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Tuesday 18 February 2025

Are you an emerging researcher, or clinician who would like to start publishing your own peer-reviewed manuscripts?

How to Write a Paper will demystify the publication process, and guide you through it – from planning a paper, through to writing it effectively, and finally dealing with the occasionally-brutal peer-review process. In this interactive course, you will come along with an idea for a paper you would like to write, and then work on throughout it the day as each session progresses.

Register now

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Topics covered

In this course, we will cover the following:

  • Planning and structuring your publication
  • Habits of highly-effective writers
  • Crafting a solid Introduction
  • Communicating your Methods succinctly
  • Effectively communicating your Results
  • Bending and shaping your Discussion and Conclusion sections
  • Choosing (and using) referencing tools
  • Picking a journal to submit your paper to
  • Approaching and dealing with the peer-review process

Style of course

This is an interactive course comprised of multiple short presentations, group and individual workshops, and opportunities for discussion.  We ask that you bring along an idea for a paper that you would like to write, which you will work on throughout the day during our workshop sessions. This course will be held in person in Wellington.

Who should attend?

This course is aimed at emerging researchers who are developing an interest in writing academic papers.  We will use examples from public health/epidemiology during the day, but the principles of the course will apply to all medical and health science contexts.

Draft timetable

TimeSessionPresenter(s)
8:30am Registration  
9:00am Welcome, organisation, housekeeping
Overview of today
Why do we publish?
Group Discussion – questions you would like answered in this course
Group Discussion – introduce individual writing projects
Before you begin: some simple questions you must know the answer to
Jason Gurney
10:30am Morning tea 
11:00am Planning for publication: Beginning with the end in mind
Planning for publication: Structuring your paper
The Introduction
Workshop: The Introduction
The Methods
Workshop: The Methods
Jason Gurney
12:30pm Lunch break 
1:30pm The Results
Workshop: The Results
The Discussion
Workshop: The Discussion
Titles, abstracts and authors
Workshop: Titles, abstracts and authors
Jason Gurney
3:00pm Afternoon tea 
3:30pm Referencing tools
Choosing a journal
Submitting your paper
Surviving the peer review process
Jason Gurney
5:00pm Finish  

Teaching staff

  • Dr Jason Gurney is an Associate Professor and Director of the Cancer and Chronic Conditions ( C3 ) Research Group within the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington.  He has a deep, slightly-peculiar passion for both academic and non-academic writing.

Location

Please note new location - This course will be held in-person at the Wellington city campus of University of Otago at 29 Brandon Street (Level 4). Specific directions to the course reception/room will be sent the week before the course start.

Course cost and registration

$375 early bird, $500 after Thursday 19 December 2024.

A 50% discount is available to full-time students, those unwaged and University of Otago staff.

Register now

For more information please contact the course convenor

Contact name
Jason Gurney
Email
jason.gurney@otago.ac.nz
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