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Central Hub of the Testimonials, Case Studies and Reviews of the Researchers' Writing Academy
Central Hub of the Testimonials, Case Studies and Reviews of the Researchers' Writing Academy
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Written testimonials
From Assistant professors
"Before enrolling in the Researchers‘ Writing Academy, I approached academic writing as something tedious that I needed to do. I struggled to know what story I wanted to tell in my papers and my writing always seemed kind of chunky and disconnected. More often than not, my co-authors and I would end up having an editing nightmare!
Now, after joining the course, I have confidence in my writing skill. I know exactly what I need to do, how to structure paragraphs and how to make my writing flow. Anna is very patient with her students and able to pick up the story of a paper quickly - no matter the research field.
Writing a paper with co-authors is now a much smoother process. I can now write a draft in just four weeks – if I’m clear on my results and fully in writing mode. The other big change is that I have started to really enjoy writing. Being able to see a year-long project turn into a well-written manuscript is so much fun!
Since enrolling in the course, my papers read so much better and I have already published one paper (that was highlighted by the journal as paper of the month!) and two more are on the way!"
Dr Jia NgAssistant Professor in Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine, US“When I joined the Researchers’ Writing Academy several years ago, I was a pretty new Assistant Professor and I was also a new mother without excess time to write papers on nights and weekends. It would take me SO long to get to a final paper draft.
Having the structured writing process that the Journal Publication Formula teaches really paid off a lot. For the last paper that I published as a first author, I really used the Journal Publication Formula from start to finish. And I wrote the entire Introduction section in 3 hours! I’d never done that before! And we have really long Introductions in our field. It was incredible. It was like that for the Discussion section too, and then I submitted. And I got the best reviews I’ve ever had in my life for this paper! The reviewers praised the clarity, I did a few quick revisions, and it got accepted.
The support inside the Researchers’ Writing Academy helped me integrate (at least a little bit) writing every week. Over time, I’ve noticed that I’m making steady progress throughout the term, and with our focused multiple-day retreats and sprints mixed in, I’m pushing projects forward more.
The Researchers’ Writing Academy has been so helpful and so worthwhile and I plan to stay a part of it.”
Dr Liv HoverstenAssistant Professor, UC Santa Cruz, US“Writing used to feel like a slog. I didn’t see myself as a writer – it was just another chore I had to do.
The Researchers’ Writing Academy made a big difference. I immediately wrote a paper using the Journal Publication Formula and got pretty much only stylistic revisions back before it was published! It was a really good process and I didn’t avoid writing at any point.
Thanks to the RWA, I now have a consistent writing routine, it’s part of my day. It’s even something that I enjoy because I know what to do next and I have a plan.”
Dr Jenny Grant WeinandyAssistant Professor, Ohio University, US"Before joining the Researchers’ Writing Academy, I was questioning if I belonged in academia – AND whether or not someone was going to figure out! My writing was disorganised and the feedback I would often get was something along the lines of “we don’t think your research fits in our journal” even though I thought it fitted perfectly.
The Researchers’ Writing Academy has helped me understand in a tangible way how to communicate my research through storytelling. And I already got a Revise & Resubmit! I got so much confidence from this program and this is a big deal for me. Now I’m fully committed to my academic career!
Anna demonstrates in the course that she actually knows the information she’s teaching and isn’t just regurgitating what others have said in the past. She really hooks her audience!
On a broader level, I have understood that we researchers aren’t just all bad communicators. Rather, the reason why we often don’t communicate well is that we don’t know the process or structure to communicate better. And that’s fixable!"
Dr Jourdan DavisAssistant Professor in Public Administration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, United States[to be added]
Dr Makella CoudrayAssistant Professor, University of Central Florida, US"Before joining in the Researchers’ Writing Academy, I felt like I was drowning in a writing sea. I had the world of time and resources but I simply did not know what to write.
After joining, I developed a half-written draft alongside watching the course lessons. I followed Anna’s structured writing plan and I could see that my writing started to flow. The storytelling approach kickstarts the process of writing a paper for me and my introduction sections aren’t lengthy anymore but focused. I actually started to enjoy the writing process itself! I always knew I had it in me, and the Researchers’ Writing Academy was the key to that portal. This is by far the best course I have ever attended (not only on writing but in general)!
