5-week online scientific writing course
Mindful Scientific Writing
A step-by-step online course for early-career scientists that helps you focus and write an experimental paper you feel great about, and have a frustration-free strategy that motivates you to write over and over!
The details
OBJECTIVE AND FOR WHOM IS THIS COURSE
​The objective of this course is to guide early-career scientists (mainly PhDs and Postdocs) during the writing of a full experimental paper, through a combination of online lectures, live classes, and online support. The students will have a draft of their manuscript, and a strategy to write all future articles.
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To get the most out of the course, I recommend that the participants already have their results analyzed and preliminary figures ready. Then during 5 WEEKS, you will write the full manuscript with the support of the course. This is not a course to sit and learn, but a course to learn, focus, and write.
CHARACTERISTICS
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​The course includes the following components:
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Online lifetime access to the online platform with video training and extra resources
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During 5 weeks, one call per week in Zoom for around 1 hour to solve any questions, check the progress of the participants, and "live" editing key sections of the text.
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Support via email and Slack during 5 weeks
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The total duration of the course is equivalent to a course of 24 hours.
Does any of this sound like you?
You’re an academic who loves science and you…
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find writing very hard…”why do all my colleagues seem to find it easier? It’s clear, I am simply not a good writer!” (not true, by the way).
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can write very focused for 10 minutes. But then you NEED to check your email, twitter and WhatsApp. 30 minutes later you go back writing, but you need a coffee urgently… “this is not being a very productive day”.
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have written one article (or more!), but despite all your efforts, you got back every draft full of red. Now thinking on that red ink gives you shivers, so you’re delaying to send your draft!
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have written before and you enjoyed it. But now...you simply don’t have time! There are experiments to be done, students to supervise, classes to teach…”How do others find time to write?”.
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If you raised your hand for any of the things listed above, let me tell you something…
You’re not alone!
Doing research, academic life, and especially writing, is TOUGH. And yet so many scientists just swallow the struggle and continue writing with the same methods that are not working for them.
You’re in luck because I’ve made something for you. Now let me introduce you to the…
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Mindful Scientific Writing course
A step-by-step program for early-career scientists that helps you focus and write an experimental paper you feel great about, and have a frustration-free strategy that motivates you to write over and over!
I have made this program in a way that when you finish it, you’ll …
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have a draft of your article, and you’ll be confident and proud of what you have achieved!
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look forward to sitting and writing your science because you now have the skills and know exactly what actionable steps you need to focus and start & finish ALL your papers.
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make writing a PRIORITY and make TIME for it with your new productivity skills. End result? You'll be more productive with your writing!
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learn how to respond to your mental struggles with your new mindful approach to the academic life. This is a unique aspect of this program that you don’t see often in a scientific writing course!
Why you’ll love working with me?
Hey, I’m Ana, and…
I am a scientist studying plants, microbes, insects and their ecology, and I am also crazy about the benefits of meditation. I spent years working in Wageningen (The Netherlands), writing articles in top institutions (here is my Google Scholar), and supervising happy students during their writing. But also revising scientific articles for several high-impact journals and working as an editor for journals such as Journal of Ecology or Plant Biology.
And I struggled, A LOT. But I also learned from it, as well as the more than hundred students that have taken this course, and I want that you realize that the struggles are normal and part of the process. And that you can win from those struggles and keep writing until you have a paper that you’re proud of.
My entire life I have been fascinated about PEOPLE around me. Including my colleagues, scientists I had a chat in a conference or those whose articles I reviewed. And I always thought what makes them or their work unique? What are their strengths as a person or in the articles they write? And for those I felt closer in my heart: What are their struggles and how can I help them? And I have poured the best of everything I know about writing as a scientist over the past 15 years, and about mindfulness as a yoga teacher, into this scientific writing course.
Ready to get started?
This is not just a course, it is a 5-week coaching program where you will make the time and have the accountability to write your experimental article.
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The end result: an awesome manuscript that you will be proud of and a system, crafted to your needs, to write all your papers with confidence and focus.
