Graduate Writing Resources
The UVA Engineering Graduate Writing website provides online resources, tips, and strategies to help you improve your writing, presentations, figures, and posters.
Online Resources
The Graduate Writing website has compiled a selection of online resources relevant to the writing and communication needs of UVA Engineering graduate students.
Lit Searches
UVA Libraries- get access to full text pdfs, etc. also use inter-library loan for access to materials we don't have at UVA
Subject Area Librarians - they are happy to help you find what you need, improve search efficiency, find additional databases, and connect you with software training as needed; feel free to email your subject area librarian with any questions you have.
Google Scholar- link your UVA account to connect your search and access, set up Google Scholar alerts to get emails when new research in your area is published, you or a key author or paper are cited, etc. Set up your author profile to track your own papers. see Google Scholar help page for more
Getting full text access to articles- guide from UVA libraries on getting full texts that the library does not have
Lit Reviews
Literature Review Writing Guide - from the University of Waterloo on writeonline.ca, a well organized multipart step by step guide for planning, writing & revising lit reviews; includes a section outlining the key parts of a lit review and tips for writing.
Literature Reviews - posts from Raul Pacheo-Vega on various strategies and stages of writing a literature review
Graduate Research Advanced Skills Program Resources from Curtin University in Australia. Includes videos, handouts, slides, etc. for a number of workshops on research writing topics including Lit Reviews and abstracts
Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited & Proposals That Get Funded- Schimel (2012) - ebook through UVA library; especially useful for the story aspect of research writing
Tools to help with Lit Searches & Lit Reviews:
Scholarcy - pdf flashcard maker (free & paid versions)
Scite- see how and where research has been cited - citing paper & snippet of the text with the citation (similar to Google Scholar & Research Gate)
Connected Papers - visualize how academic papers are connected (similar to VosViewer but draws web data so you don't have to), useful for initial exploration of an established area (note may not be as useful with very new papers)
VosViewer- Bibliometrics visualization software- map various features of a lot of literature at once and see how papers group and are connected, full software & online version
Publish or Perish - software that analyzes citations using Google Scholar Data, see library workshops for training
Use a Reference Manager such as EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero to keep track of your PDFs and citations and make citing now and in the future much easier, see library for training
Also consider finding reading and notetaking apps that work for you. Examples- text to speech (ex. Voice Dream, built in features on your device), reading & notetaking (ex. LiquidText, Notability, GoodNotes),
Introductions
see also the GWL workshops on writing introductions
How to write/present science: BABY-WEREWOLF-SILVER BULLET An eco-evo evo-eco blog post on setting up your scientific presentation or paper. Very useful for setting up introductions, conceptualizing your larger argument or thinking through the big picture of your presentation.
The Introduction Section -a pdf overview of the CARS model of moves and steps in research article introductions from Helsinki University of Technology
Organizing your Social Sciences Research Paper: The CARS Model A nice library guide with an overview of introductions. May need some adaptation for engineering but gives some place to start
Research Article Writing
Style and Ethics of Communication in Science and Engineering (ebook/pdf, free access through UVA library) covers issues in writing, scientific publishing, dissertations, proposals & grant applications, oral communication, authorship, record keeping, ownership; authors from biomedical sciences & engineering background
How to Write Paragraphs in Research Texts (articles, books, and PhDs) Overview of key components in paragraphs in research writing, including why and how to use them and common issues
Components of Documents A quick overview of the basic parts of a research report
How to Write a Manuscript A short post on order of steps and strategies in writing an article
Writing Research Articles for Publication - (pdf)- Burrows (2011) from Asian Institute of Technology, includes overviews of sections, perspectives, common issues, language, and engineering examples throughout
Writing an IMRaD Report Very basic overview of sections
How to Write a Paper (Ashby, 2005) - faculty recommended
Writing in Boxes An interactive tutorial and tool to get you started on writing the different sections of an IMRD article from JPHMP Direct; outlines what goes in each section; includes a video overview of how the tool works. While it is public health specific, you can adapt it to your field as well.
