Resources

This template shows the structure of a narrative CV with space for planning your OCAR elements. Copy and paste into your preferred writing app and adapt as needed — you might need fewer or more examples per module depending on your word limit. ⚠️ Remember: these bullet points are for planning. Your final narrative CV should be written in full prose paragraphs, not bullet points! Use these fictitious examples for inspiration: ...

Here are the further resources for my workshop on Boosting Your Writing Productivity. Books 📚 Detox Your Writing: Strategies for Doctoral Researchers by Pat Thomson & Barbara Kamler Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks by Wendy Belcher Writing for Social Scientists by Howard S. Becker Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword Writing Science by Joshua Schimel Worksheets 📝 Writing Audit - Template for tracking the writing stage. Accountability 👀 Focusmate Write or Else Written? Kitten? Resources 🧭 Using the OCAR Structure for Academic Writing How to Use Zotero with Scrivener Time Tracking for Researchers: Improve Your Project Management with Data-Driven Planning Improve Your Flow with Reverse Outlining To Write More, You Need Less Time How to Defeat Your Inner Critic and Keep Writing Overcoming Procrastination and Staying Motivated: Three Strategies for Getting on with your Writing Overcoming Page Fright: Three Techniques for Planning a Piece of Academic Writing How to Become a Healthy Academic Writer

As discussed in the previous post, for each narrative CV, you need to identify your audience and gather relevant examples. Now it’s time to start writing. OCAR (Opening, Challenge, Action, Resolution) provides a framework for turning your achievements into compelling narratives that show how and why, not just what. In this post, we’ll explore a step-by-step method and some examples for the four modules in UKRI’s R4RI format. The Method For each module … ...

It’s important to remember that all academic writing is storytelling. Yes, even for scientists. The data don’t speak for themselves - you need to create a narrative that explains how you pursued your research, what happened, who was involved, and why it matters. Humans are wired to respond to stories, so it’s the perfect vehicle for communicating complex ideas. If storytelling feels alien to you, there’s good news: successful stories follow a common structure. There are many different structures you could use, but OCAR is especially helpful for academic writing. ...

The Narrative CV format means thinking about your research in a new way. Rather than creating an exhaustive list of all your achievements, you tell a story that explains why the funding body should give you money. In this post, we’ll consider the audience for your story and also what you might tell them. Thinking about your audience With storytelling, you start by thinking about your audience. In this case, it’s the members of the funding panel. What do they want to know about you when they’re reading your application? Well, they’re almost certainly looking for: ...

Many UK funders are adopting a new approach to academic CVs. In the business world, CVs typically occupy just a few pages, but academic CVs can stretch to more than a hundred pages, especially if you’re a prolific researcher. These monster documents are boring to write and also difficult for the recipient to digest. Also, traditional CVs focus on publications, awards, and successful grants. These are your most visible activities, but might represent only a small proportion of your effort. Under the surface, you’re spending a lot of your time on peer review, committees, building collaborations, public engagement, and mentorship. This vital work doesn’t always count. ...

We’re all familiar with the importance of budgeting our money - tracking what we spend, saving for big occasions, and avoiding that expensive overdraft. Our energy deserves the same careful consideration. Just like financial overspending, regularly exceeding our energy capacity leads to serious consequences: burnout, anxiety, and poor decision-making. This is crucial for neurodivergent people and those managing chronic health conditions. Activities that seem straightforward to others can leave us exhausted. It’s hard both to recognise our own limits and to communicate them clearly to others - especially when we’re already tired. ...

