Topic outline
-
Welcome to the beginning of your research degree! The first major goal in your research journey is to write a research proposal. The Research proposal writing series of workshops is designed to assist you. The workshops in the series will step you through the elements involved in writing a research proposal, from research reading and record keeping, to writing the literature review, to editing, as well as assisting you in the preparation and presentation of your research in academic forums. The series provides a foundation in research skills that will serve you well throughout your research writing journey, and a place where you can meet and learn from fellow doctoral researchers. Each series is run with either a Business, Social Sciences and Humanities (BSSH) or Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Maths, Medical and health (STEMM) focus.
Information about STEMM research proposal writing workshops for 2024, and a link to the EDGEx registration sites can be found below. Online resources to support research writing are linked from the right menu. Please read through all of the information on this page and the Frequently Asked Questions from the left menu before registering for and attending a workshop. Save this site to your favourites list!
Research proposal writing workshops for STEMM are offered at Mawson Lakes, City East and City West campuses. Workshops are repeated at different times and on different campuses, and occasionally several workshops are held on the same day or couple of days. The content covered in workshops with the same title is the same. Although some workshops are held consecutively on the same day, there will be a break in the middle and it is important to register for each workshop separately.
Commencing research proposal writing workshops, February to August, 2024
Date
Activity Title
Time and location
13 Feb Research reading, record keeping 10am–12pm, Tues, CE P3-18 13 Feb RP introduction and structure 12.30pm–2.30pm, Tues, CE P3-18 14 Feb Writing the literature review 10am–12pm, Weds, CE P3-18 14 Feb Referencing 12.30pm–2.30pm, Weds, CE P3-18 14 Feb Writing about method 2.45pm–4pm, Weds, CE P3-18 27 March Preparing for and practicing a research presentation 1.30pm–5.30pm, Weds, ML P1-10 28 March Getting off to a flying start (GOTAFS) 9.30am–2.30pm, Thurs, CW H5-02 Bradley Forum 31 May Research reading, record keeping 11am–1pm, Fri, zoom 7 June RP introduction and structure 10am–12pm, Fri, zoom 14 June Writing the literature review 2.30–4.30pm, Fri, zoom 21 June Referencing 10am–12pm, Fri, zoom 24 June Editing essentials 3pm–5pm, Mon, ML, GP1-06 28 June Writing about methods 4–6pm, Fri , zoom 2 July Preparing for oral presentations 1.30pm–3.30pm, Tues, CW, JS6-17 2 July Practicing a presentation 3.30pm–5.30pm, Tues, CW, JS6-17 23 July Research reading, record keeping 12pm–2pm, Tues, ML F1-17 23 July RP introduction and structure 2pm–4pm, Tues, ML F1-17 24 July Writing the literature review 10am–12pm, Weds, ML F1-17 24 July Referencing 1pm–3pm, Weds, ML P1-15 24 July Writing about methods 3pm–4.30pm, Weds, ML P1-15 Commencing research proposal writing workshops, October to November, 2024
Date
Activity Title
Time and location
18 Oct Preparing for oral presentations 1pm–3pm, Fri, ML, GP1-06 18 Oct Practicing a presentation 3pm–5pm, Fri, ML, GP1-06 24th Oct Working with supervisors and making the most of your research (STEMM and BSSH) 11am–1pm, Thurs, zoom 28 Oct Research reading, record keeping 10am–12pm, Mon, CW JS6-17 28 Oct RP introduction and structure 12.30pm–2.30pm, Mon, CW JS6-17 4 Nov Writing the literature review 10am–12pm, Mon, CW JS6-17 4 Nov Referencing 12.30pm–2.30pm, Mon, CW JS6-17 25 Nov Writing about methods 10am–12pm, Mon, CW JS6-17 27 Nov Editing essentials 10am–12pm, Weds, CE P3-19
Workshops involve facilitator-led presentations and group activities, analysis of discipline examples, group or pair discussion of your research and research writing, and individual writing on your research proposal. Most workshops are conducted in computer pools. Please ensure you can access your written drafts, notetaking system/s and files or other research materials during the workshops so you can share and refer to them during a workshop. Please also read the relevant online resource on the workshop topic before coming along to a workshop.Zoom workshops
Zoom workshops are interactive in the same way that face to face workshops are. If you will be attending a workshop via zoom, please ensure you are able to participate in a quiet, private space and that your audio and video is working effectively. When you enter the workshop room it is important to turn your video and audio on. If your audio or video is not working, that's ok, come to the workshop anyway, but please let the group know using the chat function and we'll do our best to ensure you're included in the discussion. No lurking please! It's disconcerting for the group. The zoom link is available on the registration page. It is the same link for all commencing series research proposal workshops, so you can save the link in your diary.
Just-in-time support
We do our best to ensure that everyone can access support. Because candidates start at different times of the year and work in both internal and external modes it can be difficult to get enough candidates together at one time to offer a workshop. Some things to bear in mind therefore:
- Even if you are not working on the workshop topic when the workshop is offered, come anyway! Commencing workshops provide a foundation in research skills that will serve you well for your entire candidature. It won't be too late or too early to get useful information that will assist you across your candidature.
- It's important to engage with support and to start building networks and connecting with peers early on and throughout your candidature. Research shows that commencing candidates underestimate the importance of peer support and learning in successful completion, and that isolation can have a negative impact on your candidature. Engaging with others is more important than you may think! The university-wide training events offer an important space where you can meet candidates from across areas.
- If you need support on a topic and there is no workshop, the online resources cover key points from workshops, and new resources and updates are added regularly including recordings from academics and librarians at the University about different aspects of writing.
- If you are an external student and there won't be a zoom workshop for some time, and/or you can get together at least five committed students at the same time for a zoom workshop, let us know (you can email wendy.bastalich@unisa.edu.au). We can put additional workshops on for you if we have an agreed time and the numbers to do so.
- We don't make recordings of the workshops themselves because much of the time in the workshops is spent in private group discussion, or in writing activities. And a recording cannot replace the learning and connection that happens within the engagement and interactivity of a workshop, whether by zoom or face-to-face.
It is important to register for workshops as reminders, pre-workshop activities, and other important information about workshops is forwarded from the registration site to your student email address. Don't forget to check your student email regularly. If you find you will not be able to attend a workshop, please de-register at least two to three days before the workshop. In the two days before the workshop, the system will not allow you to de-register and your record will be 'no show'. If you can't make it on the day or so before the workshop, email the facilitator via the email link provided on EDGEx to let them know. They will then automatically record your attendance as 'excused'. It is important to de-register or to let the facilitator know if you won't be able to make it to a workshop because we sometimes work with small numbers of participants and we occasionally have to cancel a workshop if we don't have the numbers on the day. Letting us know you won't be able to make it as soon as you can means we can prevent inconveniencing other candidates in the event of a cancellation, some of whom travel a long way to attend workshops.