Scientific Writing Toolkit Many links, articles and tutorials for research writing and planning from the council of state and territorial epidemiologists
Publishing from the PhD- Make a publication plan A Patter article explaining practical steps to making a research publication plan and why you may want to
Graduate Research Advanced Skills Program Resources from Curtin University in Australia. Includes videos, handouts, slides, etc. for a number of workshops on research writing topics including Lit Reviews and abstracts
Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited & Proposals That Get Funded- Schimel (2012) - ebook through UVA library; especially useful for the story aspect of research writing
MIT CommKits - biological engineering, electrical engineering/computer science and chemical engineering - have clear simplified overviews for each section of a research article that work across disciplines
10 Ways to Make Sure you Journal Article Never Gets Read, or Worse, Cited
Three-Part Elsevier Series: How to Prepare a Manuscript for International Journals
Six things to do before writing your manuscript
11 steps to structuring a science paper editors will take seriously
Writing the first draft of your science paper - some dos and don'ts
Stanford's Writing in the Sciences Coursera Course
Revise & Resubmit
How to respond to reviewers- A practical blog post by eco-evo evo-eco on how to respond to reviewers in the journal revise & resubmit process
The Revise and Resubmit Series - A Chronicle Vitae article series about various aspects of revising & resubmitting as article to a journal
Part 2: Deciphering Reviewer Comments
Part 3: Techniques for Easier and Faster Revisions
Also consider attending an Author's Rights: Use the Law, Share Your Work, Change the World library workshop
Copyright Essential for Scholarly Work from UVA Libraries - An introduction to some copyright issue and links to many other resources
Copyright in Scholarly Publishing Workshop Slides by Brandon Butler. -"Authors’ Rights: Use the Law, Share Your Scholarship, Change the World"
Asking for Permission from Columbia University Libraries - How to ask permission to use copyrighted work
SherpaRomeo database of publisher open access policies
Center for Media & Social Impact Codes of Best Practices for Fair Use
For individual consultations on author agreements and other copyright and reuse concerns or to schedule a program, department, or group workshop, contact Brandon Butler, UVA director of information policy, bcb4y@virginia.edu
Dissertation Proposals
The Perfect Proposal video by Dr. Candace Hastings from Texas A&M's University Writing Center
Dissertation
Publishing from the PhD- Make a publication plan A Patter article explaining practical steps to making a research publication plan and why you may want to
Graduate Research Advanced Skills Program Resources from Curtin University in Australia. Includes videos, handouts, slides, etc. for a number of workshops on research writing topics including sections of a dissertation proposal
Get Lit - The Literature Review Video intro to doing a dissertation literature review by Dr. Candace Hastings from Texas A&M's University Writing Center
see also Research Writing & Getting Published above
Writing your Doctoral DIssertation or Thesis Faster: A Proven Map to Success (2014) James & Slater- free ebook through UVA library - includes planning, proposal, defense
Dissertation/Thesis Defense
10 Ways To Successfully Defend Your PhD
The Completion Agenda, Part 2: The Best Defense
The Examiner-Perspective Lens for Doctoral Editing A post that helps you think like your committee when preparing for your defense. Includes lists of sample questions to prepare for and think through
The Perfect Defense video presentation by Valerie Balester from Texas A&M's University Writing Center
UVA Thesis/Dissertation Guides
LIBRA ELECTRONIC THESIS AND DISSERTATION PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION
Software
MS Word for Thesis Writing from the Graduate Research School of the University of Western Australia- extensive screenshot illustrated guide on various features of Word for writing a long document like a dissertation or thesis from minor things, to issues and key things to consider. Includes links to additional resources.
Scrivener- multiplatform artisan writing software made for big complicated writing projects like dissertations; some grad students have found very useful. days of use free trial, education pricing on single time purchase (~$30), lots of tutorials & use cases on their website
Overleaf (for LaTeX) - UVA has access to the pro version; sign in with your UVA email. Templates & tutorials available.
