This session brings together two of Heriot-Watt’s most published researchers: Dr Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui and Prof Vicki Stone, to share their insights on what it takes to develop strong, high-impact academic journal submissions.
Through a combination of personal experience, practical advice, and reflections on their writing process, this workshop offers invaluable guidance to researchers at all stages of their career, especially those seeking to boost their confidence and productivity in academic writing.
This workshop complements the Nature Masterclasses: Writing a Research Paper course, offering a deeper look at real practices and successful strategies. It forms part of the Edinburgh Writing Retreat and is open to research-active staff beyond the retreat cohort.
Writing Retreat participants will be attending in person in SR214, where additional in-person attendees (limited to 10) are also welcome. Alternatively, you can join online. The session will be recorded and shared internally.

Aim:
To share expert insights and tested practices for producing high-quality journal articles, building on foundational writing training with concrete strategies from experienced academics.

Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Recognise key characteristics of effective, high-impact academic writing
• Identify common writing challenges and strategies to overcome them
• Understand different approaches to structuring and revising a manuscript
• Draw inspiration from established academics’ writing journeys
• Apply lessons from the Nature Masterclasses in real academic contexts

PRE-WORK

Participants are required to review the Nature Masterclasses on ‘Writing a Research Paper’