As a graduate student, you are likely facing new academic challenges. The ideas about which you are reading, thinking, and writing are becoming increasingly complex, yet you need to find clear, concise, and engaging ways to express them. You are shifting from a focus on consuming information to a focus on producing and disseminating new knowledge and insights. You are expected to be fluent in the conventions of your discipline and to produce work that is free of grammatical and spelling errors.
Academic Skills works closely with graduate students to help them develop as scholars and writers as well as teaching assistants. We hope that you will take advantage of the many services that we can offer you.
Learn more:
- NEW Resource: Graduate Student Writers Sharepoint Site
- Services for Graduate Students
- Three Minute Thesis
- Services for Teaching Assistants
Welcome to the New SharePoint site for Graduate Students!
Starting the week of September 16, 2024, all Trent graduate students will have access to the Graduate Student Writers’ Group Sharepoint Site. This site contains information about Academic Skills support for graduate students, including programs and events geared to graduate students. Also, the SharePoint site contains a repository of presentation slides from these events. You will receive an email inviting you to join this site; be sure to follow this site to access these valuable supports.
Navigate to Graduate Student Writers Group Sharepoint Site (note you must be signed in to myTrent with your Trent graduate student account to access this site)
Services for Graduate Students
Individual Appointments
Graduate students are welcome to book a free, confidential one-on-one appointment with an Academic Skills instructor.
Synchronous video, in-person, and asynchronous appointments are available to book in the Student Experience Portal.
Writing Conferences
You can book a free and confidential appointment to discuss any aspect of your writing. Academic Skills instructors can help you organize your ideas, outline, or upgrade your grammar skills. They can also look at partial drafts and comment on grammar, organization, and clarity.
Time Management for Graduate Students
Graduate work often involves long-term research and writing projects that have few check points along the way. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of what you need to accomplish and, as a result, to procrastinate your work. You can book an appointment with an Academic Skills Instructor to discuss time management problems and to create a project plan that will work for you.
Grant Applications and Personal Statements
Academic Skills provides several resources to help you as you write graduate school or grant applications. Academic Skills is not an editing or proofreading service, but our instructors can comment on the strength and clarity of your writing and organization.
Workshops
Fall 2024 Workshops
Graduate Academic Integrity and Using Sources in your Writing
Date: Tuesday, September 24
Place: Zoom
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Did you know that plagiarizing, cheating, and dishonesty are violations of Trent’s Graduate Academic Integrity policy? Do you know how to prevent plagiarism? This workshop will help graduate students protect their academic integrity by introducing them to Trent’s Graduate Academic Integrity Policy. We will delve into prevention strategies by using paraphrasing, attributing techniques, and citing of sources. Register on Student Experience Portal
Time Management for Grad Students
Date: Tuesday, October 15
Place: Zoom
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Need help balancing competing time pressures and commitments from a variety of sources, such as research, course work, teaching commitments, and personal life? This workshop will help with project management skills and prioritizing through the establishment of long- and short-term goals. The process of conquering the workload will become more manageable. Register on Student Experience Portal
Managing the Graduate Reading Load
Date: Tuesday, November 5
Place: Zoom
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 pm
The graduate reading load can be overwhelming. This workshop will help graduate students understand the goals of graduate reading, the key challenges of reading large volumes of text, the process of reading, and methods to deal with the graduate reading load effectively and efficiently. We will discuss note-taking strategies and some of the common pitfalls of graduate reading. Register on Student Experience Portal
Common Writing Concerns for Graduate Students
Date: Tuesday, November 19
Place: Zoom
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 pm
This workshop will explore some of the common concerns seen in graduate writing assignments from course-based writing to research proposals and thesis writing. We will explore the writing process as an aid in clarifying the thought process. We will discuss style and flow in writing, the needs of the reader, and the basis of strong writing - the paragraph. Register on Student Experience Portal
Winter 2024 Workshop Offerings
Writing about Quantitative Data for Grad Students
Are you planning on including quantitative data in your research project? Then this workshop was created for you! We will discuss how to organize your analysis for quantitative data, how to write about statistics, the best methods to visually present your data, and how to refer to figures in your writing. We will conclude with a discussion of how to explain your findings in the results and discussion section of your thesis.