Reference Management Software Examples: EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero- see library for training
To find funding, check out the looking for funding page or the OGPA funding and opportunities site or sign up for the engineering library's Funding Discovery Tools Workshop, a GWL funding discovery tools workshop or check out the recorded 2020 Funding Discovery Tools Workshop for UVA Engineering graduate students. Also be sure to check the funding section of the UVA Engineering Graduate Student Newsletter (scroll to the end).
Also check out our Preparing Graduate Fellowship Proposals page for resources, courses, events and communities on writing fellowship proposals like the NSF GRFP.
General
Winning Grants Step by Step: The Complete Workbook for Planning, Developing and Writing Successful Proposals access the ebook online free with your UVA login
Grant Proposals (or Give me the money!) UNC Writing Center resource on grant writing
Research Development Resources from UVA Engineering a list of additional resources for writing, finding funding etc.
How to Write a Winning Proposal & Get those Grants from UVA's Center for Teaching Excellence
Style and Ethics of Communication in Science and Engineering (ebook/pdf, free access through UVA library) Chapter 4
The Ten Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Research Bid Writers A post highlighting things to look out for and avoid doing when writing a grant proposal
Dos and Don'ts of Successful Grant Writing IU GradGrants Center
The Most Common Errors Made in Research Proposals and Applications IU GradGrants Center
Purdue Owl Grant Writing pages
Sample grants, proposals, dissertations, and theses- Nigel Caplan
Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited & Proposals That Get Funded- Schimel (2012) - ebook through UVA library; especially useful for the story aspect of research writing
NIH
The Grant Application Writer's Workbook - NIH 2018 version of the book (not available in library) but some chapters are available online for free.
NIH Grants Glossary & Acronymns List
Style and Ethics of Communication in Science and Engineering (ebook/pdf, free access through UVA library) Section 4.4; authors from biomedical sciences & engineering background
Tips for Great Grant Writing 2009 from extramural news compiled by UVA School of Medicine
UVA COURSE: CELL 8450: Effective Science Writing for Grants & Fellowships Reccommended by UVA engineering grad students; concepts can be transferred to other types of funding proposals as well.
NSF
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship blog post with lots of tips, outline, examples, links, etc.
Intro to the NSF GRFP (& DoD) Fellowship(s) ppt slides from Prof. Scully's (UVA Engineering) 2018 intro to the NSF GRFP presentation
The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook -NSF 2018 version of the book (not available in library) but some chapters are available online for free.
NSFGRFP.org administered by ASEE - site with lots of information, resource people contact info and more.
Guide to NSF GRFP Reference Letters- PDF compiled by Katie Pelland for the UVA Engineering Graduate Writing Lab
UVA COURSE: STS 555 - Communicating Research to External Audiences: covers broader impacts & intellectual merits sections of NSF proposals
MIT CommKits - NSF fellowship personal statements & research proposals: specific links biological engineering, electrical engineering/computer science and chemical engineering (all are quite similar)
also- see resources directly from the funding agency
Presentations
How To Improve The Presentation Skills Of PhD Students A detailed and practical post on NextScientist on improving your presentation skills as a PhD student
20 Tips for Top Academic Presentations
Slide Rules: Design, Build, and Archive Presentations in the Engineering and Technical Fields IEEE Professional Communication Series book; get free online access to the ebook with your UVA login
Oral Communication Tips for presentations from the University of Toronto Engineering Communication Program
Presenting Your Research (Friedman, 2016)
Presenting with Slides video from Texas A&M's University Writing Center
Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes free pdf book- note site requires an email to download... not engineering specific but may have relevant research & conclusions, as referenced in the Slide Design workshop
Virtual Presentations- tips for virtual presentations from the Nuclear Science & Engineering MIT CommKit
Also see the language use & vocabulary speaking section for resources on the pronunciation of technical words and phrases and key phrases for presentations and the thesis/dissertation section for resources specific to defense presentations.