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Here’s how it all breaks down:
1. The curriculum
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The course is structured as 4 modules that you will access online gradually. Each module includes several short video tutorials of around 1.5 h, and you have one week to watch and implement. On top of the pdfs of the video tutorials, you’ll also receive workbooks, planners, audios and extra resources.
What is implementation about? If you just do the practical writing exercises, then you will need about 3 h extra per module. Remember: those exercises are writing YOUR paper.
But… if you want to finish your paper during the 5 weeks that the course runs, you will need more time. As an estimate, having already the results analyzed and figures more or less done, you may need 1-month of working full time to finish a paper.
This is the main content of each module:
Module 1
Introduction
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Creating the right environment and mindset to start writing
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Fundaments and mind traps of writing style
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On finding inspiration
Module 2
Methods
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Time management and productivity
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A marketing approach to writing your title and abstract
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The end of procrastination
Module 3
Results
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Edit and revise your manuscript
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Scientific integrity
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Designing impactful visual materials
Module 4
Discussion
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Open data & publication
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Writing with others
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Dealing with impostor syndrome and other mind blocks
Once you join the Mindful Scientific Writing course, you get lifetime access to all of the course materials – which means you can go at your own pace, or take a break and come back to it when you’re ready. Past students keep telling me they love having the materials to go through again!
Jess Kansman
Post-doc researcher, Penn State, US
@jesskansperson
My main struggle was managing stress and anxiety while writing. In this course I have learned how important writing in a relaxed state is for my productivity. Now I exchange scrolling on my phone for reading a book, taking a walk, or doing a meditation. I feel since then I have better ideas, make less mistakes, and enjoy the process more. I feel like I have a writing plan that I can implement- and that helps me a lot! Now I have a true approach and philosophy around writing that I am confident about.
Jamin Ali
PhD candidate, Keele University, UK
@JAMIN_ALI_ALI
I have learned a lot from this course, especially about how to organise each section and their content. That was my main challenge before joining “Mindful Scientific Writing”. After attending this course, I found myself as a motivated person, and I feel writing is not a daunting process if you get proper guidance and write every day! I strongly recommend this course, especially for early-career scientists.
Isabel Belda
PhD candidate, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain
In this course I have learned the importance of having a routine, schedule my time, practice free writing and lot of tips! I used to have problems to organize my time in a productive way, and have clear words in my mind to write. Now I am more efficient in my writing and more productive in general. And I feel more confident about my writing!
Xiangyu Liu
PhD candidate, Leiden University, Netherlands
When I joined this course I had no idea of how to write an article and always felt negative about my research. Now I know some tricks to improve my writing and more importantly, to stay positive about my results, which can inspire and be useful for other scientists. An important change is that I keep writing almost every workday. Sometimes I just do some easy writing to continue my work. And the next day, I find it's not that bad and improve it!
2. The Q&A calls
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During the 5 weeks we´ll meet once a week for about 1 hour. If you cannot attend, you can still send your questions and I'll answer them. The calls will be recorded and you can watch the replay later. The time still needs to be determined.
Those calls are designed to answer all your questions as you progress yourself with the different modules and your paper. I´ll ask you to submit your questions in advance so I can prepare better. And some weeks I´ll ask you to send me text to show and discuss during the call. As an example:
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Call 1: you´ll introduce yourself and I´ll give feedback to the main struggle of everyone.
Call 2: we´ll mainly focus on questions about the intro. I´ll do live editing of first, last and a topic paragraph of a few people.
Call 3: we´ll mainly focus on questions about abstracts title, and methods. I´ll do live editing of titles and abtracts of a few people.
Call 4: this week we´ll talk about results and module 3 topics. But at this point there is often people not yet here...I´ll do live editing of figures and legends of a few people.
Call 5: this is our last call and we´ll talk about the last module. I´ll do live editing of the first paragraph of the discussion. And we´ll chat about a plan to move forward.
