Writing & Communication Instruction

Defining Your Next Project on Paper (4 sessions)

The goal for this course is for participants to develop a one-page summary of a new research project. The class will focus on identifying and clearly communicating the gap in knowledge, central research question and hypothesis, and the significance of the proposed work. The objective is to develop a project summary that can be used to discuss the development of their research project with a mentor, or collaborators, and/or program officer.

To learn more or register to participate please contact
Dr. Shriver at mshriver@som.umaryland.edu.

Individual Consultations for K Grant Applications/Summary Statements

Marey Shriver, PhD, Director for Research Career Development, is available to meet with junior faculty to discuss early project conception to the development of a complete NIH career development (K) application. Dr. Shriver offers consultations regarding developing a clear research question and testable hypothesis. In addition, she provides consultations regarding eligibility for K grant applications, planning for an upcoming grant proposal, and assembling a K application – including creating a training plan. Lastly, she is available to discuss strategies for addressing summary statements and revising research grant applications for resubmission.

To request a consultation contact Dr. Shriver at mshriver@som.umaryland.edu.

Writing an NIH Career Development (K) Award Small Interactive Class (9 sessions)

This course is for early stage faculty or senior postdocs who are preparing to develop an NIH “K” award. In order to participate, faculty should be actively working on a draft of their K award, with the goal of submitting their grant application for the upcoming deadline.  All participants must have the approval of their Chairperson to participate.  The course consists of a combination of didactic information and class discussion of participants’ drafts. This class is held every fall.

To learn more or register to participate please contact Dr. Shriver at mshriver@som.umaryland.edu.

Individual Consultations for R Grant Applications/Summary Statements

Christy Chang, PhD, Senior Program Leader for CARTI, is available to meet with faculty to discuss writing their first R01 NIH application. Dr. Chang offers consultations regarding readiness and eligibility for R01 level funding, specific aims, and other elements of a R01 application. In addition, she is available to discuss strategies for addressing summary statements and revising research grant applications for resubmission.

To request a consultation contact Dr. Chang at cchang@som.umaryland.edu.

Writing Your First R01 (9 Sessions) Small Interactive Class

This course provides participants – who are new/junior faculty -- who are actively working on an R01, with the opportunity to learn how to write a competitive R01 grant application in a small group, interactive setting.  Participants attend weekly 2-hour sessions, during which they learn how to develop the content of each of the following components of an NIH R01: Specific Aims; Significance; Innovation; Approach; Project Summary; Environment; Biosketch and Budget. This class is held every summer.

To learn more or register to participate please contact Dr. Chang at cchang@som.umaryland.edu.

Scientific Writing Seminar Series

The purpose of this seminar series is to help faculty, fellows and postdocs write clear, well-organized scientific papers.  The series consists of ten (10), 1-hour stand-alone sessions, each of which focuses on an important aspect of scientific writing. 

Please note: faculty, fellows and postdocs are welcome to attend every session in the series or single sessions of interest.

Topics include:

• Planning your Publication
• Tips for Scientific Writing with a focus on clarity/editing
• Tips for Increasing Your Scientific Writing Productivity
• Writing a Standard Scientific Research Paper
• Developing tables, figures and graphs for your research paper
• Writing Effective Titles and Abstracts
• Tips for Writing Case Reports, Commentaries and Review Articles
• Ethical Considerations in Authorship
• Writing and Conducting a Systematic Review
• Responding to Reviewers

REGISTER FOR UPCOMING SEMINARS

To receive access to the slides and recordings for this seminar series, please contact Stacie Mendoza, Program Director, at smendoza@som.umaryland.edu.

Scholarly Writing Accountability Group (SWAG) Program

A SWAG is an active peer-led writing group for UMB junior faculty that meets virtually for 1-hour, once a week over a 10-week period. Groups follow a structured agenda including 15 minutes of updates and goal-setting followed by 30 minutes of individual writing and then 15 minutes of reporting and wrap-up. Each group is limited to 4-8 members who MUST commit to attending at least 8 out of the 10 weekly sessions. In a SWAG, there is no peer review of writing; SWAGs focus on the process of writing, not the content. The goal for SWAG members is to write with increased frequency and for shorter durations; i.e., to develop a sustainable writing habit.

The SWAG program is being used at multiple major medical schools. The data which have been reported on the results of this program are very favorable, reflecting marked increases in the quantity and quality of writing by junior faculty participants. Thus, CARTI initiated the first group in 2014 and continue to form new groups.

Stacie Mendoza, Program Director, provides each new member with an orientation to the SWAG program and program materials. For more information please contact Stacie Mendoza at smendoza@som.umaryland.edu

REQUEST TO JOIN A SWAG

Testimonials

 “The encouragement and camaraderie from my peers has helped me be a more productive researcher.“ Wendy Lane

 “SWAG is an amazing program that keeps you motivated and helps you become a more self-disciplined writer!” Yan Wang

 “SWAG has been an amazing motivator. Thank you to everyone for being so supportive.   I just can’t say enough good things about this program . . .” Samer El-Kamary

 “My group has been very supportive, especially in the weeks when it’s just not going well with the writing, and the weekly meetings have helped me regain focus on what needs to be written.” Katharina Richards

Campus Resources:

UMB Writing Center

https://www.umaryland.edu/writing/writing-resources/

Visit the Writing Center’s website for writing resources which include The Writing Process, Writing Style Guides, Scholarly Writing and Research, etc.

HS/HS Library Resources for Faculty Members

http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/

The HS/HS Library provides a range of services including:

• Consultations regarding information and literature searches https://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/research/consultations.cfm
• Research impact assessment https://www2.hshsl.umaryland.edu/hshsl/assistance/research-impact.cfm
• Workshops on database searching, citation managers, new information technologies https://www2.hshsl.umaryland.edu/hshsl/workshops/index.cfm
• Assistance with conducting a systematic review https://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/systematic
• Citation Managers: https://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/citationmanagers
• Publication Planning: Introduction https://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/publication
• Scholarly Writing Short YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3CHo0kdByMd9B8lYEY-NSxGEPq1oFcUI

Looking for courses, books, podcasts, blogs, and more for your writing? View our List of resources.