COURSE: STS 555 - Communicating Research to External Audiences (UVA course)
Book: Designing Science Presentations: A Visual Guide to Figures, Papers, Slides, Posters and More (Carter 2013) online access via UVA
Posters
Better Posters Incredibly useful blog about academic posters with numerous posts that include tips for creating, presenting and revising posters, stand out examples, critiques and before and afters/makeovers of posters; be sure to check out the link round up posts for many more resources
How to Design an Award Winning Conference Poster An article outlining key steps and practical perspectives for designing your poster
Designing conference posters multipost resource by Colin Purrington with extensive linked list of poster resources, tips, templates, software suggestions and more
MIT CommKit on Posters - scroll to the bottom for annotated examples; discipline specific guide from biological engineering, electrical engineering/computer science and chemical engineering
Infographic: Tips for designing better research posters
How to create a better poster in less time - animated explanation of a new style of poster design, see also better poster's critique of this design,
Alternative poster templates (ppt download) from American College of Chest Physicians
Visuals
ggplot2 a plotting system for R, based on the grammar of graphics; see the engineering library for free workshops on R and ggplot2 (& other software)
MIT CommKits on Visual Communication from biological engineering, electrical engineering/computer science and chemical engineering
A Brief Guide to Figure Making in the Natural Sciences from Yale's GWL
The 10 Best Data Visualization Articles of 2016 (and Why They Were Awesome) An article showcasing examples and explanations of data visualizations
Using Tables, Figures and Diagrams Effectively in Your Writing Info sheet from The University of Queensland
Information Visualization available for free as an ebook through UVA library, technical reference, learn more about vizualization principles
Free software for biologists part 3- preparing figures Overview of some free software for scientific visualizations including options for figures, diagrams and animations
Library workshops on data vizualization tools
Data Visualization & Design Template links from Rice (scroll down)
Biomedical Engineering
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY AUTHOR GUIDELINES
BMES How to Prepare an Effective Poster Presentation
Style and Ethics of Communication in Science and Engineering (ebook/pdf, free access through UVA library) covers issues in writing, scientific publishing, dissertations, proposals & grant applications, oral communication, authorship, record keeping, ownership; authors from biomedical sciences & engineering background
MIT Biological Engineering CommKit
Chemical Engineering
AMERCIAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY STYLE GUIDE
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING STYLE GUIDE
Civil and Environmental Engineering
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS AUTHOR GUIDE Chapters 5 and 7
CIVIL ENGINEERING WRITING PROJECT MATERIALS
CIVIL ENGINEERING WRITING PROJECT REFERENCES
Computer Engineering
ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY AUTHOR INSTRUCTIONS
IEEE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION GUIDE
IEEE Guide to Writing in the Engineering and Technical Fields
MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science CommKit
Computer Science
ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY AUTHOR INSTRUCTIONS
IEEE Guide to Writing in the Engineering and Technical Fields
MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science CommKit
Electrical Engineering
IEEE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION GUIDE
IEEE Guide to Writing in the Engineering and Technical Fields
MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science CommKit
Materials Science and Engineering
MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS GUIDE TO CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS JOURNAL AUTHOR GUIDE
Professional Communication in Engineering (Sales)
Systems and Information Engineering
IEEE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION GUIDE
SYSTEMS & CONTROLS LETTERS GUIDE FOR AUTHORS
IEEE Guide to Writing in the Engineering and Technical Fields
Refer to your program's graduate student handbook for additional suggested resources.
See also specific journal or professional association guidelines.
Grad Writing ESL Resource - Collab Site - sign up for access
GWL Word Choice Cheat Sheet (requires UVA login)
Collocation & Technical Dictionaries
Babylon 10 Science & Engineering Dictionary
Just the Word Collocation dictionary - see which words go together
Ozdic Collocation Dictionary Shows common constructions, collocations, and local context for the word you look up; note: may not show some very common uses.
