Workshops, Courses and Events

ACADEMIC WRITING

Tutors:

UniBE members: please register via ILIAS link in course description.

Policy Academic Writing Service (PDF) | Fees (PDF)

Students from low- and medium-income countries (LMICs) are welcome to join our courses. Please check the enrollment criteria and registration details here.

 

SYSTEMATIC SEARCHING

Tutor: Tania Rivero (tania.rivero@unibe.ch)
Registration for UniBE affiliates via link, externals please contact the tutor.

Policy Systematic Literature Searching | Fees (PDF)

FALL 2025 COURSES

2 September 2025, 13:00–14:30: Citing and Writing: The Use and Abuse of Citations, Quotes, and Paraphrases (With and Without AI) (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

Have you ever been confused about when to cite and how to cite other people's work and ideas? Do you want to know how to cite (and not cite) with the new AI tools? This short course will answer your questions. You will learn the principles of citation practice that apply to different sections of a scientific article.

9 September 2025, 13:00–16:00: Qualitative Data Reporting: Fundamentals and Essential AI Skills (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

This course covers guidelines and best practices for reporting qualitative research in scientific papers, with a focus on medicine and health science research. Whether you are writing qualitative papers or papers that report on both qualitative and quantitative findings, this course will help you organize the process of reporting methods and results and interpreting your findings. You will also learn if and how you can use AI tools for qualitative research.

16 September 2025, 13:00–16:30: Designing Effective Tables, Figures, Slides, and Posters: Basic Graphic Design for Scientists (Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD)

Researchers present visual data to make concepts and information easier for their audiences to grasp, but few researchers are taught basic principles of graphic design. This course will quickly familiarize you with best practices in the aesthetics of data presentation, including the use of color, images, animations, and other tips and tricks for making sure that your images get your message across without distracting or confusing your reader. Participants will analyze images of tables, figures and slides, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and learn techniques to improve them. The course is designed for researchers and clinicians who want to use images and tables to support their text and want to create a data visualization workflow that works for any tool.

23 September 2025, 13:00–15:00: Ethical Authorship & Tips for Strategic Collaborative Writing for First and Corresponding Authors (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

The average journal article in medicine has over a dozen co-authors. Coordinating work and schedules is an art, and soliciting constructive criticism is a skill. In this course you will learn the ethical authorship guidelines that you must follow as authors of scientific works and also the specific guidelines that apply to AI use. You will learn how to make the collaborative writing process smooth, transparent, and enjoyable. This course is designed for first and corresponding authors who need to successfully manage the collaboration process and meet scheduled deadlines.

30 September 2025, 13:00–15:00: Publish Successfully: How to Communicate with Journal Editors and Respond to Peer Reviewers (Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD)

Preparing your scientific article for submission and responding effectively to reviewer comments are key to getting your article accepted for publication. This course covers the process of planning for and responding to requests for minor and major revisions, resolving conflicting recommendations, and how to politely say no to reviewer suggestions. 

7 October 2025, 13:00–16:00: Introduction to Grant Writing (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

What do funders want to see in your grant application? This course will help you figure that out and tell your scientific story so that the importance and urgency of your project is vividly clear to funders. It will introduce all aspects of grant writing, from choosing the right grant, writing short and long proposals, and presenting your work to a review board. This is essential information for any researcher or clinician who will need to write a grant application and applies to most grants and funding proposals. This is a good introductory workshop for researchers who will also take more advanced workshops targeted to specific grants.

21 October 2025, 13:00–17:00: Supervising Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations: A Proven Method for Ensuring Your Students’ Success (Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD)

As a faculty member, you may have received little or no training in how to supervise the writing of a Master's thesis or doctoral dissertation, and so you probably learned by trial-and-error. But there is a systematic way to approach supervision. This course will introduce you to tried-and-tested methods of organizing the writing process so that you can guide your students to produce high-quality manuscripts at a swift pace while working together harmoniously.