As soon as I finished the course, I produced two papers. I am now publishing actual papers that I believe anyone would love to read! And that is my foundation stone for the science journey I am about to embark on."
Medical ScientistNational Institute of Occupational Health, IndiaFrom (Associate) professors
"I really enjoyed the course. I am an excellent writer and have been writing and submitting manuscripts for a while. However, the course significantly improved my process of engaging with and receiving feedback from my co-authors.
The particular breakthrough I received in the RWA was with regard to the necessary work prior to writing, especially with regard to creating an outline prior to committing to a full manuscript. It sounds like a simple intervention; but it really changed the way I interact with my co-authors. It has cut down significantly on major edits of fully written manuscripts and allows me to fully engage co-authors early on in the manuscript-writing process. Now there is less confusion and fewer surprises during the writing process!"
Dr Oluwatoyosi A. Onwuemene, M.D.Associate Professor of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, US"The Researchers' Writing Academy was sooooo valuable, from setting up the strategy to work with coauthors, to developing the central message, and making sure to maintain flow...
This was the nicest ever review process in my 30 years in academia. We received comments such as "Well written" "I liked reading this article nicely presented" from the reviewers.... unusual to receive those types of comments when not a native English speaker/writer.
I joined the RWA after 2 desk rejects on a previous manuscript. I left it "soaking" for this past year, and now I feel ready to tackle it again."
Dr GabrielaProfessor"After 15 years in academia, I still learned so much about academic writing and feel less intimidated about writing papers.
The Journal Publication Formula and the coaching sessions elevated not only my writing skills but also the suggestions I can give to my students as they write their thesis.
I recommend your program to scholars in all stages of their careers who want to improve their academic writing."
Dr Emi UchidaProfessor in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, University of Rhode Island, USAFrom POSTDOCS + RESEARCHERS
"Anna’s formula turns a complicated and oftentimes daunting task into an easy to follow method.
This formula removed the barriers I had in my writing process, and helped me with task initiation, organization, and goal-making.
I now have a clearly written manuscript that delivers my results, and demonstrates their impact from the first sentence to the last."
Dr Amy SardoneNSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow, Ohio State University"Writing was dreadful for me. I had to write one last paper from my PhD and I had no motivation to do that because the paper had been rejected twice already and I had moved to a new role and discipline.
The Journal Publication Formula gave me that clear vision of why people should care about the research and that made it easier to write the paper! It helped me organise my thoughts and the structure of the paper. The paper is under review now, so it passed the first test: It didn’t get desk-rejected!
The prorgram helped me to enjoy writing and I think it made me a better academic! Because if you enjoy writing papers, you are going to write more of them.
The program is definitely worth the money spent because you get the hang of how you want to structure your papers. Going through the process of the Journal Publication Formula gave me confidence into defining my own voice and what I wanted my papers to be like. It’s an investment into my future self."
Dr Amelie Jeanneau Postdoc, The University of Adelaide in Australia"For an absurdly long time in my professional career, I was terrified leaving out information and references so my papers became 20 pages long, and honestly boring to read. I didn’t even want to edit them so they would never get them submitted. Anna’s advice and the curriculum have helped me get unstuck.
I applied the Journal Publication Formula to one of these “mountaineous” papers that was clogging up my publishing pipeline and rewrote it. When I sent the draft to co-authors they said “really well written”. I was mind blown. These were new words to me! So once that was through, all these other projects could finally move along.
Anna helps you understand more about yourself and then work with yourself instead of against yourself in order to accomplish your goals. It’s a very supportive community. I really value and enjoy and look forward to participating because it feels safe."
Dr Erika RoeslerResearcher, National Laboratory, US"I absolutely love, love the course. Anna gave me a formula that really makes sense. Once I watched the first module, I was hooked!
During my enrollment, I worked on two first-author papers using the Journal Publication Formula. One of them was recently published.
I consider myself fortunate that I found out about the Researchers’ Writing Academy."
Dr Katia CanenguezDisparities Researcher, Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital, US"I kept hitting the same wall: unclear story arcs, heavy paragraphs, and editing deadlocks that stalled submissions.