Word & Phrase search for chunks of language (phrases) and see in context; from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) by BYU
Also see using COCA below.
For Speaking & Pronunciation
Phraseum Searchable phrases by use- mostly spoken; mini phrase tutorials by specific uses (i.e. phrases for___)- see the one on presentations especially
Forvo Pronunciation of technical vocabulary by a variety of speakers and accents + definitions & synonyms. Hear real pronunciation of technical vocabulary. Also has android & iOS app.
YouGlish Authentic technical vocabulary pronounced in real contexts through searchable videos. Use educational YouTube videos as a corpus of examples. Search a technical word or phrase and get a series of seemingly endless examples of the phrase in context in lectures and presentations with captioning so you can hear how it is pronounced in context by a variety of speakers.
Using COCA (The Corpus of Contemporary American English)
COCA (The Corpus of Contemporary American English) This large collection of texts is navigable through a sophisticated web interface that allows you to search in different ways to see language in use in real contexts. You can identify how words, phrases and parts of speech are typically used by exploring very organized examples across different sub collections of text. See the academic subcorpus especially.
You can learn the five basic functions of COCA (List, KWIC, Collocates, Compare, & Chart) through the tutorials below. Each tutorial has a video and a pdf transcript. The tutorials are CCBY and developed by Iowa State University in conjunction with the US Department of State.
COCA tutorial: The List function (4:26 min) [PDF, 699K]
Using COCA: The Keyword In Context (KWIC) function (4:54 min) [PDF, 762K]
Using COCA: The Collocates function (4:20 min) [PDF, 895K]
Using COCA: The Collocates function (cont.) (3:09 min) [PDF, 645K]
Using COCA: The Compare function (3:42 min) [PDF, 683K]
Using COCA: The Chart function (2:47 min) [PDF, 392K]
Free Software for Exploring Language in Collections of Texts
AntConc - Concordancing software to quickly and easily see patterns in text. Use articles you've collected and converted to .txt or use AntCorGen to download and process PLOS articles related to your discipline quickly.
Video tutorials on AntConc by the developer
Corpus Analysis with AntConc - one of many screenshot guides explaining how to use AntConc to explore texts
AntCorGen - Quickly download and process whole or sections of PLOS articles by discipline for use in other programs like AntConc (fastest way to get a lot of discipline specific examples quickly)
AntFileConverter - Convert Pdf and Word .docx to .txt for use in corpus tools like AntConc (You can use this first so you can use articles you have as pdfs in AntConc)
Grad Writing ESL Resource - Collab Site - sign up for access
GWL Sentences & Punctuation Cheat Sheet (requires UVA login)
GWL Article Decision Tree (requires UVA login)
Overviews
A Scientific Approach to Writing for Engineers and Scientists IEEE book, grammatical conventions explained; free online access to the ebook with your UVA login
Grammar Bytes 'Grammar instruction with attitude' Fun grammar and mechanics resources including handouts, videos, presentations, a MOOC, interactive exercises (quizzes), and definitions. Fragments and comma splices interactive exercises and informative materials are particularly useful.