Writing about Qualitative Data for Grad Students
Are you planning on including qualitative data in your research project? Then this workshop was created for you! We will discuss how to organize your analysis of qualitative data, the process of analysis, a discussion of NVivo analytic software, how to create and write about themes, the best methods to visually present your data, and how to refer to figures in your writing. We will conclude with a discussion of how to explain your findings in your thesis.
Survival Strategies for your Thesis Defence
This workshop will help graduate students understand the thesis defense process by demystifying the presentation, question period, and evaluation processes. We will discuss your thesis talk, including knowing your audience, explaining the rationale for your research, and telling your research story. We will provide strategies to handle the question period and some general survival tips.
Graduate Student Writing Group – Motivation Mondays
The graduate student writing group helps to develop writers with tips to improve their writing as well as create a community of writers to encourage and celebrate achievements of writing.
Graduate students will be encouraged to set realistic writing goals on a weekly basis to monitor their progress and to maintain momentum with their writing.
We will be meeting every Monday (except October 14 and 21) starting on Monday, September 16 from 10:30 to 11:30 am. Hybrid presentation with in-person meetings occurring at Wallis Hall 226 and via Zoom. Register on Student Experience Portal
Schedule of Writing Tips and Motivation Topics
- Week 1: Sept 16
- Pre-writing strategies: Organizing your ideas
- Goal setting
- Week 2: Sept 23
- Using your outline to manage time
- How to build momentum: 5 Steps
- Week 3: Sept 30
- Focusing literature reviews
- The motivation equation
- Week 4: Oct 7
- Integrating evidence
- Imposter syndrome
- Holiday Monday: Oct 14
- No Motivation Monday
- Reading Week: Oct 21
- No Motivation Monday
- Week 5: Oct 28
- Typical moves in a research paper
- Overcoming academic perfectionism
- Week 6: Nov 4
- Paragraph structure
- Stress and burnout in Graduate students
- Week 7: Nov 11
- Creating cohesion
- 5 ways to stop negative self-talk
- Week 8: Nov 18
- Reducing wordiness
- Blocking your time to write
- Week 9: Nov 25
- Using passive and active voice
- Impulsivity and distraction
- Week 10: Dec 2
- Revision strategies: Early and late-stage revision
- Celebrate your progress
Graduate Writing and Research Week 2024
Graduate Writing and Research Week will take place during October 21 to 23, 2024. Academic Skills and Trent Library will present virtual workshops for graduate students. We will focus on topics that are relevant to graduate students as you work through your course work and research projects. You pick the workshops that you wish to attend. Each session is 50 minutes long. The workshops will be over Zoom. Register on Student Experience Portal
2024 GWRW Schedule
- Mon. Oct 21, 1:00: Literature Reviews
- Understand how literature reviews present a foundation of knowledge on the topic, identify important studies, and establish rationale for a study.
- Mon. Oct 21, 2:00: Using Sources in your Writing
- Discover ways to use sources in your writing by effectively integrating and synthesizing multiple sources into your writing. Create coherent arguments, use your own voice, and develop your topic.
- Mon. Oct 21, 3:00: Citation Management Software
- Citation management software enables you to cite, organize, and create a reference list. Learn the highlights of Zotero, so that you can get the most out of this free, versatile tool. Facilitated by a Trent librarian.
- Tues. Oct 22, 1:00: Research Proposals
- Research proposals clarify researchers’ thoughts to form a statement of research intent. We will discuss a structured approach to collect, analyze, and interpret information to create new knowledge.
- Tues. Oct 22, 2:00: MaDGIC – Data Management and Analysis Tools
- Introduction to MaDGIC resources including research computing capability, data analysis tools and software availability, and data management protocols at Trent library. Facilitated by a Trent librarian.
