Workshops, Courses and Events

SCIENTIFIC WRITING

Tutors:

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

Policy Scientific 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)

SPRING 2026 SCIENTIFIC WRITING COURSES

Click to see program (PDF)

Organize Your Scientific Paper: Note-taking and Outlining for Success

3 March 2026, 13:00–16:00

Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD

This interactive course covers the organizational skills you need to write as you do science, beginning with recommendations, tracking literature, taking and organizing notes, and sorting your notes thematically into the appropriate sections of your paper. The course also covers outlining—an essential skill for writing while you do science and one that English native speakers use as the basis for constructing all their papers. You will come out of this course with a clear organizational plan and the skills to execute it.

 

Improve Your Scientific Writing in English & Critical AI Skills – I: Focus on Plain Language

10 March 2026, 13:00–16:30

Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD

In this course you will learn how to write easy-to-understand, concise, and clear scientific papers and summaries for non-specialist readers by applying the principles of plain-language writing. You will learn how to use simple words and craft effective sentences to convey the context and significance of your research. You will learn how to and how not to use AI tools for improving your writing. The tips, tools, and guidelines shared in the course will help you communicate your research effectively to a broader audience: researchers from other specializations, students, healthcare professionals, patients, grant reviewers, ethics committee members, journalists, and the general public.

 

Improve Your Scientific Writing in English & Critical AI Skills – II: Focus on the Paragraph

17 March 2026, 13:00–16:00

Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD

This course focuses on writing proper paragraphs, which are the building blocks of English argumentation. It also describes how and when to use (and why not to use) AI as a writing tool. Many other languages, like German, can express complex ideas and multiple relationships within a single sentence, but good English writing requires thinking and writing in shorter sentences within a disciplined paragraph structure. This is not a simple grammar course—you will earn advanced techniques for writing and organizing excellent paragraphs into a strong and persuasive argument.

 

Writing the Methods and Results Sections of a Scientific Paper

31 March 2026, 13:00–16:00

Tutor: Kali Tal, PhD

This course offers a set of evidence-based rules for writing clear and consistent Methods and Results sections, creating structure and relieving anxiety about the scientific writing process. You will learn skills and become acquainted with tools that enable you to start writing your Methods section early in your research process, and to incrementally build Results sections that match your methods. You will benefit most from this course if you a researcher or clinician who must write articles, reports, or grant applications, whether you are working on or planning a research project.

 

Qualitative Data Reporting: Fundamentals, Guidelines, New AI tools

7 April 2026, 13:00–16:00

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.

 

Writing the Narrative Sections of a Scientific Paper: The Introduction and Discussion

14 April 2026, 13:00–16:30

Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD

This course guides you through the process of writing the narrative sections—the Introduction and the Discussion—of a scientific paper, paragraph by paragraph. You’ll learn what goes into an Introduction and a Discussion and what does not, when to start writing these sections, and how to trim them to meet your word count. You’ll learn what literature to cite in these sections and why, and how to craft an engaging and compelling narrative arc. You’ll also learn how to write ethically and how to use AI responsibly for scientific writing.

 

Ethical Authorship, AI Guidelines, & Tips for Strategic Collaborative Writing

21 April 2026, 13:00–15:00

Tutor: Sampoorna Rappaz, PhD

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 especially useful for first and corresponding authors who need to successfully manage the collaboration process and meet scheduled deadlines.


Publish Successfully: How to Communicate With Journal Editors and Respond to Peer Reviewers

28 April 2026, 13:00–15:30

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. In this course you will learn how to choose the right target journal for your paper and how to communicate with journal editors. You will also learn how various peer review processes work and how to respond to reviewers’ comments confidently and politely.


Introduction to Grant Writing

5 May 2026, 13:00–16:00

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 information applies to most grants and funding proposals and is essential for any researcher or clinician who will need to write a grant application. This is a good introductory workshop for researchers who will also take more advanced workshops targeted to specific grants.