Guide to Grammar & Writing from the CCCF An interactive resource with explanations and exercises on many word, phrase, sentence & paragraph level writing, grammar and mechanics topics including parts of speech, punctuation, and sentence structure
The Purdue OWL - more undergraduate focused but some guides may be useful- see English as a Second Language->ESL Students, combining sentence, pronouns, nominalizations & subject position, prepositions, punctuation | General Writing-> mechanics, grammar, punctuation
Verbs
Verb Tenses in Research Writing
Verb Tense Tutorial Verb tense tutorial from EnglishPage (many other tutorials also available)
Gerunds & Infinitives Tutorial EnglishPage tutorial that goes through when to use infinitives ( to__) and gerunds (__-ing)
Prepositions
Abstract & Academic Prepositions Worksheet
Prepositions with Abstract Nouns
Nouns & Articles
Definite & Indefinite Articles Basic decision chart from George Mason Writing Center
Sentence Structures
Combining Clauses to Avoid Comma Splices, Run-Ons, and Fragments from George Mason Writing Center
Rules for Finding & Fixing Comma Splices & Fused Sentences from Grammar Bytes
Comma Splices & Fused Sentences Interactive Exercises from Grammar Bytes
Rules for Finding & Fixing Fragments from Grammar Bytes
Fragments Interactive Exercises from Grammar Bytes
Punctuation
Semicolons and Colons quick intro video from Texas A&M's University Writing Center
note: Students for whom English is an additional language can also make one-on-one appointments through the UVA Writing Center (different than the Graduate Writing Lab) with an ESL specialist to work on aspects of the English language or review their work. Be sure to choose a tutor that has 'ESL' in their name to ensure you get an appointment with an instructor instead of an undergraduate student.
Grad Writing ESL Resource - Collab Site - sign up for access
Sentence Level
The Science of Scientific Writing Gopen & Swan
Duke Graduate School Scientific Writing Resource Tips for scientific writing
Sentence Structure of Technical Writing PPT from MIT
A Scientific Approach to Writing for Engineers and Scientists IEEE book, grammatical conventions explained; free online access to the ebook with your UVA login
Strategies for Improving Clarity slides from Nathan Sheffield, PhD
Accurate Documentation A discussion of how and why to cite sources in engineering and technical writing
Graduate Research Advanced Skills Program Resources from Curtin University in Australia. Includes videos, handouts, slides, etc. for a number of workshops on research writing topics including better sentences & paragraphs in research writing, developing arguments, being critical and writing analytically.
Organization
How to Write Paragraphs in Research Texts (articles, books, and PhDs) Overview of key components in paragraphs in research writing, including why and how to use them and common issues
Technical Writing Rhetorical Structures Outline of organizational structures for technical writing from the University of Toronto Engineering Communication Program
The Writing Process Tips for planning and revising from the University of Toronto Engineering Communication Program
What is paragraph re-planning? Explanation of reverse outlining as a revision technique
Reverse Outlining- revising technique in a short video from Texas A&M's University Writing Center
Additional Sources
George Mason University Writing Center Quick Guides a number of short pages on a variety of pertinent topics
UNC Writing Center Tips & Tools A long list of links to resources on a number of topics
Patter Academic writing blog with posts on a number of topics
Becoming an Academic Writer - 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing, Patricia Goodson (Book)
Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited & Proposals That Get Funded- Schimel (2012) - ebook through UVA library; especially useful for the story aspect of research writing
How to Maintain Your Digital Identity As An Academic A Chronicle-Vitae post on maintaining an online presence as an academic through various social media and website outlets and its importance for your career
Topical Academic Hashtags An annotated list of hashtags for following and joining conversations related to academia, graduate school, research writing, the job market and more.
Creating Your Online Presence from the UVA Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs
ORCiD: The Free iD that Can Ensure You get Credit for All of Your Research (library workshop on ORCiD)
Advisors at the Center for Engineering Career Development can help with preparing job and PhD application materials. They have a page of resources for grad students. UVA Engineering graduate students can make a 1-on-1 appointment in Handshake to get individualized help and resources in preparing job documents tailored specifically to their needs. See the CECD graduate student page for details and the latest info. There are also walkin appointments available daily.
PhDPlus also offers one-on-one career related consultations for PhD students and a range of programming for all graduate students at UVA.