- Tues. Oct 22, 3:00: Project Management
- Improve your project management skills, especially for larger research projects. We will consider competing priorities, building momentum, and maintaining motivation to reach your completion goals.
- Wed. Oct 23, 1:00: Navigating Graduate School
- We will look at some strategies to improve your resilience, build momentum to complete your projects, and provide tips to improve interactions with your supervisor.
- Wed. Oct 23, 2:00: Oral Presentations
- Improve your presentation by emphasizing your main points. Learn to make each presentation slide stand on its own, achieve balanced and consistent layouts, explore disciplinary differences, and make visuals easy to read.
- Wed. Oct 23, 3:00: Publishing Journal Articles
- We will consider some myths about publishing, how to select a suitable journal for your publication, and ways to strengthen your argument and structure your paper.
On the Write Track - Remote Weekly Writing Group
The Pomodoro Technique is an effective method to make progress on your work that incorporates periods of time to focus and short breaks. Using the Pomodoro Technique, On the Write Track provides graduate students with a structured way to keep themselves accountable for their thesis, MRP, or other major projects. Join an Academic Skills Instructor each week for a two-hour session where they will provide you with resources and a structured setting to meet your writing goals.
This workshop series runs for six weeks starting October 30th and requires consistent attendance to be successful. By the end of the six-week period, students will have more familiarity with effective writing techniques to help them meet their goals.
Sessions are offered virtually over Zoom on Wednesdays between 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm.
Please note: this session is reserved exclusively for graduate students at Trent University. If you are a Trent undergraduate student, please see our helpful guides, including our information on the Pomodoro Method. If you would like to express your interest in having this program offered to undergraduates, please email acdskills@trentu.ca.
Graduate Writing Retreat
May 8, 9, 10, 2024
9am to 4pm
In-person at Traill College
Are you planning to work on your course work, MRP, thesis, or other writing over the summer of 2024? Join your fellow graduate students and learn how to increase productivity as you progress with your writing.
The Writing Retreat will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Wednesday, May 8, and Thursday, May 9, and Friday, May 10. One objective of the program is to build a writing community, so this event will be held in person. We take over Scott House and Bagnani Hall, Traill College, so you can use the many writing spaces at Traill.
We will be modelling daily writing processes to promote effective and efficient writing strategies. Each day will begin with a brief workshop on a writing-related issue. Academic Skills instructors will be available to meet students individually to discuss writing projects and to create their own writing goals. During breaks, we will offer activities to promote physical and mental wellness. We will wrap up by reviewing daily goals and preparing for the next day's writing.
Trent librarians will be offering a workshop on reference management software. This is a great opportunity to improve your digital organizational skills under the guidance of the experts.
Nutritional snacks will be available throughout each day to offer fuel for writing. On the last day there will be a free pizza lunch.
Sample schedule
- 9:00 - 9:45 am: Workshop: Overcoming Barriers to Write and Goal Setting
- 10:00 - 12:00 noon: Writing on your own
- Pomodoro Writing – 25-minute writing sessions with 5-minute breaks in between
- Academic Skills instructors available to have one-on-one appointments to discuss goal setting and writing
- 12:00 - 12:30 pm: Lunch – on your own
- 12:30 - 1:00 pm: Virtual walk – photography competition
- 1:15 - 3:00 pm: Writing on your own
- Pomodoro Writing – 25-minute writing sessions with 5-minute breaks in between
- Academic Skills instructors available to have one-on-one appointments to discuss goal setting and writing
- 3:00 – 3:30 pm: Workshop: Citation Management Software with a Trent Librarian
- 3:30 - 4:00 pm: Workshop: Review of daily goals and prepare for next writing session
This free event for Trent Graduate students is sponsored by Academic Skills and Traill College.
Services for Teaching Assistants
Referring Students
As a teaching assistant, you can refer students to Academic Skills for help with their math, reading, listening, writing, and grammar skills. Referrals can be made either by emailing acdskills@trentu.ca (please cc the student on the email) or by providing students with information about our services. Students can book appointments directly at www.trentu.ca/sep