Anna’s framework changed that. I can say it’s not magic; she engineered the writing process. A disciplined, template-driven framework that starts with a top-down approach, then drills into the micro-structure of sentences and paragraphs, and sustains cadence through weekly planning and writing.
With Anna’s supervision, I submitted my first paper using the method in 8 weeks, and two more manuscripts followed soon after.
Most importantly, Anna’s coaching was a game-changer for me. Visible steps and mesaurable progress. It's so effective!"
Dr Carlos Alexandre GamaResearcher, Petrobas, Brazil“I was finding it very hard to carve out time for writing. Writing felt like such a drag, it was a source of procrastination and then I felt guilty.
Since being a member of the Researchers’ Writing Academy, I actually started to enjoy the writing. This summer I’ve been doing 10-15 writing sessions per week.
Thanks to the program I wrote and submitted 7 papers in 12 months. The community is where the course comes to life.
The accountability makes you put the content into practice. If I had just hidden away and not taken advantage of the community, Accountability Club and co-writing sessions, I wouldn’t have systematically applied what I learned. It’s really powerful.”
Kate McAlpinePracademic, Fielding University Institute of Social InnovationFrom PHD + Master STUDENTS
“The most concrete result after joining the Researchers’ Writing Academy is that my second PhD article has just been published in One Earth and the fact that it attracted media attention! It was really rewarding!
But what is more important is that I now have confidence in the whole writing process and that is life-changing for me.
I used the Scientific Storytelling Framework taught in the course not only to write my paper but also to prepare for the interviews with journalists.
I think the Researchers’ Writing Academy is the only program available that teaches you how to organise the whole writing process so you produce a scientific paper that gets published.”
Maria OlczakPhD candidate, Queen Mary University of London, UK“I was on my tenth draft, and my PI and I realised it cannot continue this way.
After going through the course modules, I started with a fresh draft that was approved by my PI
after 2(!) iterations. I was struggling with something for so long and then the RWA gets it done in a couple of months!
The community was key. The weekly accountability and co-writing were very motivating for me. It’s encouraging to know others are working alongside you. The Researchers' Writing Academy was one of the best decisions I've ever made for my PhD.”
Geetika ChauhanInstitute of Geophysics, Warsaw, Poland"After taking the course, I feel much more in control of my writing process: I have learned approaches to organize my thoughts and mental models to sustain my writing, and I have acquired the confidence and versatility to convey my research findings as a story.
I was able to convert my master’s thesis into a publishable article and submit it to the journal of Social Psychology in Education. Despite having my supervisors as co-authors, I was able to structure, edit, and submit the article mostly by myself. I shared the article with one of my supervisors, who was very enthusiastic about the final outcome.
After submitting the paper, I feel that writing a publishable article does not have to be as hard as it is often portrayed by academics. I admit that I’m looking forward to writing more articles since it now feels like a manageable challenge and worthwhile endeavor."
Francesco BolzonellaM. Sc. student, Maastricht University, Netherlandscase studies (text + video)
Long standing member Dr Jenny Grant Weinandy reviews her experience in the academic writing program, the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
Assistant Professor Dr Liv Hoversten explains how the Researchers' Writing Academy helped her build a well-paced writing practice throughout the semester and how she was able to write her Introduction section in 3 hours thanks to the Journal Publication Formula.
Stuck on her tenth draft, Geetika was able to get her paper approved within 2 months by spending less time writing and following a streamlined writing process instead.
Pracademic Dr Kate McAlpine reviews her experience in the academic writing program, the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
Maria Olczak, PhD candidate at Queens Mary University of London, shares her experience in the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
Dr Amelie Jeanneau, bushfire risk researcher at The University of Adelaide in Australia details how she got the confidence to define her own voice through the Journal Publication Formula.
Dr Katia Canenguez, Health Disparities researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School shares her experience in the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
Dr Jourdan Davis, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, reflects on her writing since joining the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
Dr Jia Ng, Assistant Professor at the Zucker School of Medicine in the US, reflects on her writing and her writing process since joining the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
An interview with a medical scientist at the National Institute of Occupational Health in India who reflects on her writing since joining the Researchers’ Writing Academy.
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