small, informal group that meets on a monthly basis to discuss topics related to writing at doctoral level. The group meetings are organised by the Centre for Learning and Study Support, and delivered by dr. Arina Cirstea and dr. Emily Forster (Senior Lecturers in CLaSS).
Whether you've only just started your research or are in the writing up stages, all research students are welcome. We're always looking for new members, so please do join one of our meetings to see what we do.
The Writing Group for Research Students also has a dedicated Teams community space where you can receive communication about future meetings, access resources from previous sessions or simply chat.
Bookings for the Writing Group sessions are available via the Doctoral College Training portal,
ResJourney: https://resjourney.dmu.ac.uk/
For more details and/or to join our Teams community, you can also contact the organiser, Arina Cirstea, by emailing arina.cirstea@dmu.ac.uk.
In some of our meetings, participants are invited to take part in a peer review activity. To receive feedback on a sample of your writing from the presenters as well as fellow participants, please email a short draft (no more than 2 pages) to the organiser in advance of the workshop. We encourage everyone to take part, even if you do not want feedback on your own writing.
Writing Group for Research Students meetings 2025/26:
Evidence of critical thinking is a key requirement of writing at doctorate level. This meeting explored what we mean by criticality in the context of doctoral research and provided some practical strategies to approach reading for your thesis and develop a critical response to the work of others.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
This session was aimed at anyone who is approaching their viva or annual review or giving a conference presentation. We will look at strategies for presenting your work.
Facilitator: Dr. Emily Forster, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
Are you planning, drafting or revising your literature review chapter? Then why not join us for this workshop to discuss strategies for planning and structuring a critical literature review.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
Whether you are trying to find a structure for an individual chapter or an outline of your whole thesis, this workshop will provide you with some techniques for planning your structure and giving coherence to your thesis.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
Are you considering publishing some of your research findings in an academic journal? Then this workshop might be for you. It will provide a brief introduction to different routes into academic publication, as well as discuss some practical strategies to prepare your manuscript for submission. While the session will make reference to structural templates popular across a range of disciplines, a particular focus will be on the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methodology, Results and Discussion) common in most branches of science, including life and social sciences.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
This session looks at the role of the Methodology chapter in your thesis. We will discuss the importance of your methodological approach and look at what to include in your chapter.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
This session will explore different types of abstracts, and provide some tips on structuring effective abstracts for conference presentations, research articles as well as your PhD thesis.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
This session will discuss how to harness positive emotions associated with writing and how to keep going when things get tough.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
Are you new to creating research posters? This session will explain the structure of a research poster and will discuss some strategies you can use to design your poster effectively.
Facilitator: Dr. Arina Cirstea, Senior Lecturer (LSS)
This session will discuss and demonstrate the abilities and limitations of different referencing tools and how to use them effectively in your work, as well as how to check them for accuracy.
Facilitator: Beth Wyness, Academic Liaison Librarian (LSS)