Here are the resources for my workshop on Planning the Final Year of Your PhD. 🎤 You can also hear me talking about avoiding burnout on the PhD Life Raft podcast. Books 📚 The Literature Review by Diana Ridley The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research by Gordon Rugg & Marian Petre How to Write a Thesis by Rowena Murray Websites 🕸️ The PhD Life Raft - Useful resources for doctoral researchers, including an excellent podcast. The Thesis Whisperer - Hundreds of thoughtful posts on every aspect of being a doctoral researcher. Thinkwell - Planners and templates for managing your PhD. Resources 🧭 Potential Viva Questions Choosing Your PhD Examiner How to Map Your Thesis or Book Creating a Minimum Viable Thesis Preparing for an Online Viva How to Write a Thesis Abstract Who Do You Include in Your Thesis Acknowledgements? Worksheets 📝 Completion Checklist - A systematic approach to deciding whether you're ready to submit your thesis (PDF). Editing Audit - Template for tracking the editing stage. Writing Audit - Template for tracking the writing stage.

Here are the resources for my workshop on Streamlining Your Writing with AI. AI Books 📚 Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell The Alignment Problem: How Can Artificial Intelligence Learn Human Values? by Brian Christian Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman Apps 💻 AudioPen Claude NotebookLM Resources 🧭 Using NotebookLM for Academic Research MacWhisper: a Privacy-Focused Tool for Transcribing Audio Streamline Your Notetaking with Readwise Capturing Research Notes With AudioPen How to Automatically Sync AudioPen Notes with Obsidian Websites 🕸️ The Algorithmic Bridge - Alberto Romero's thought pieces on the wider implications of AI. Cate Denial - Professor Cate Denial's comprehensive list of resources discussing the problems with GenAI. Emily Bender - Linguist and AI sceptic One Useful Thing - Ethan Mollicks's pragmatic but enthusiastic views of AI, with an emphasis on Higher Education. Margaret Mitchell - AI research scientist and ethicist. Courses 👩🏽‍🏫 AI for Everyone Generative AI for Everyone Writing Books 📚 Detox Your Writing: Strategies for Doctoral Researchers by Pat Thomson & Barbara Kamler Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks by Wendy Belcher Writing for Social Scientists by Howard S. Becker Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword Writing Science by Joshua Schimel Resources 🧭 Using the OCAR Structure for Academic Writing How to Use Zotero with Scrivener Time Tracking for Researchers: Improve Your Project Management with Data-Driven Planning Improve Your Flow with Reverse Outlining To Write More, You Need Less Time How to Defeat Your Inner Critic and Keep Writing Overcoming Procrastination and Staying Motivated: Three Strategies for Getting on with your Writing Overcoming Page Fright: Three Techniques for Planning a Piece of Academic Writing How to Become a Healthy Academic Writer Websites 🕸️ Academic Phrasebank - This extensive resource includes examples to help you understand the mechanics of academic writing. Explorations of Style - Rachael Cayley's thoughtful blog about all aspects of academic writing.

Here’s the full list of books I recommend in my workshops. Some of them are expensive, but you can often find cheap second-hand copies on World of Books. AI Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell The Alignment Problem: How Can Artificial Intelligence Learn Human Values? by Brian Christian Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman Literature Review The Literature Review by Diana Ridley PhD The Literature Review by Diana Ridley The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research by Gordon Rugg & Marian Petre How to Write a Thesis by Rowena Murray PhD Supervision Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen Productivity The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington Project Management How to Lead Smart People by Arun Singh & Mike Mister Making Work Visible by Dominica DeGrandis Slow Productivity by Cal Newport Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just 5 Days by Jake Knapp The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington Words that Change Minds by Shelle Rose Charvet Viva How to Survive Your Viva by Rowena Murray Wellbeing Burnout by Emily & Amelia Nagasaki Working Relationships Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Stone, Patton, & Heen How to Lead Smart People by Arun Singh & Mike Mister Setting Boundaries that Stick by Juliane Taylor Shore Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just 5 Days by Jake Knapp Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen Words that Change Minds by Shelle Rose Charvet Writing Detox Your Writing: Strategies for Doctoral Researchers by Pat Thomson & Barbara Kamler Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks by Wendy Belcher Writing for Social Scientists by Howard S. Becker Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword Writing Science by Joshua Schimel