CV, resume, & cover letter resources from PhDPlus
Academic Jobs
The Academic Job Search Handbook -ebook available through the UVA library
Academic Job Application Materials (UVA Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs)
Online Academic Job Prep Workshops from the UVA Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs, covers academic cvs, cover letters, teaching statements & interview with videos & slides
CTE's Teaching Statements resources includes a handout, rubric, samples and more
CTE's Teaching Portfolio resources
MIT CommKits from biological engineering, electrical engineering/computer science and chemical engineering see Professional Communication section
Diversity Statements
The Academic Job Search Handbook -ebook available through the UVA library
Writing Effective Diversity Statements for the Academic Job Market - pdf of presentations slides from UChicagoGrad
Writing Diversity Statements - from Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of Arizona- see links on page for presentation slides & examples
Diversity Statements - quick 2 page pdf from Graduate Career Services at University of Notre Dame
Developing and Writing a Diversity Statement - Beck (2018) Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching, includes topics, common questions & prompts to get you started
Contributions to Diversity Statements - includes link to a one page guide for writing them, examples, evaluation criteria (school specific), from UCSanDiego
Related Articles-
The Case for Diversity Statements - LSA University of Michigan
Breaking Down Diversity Statements- Inside Higher Ed, includes categorization & examples of common elements in diversity statements
Demystifying the Diversity Statement - Inside Higher Ed (opinion)
Nonacademic Jobs (Industry, Government, etc.)
NonAcademic Job Application Materials (UVA Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs)
UVA Career Center Engineering, Science, & Technology Community
MIT CommKits from biological engineering, electrical engineering/computer science and chemical engineering see Professional Communication section
See the resources compiled on the Office of Research's Research Communication page. Most of the resources are videos. Many are useful for communicating with technical and nontechnical audiences. Those on preparing slide decks can be useful for talks for any audience.
COURSE: STS 555 - Communicating Research to External Audiences (UVA course)
Connect with Engineers Writing for Public Audiences
Make an appointment with Marlit Hayslett, Director of Research Messaging (marlit@virginia.edu), to review your talk/presentation.
Check out PHD+ offerings.
also see MIT CommKits from biological engineering, electrical engineering/computer science and chemical engineering see the Science Policy section
Graduate School
A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum - Calarco (2020) - ebook vis UVA library
Writing Your Way out of Imposter Stress from Yale's GWL
Writing through Imposter Stress for Military Veterans Going into Academia from Yale's GWL
Vlog Series from the Office of Graduate Research, Flinders University (Australia) on Youtube - direct videos addressing a wide range of graduate school situations and behind the scenese perspectives. Note that these adress the Australian university situation but much of the content is transferable and can provide insights for a US situation as well and offer points to think about in your own interactions and studies.
Working with Academic Advisors & Mentors
Graduate School Mentoring Guide- a Guide for Students - Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan
Assess Your Working Relationship with Your PI - online quiz from UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development
Vlog 198- How to establish and maintain a professional relationship with a supervisor - from Office of Graduate Research, Flinders University (Australia)
Advising Tips Videos- from Claremont Graduate University -sets of short videos on advisor/advisee relationships and navigating post coursework
How to ask for letters of Reccommendation - MIT NSE CommLab
Guide to NSF GRFP Reference Letters- PDF compiled by Katie Pelland for the UVA Engineering Graduate Writing Lab
Vlog 175- Why your supervisor does not give you feedback - from Office of Graduate Research Flinders University (Australia)
Feedback Optimization/Cognition (PDF) - GWL, requires UVA login
Working withy Graduate Student Writers Faculty Guide - Purdue, Campbell & Kennell (2018)
The Manage Up Series - from UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development - includes slides, recordings and resources related to professional skills and reflection
NSF GRFP Resources
Strategies & Engineering Research Writing
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Revising Your Own Writing (Research Writing in Engineering) (Self Editing)
Feedback Optimization Table- printable double sided
Tips for Giving & Receiving Feedback
Planning for Productive Writing
Sentences and Punctuation Refresher for Scientific Research Writing
Sentences & Punctuation Cheat Sheet
Article Decision Tree (a, an, the)
Structuring Paragraphs for Readability and Flow (workshop slides)
Word for Dissertation & Document Formatting
Writing Abstracts
Writing Introductions for Engineering Research
Word Choice in Research Writing
Verb Tense in Scientific Research Writing