And don’t miss out on these bonuses :
Meditations
​Meditation is probably the simplest thing you can do to take care of your mental strength while boosting your focus and creativity. You will have 5 guided meditations to help you overcome the most common struggles scientists suffer: fear of failure, impostor syndrome, lack of inspiration, uncertainty about the future, and creativity. And don’t worry, you don’t need to have meditated before! I even published this article in Nature to help you with a simple your meditation routine.
Yoga
​As part of the mindful aspect of the course, moving your body is crucial as a self-care act. Yoga can provide you with unique benefits, especially after working a full day in front of a computer. I have designed for you several classes for all levels including 5 office yoga classes of less than 15 min to do behind your desk, one slow-flow class to start the day with movement, or a more relaxing class to end up the day and reset your mind.
Demystifying the publishing process
In this bonus masterclass, you’ll have an insider view of the publishing process from submitting your article, handling reviewers' comments, to having it accepted and beyond. I’ll share the common mistakes I often see, so you won’t make those mistakes that often delay the publication process. And you’ll have a template of a cover, rebuttal and appeal letter!
The myth of R learning curve
This is a masterclass by the R expert Luka negoita. Luka also has a range of online courses where he teaches R, especially to ecologists. In this class he shares some general advice to actually start learning R!
Andrea Catalina Fajardo
@ancafajardo
PhD candidate
University of Hamburg, Germany
I had the famous writer's white page block. I was always scared of the next word I needed to write. And it was quite difficult to make a real separation between me as a person and my writing as part of my PhD work. Now after this course, I do not feel scared of writing anymore. I focus on more doable and smaller tasks. Thus, I do not get that much stress and my writing is not done only one day before a deadline. My favorite aspect was the combination of mindset, mindfulness with the actual task of writing. Additionally, Ana is an amazing tutor who makes constant effort to make sure that we all have a fulfilling experience. Lastly, the option to have not only Q&A group calls with Ana, but having an accountability group is an awesome opportunity!
Javier Lidoy
PhD candidate
CSIC, Spain
Before I joined this course, I could not understand the scientific article as a whole. My writing seemed patchy as I drew inspiration from a multitude of different articles and resources.
Now I have a clear picture of the different parts of the article, and how they come together. In these weeks I have learned from Ana, but also from the problems and solutions that other students have encountered. I also love that I can access the online resources whenever I need them. As a result, I managed to finish the first draft of my article in a record time! And I am very grateful for that.
Haymanti Saha
@HaymantiSaha
PhD candidate
NIOO-KNAW, The Netherlands
My main struggle was that I didn’t know how to strategically write a paper, how to write in a sound scientific way, and how to manage my time so I could write. In the course I’ve learned that writing is a craft that needs to be practiced and that i am not the only one who is struggling to write. The biggest “a-ha” I got was learning to recognize the knowledge gap that my paper is filling. My favorite things of the course were all the encouragement i received from Ana, the yoga tips and the extra writing masterclass! Now I have become more disciplined and more aware of what and how i write.
Gbadamassi Dossa
@GouvideDossa
Associate Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences
This course was a game changer for me. I can proudly say I am now better equipped to write more efficiently but also know better how to guide my students. I used to struggle to write consistently, to stay focused and to write powerful introduction and discussionsections. Now I’ve learned that these sections have a structure that eases their writing and empowers their content. And finally, I now have tips at each step to boost my writing, and do it mindfully. My favourite aspects were the video calls with and and peers which gave plenty time to ask questions. And also know that my struggles were not specific to me only but common to anyone in academia. I feel motivated when others facing the same struggles are overcoming them…I then realize that I can do it as well!
Are you ready?
Yes!
Or keep reading if still doubting…
The Mindful Scientific Writing course is for you if you want to write an experimental article that you’re happy with and have a system to do it over and over. You’re gonna love this course if…
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you struggle with different aspects of being a scientist, and you wish you knew how to manage it.
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you’re done wasting time trying tips you found on random websites, feeling overwhelmed, and not sure if you’re doing things right. You want a system that works!
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you want to learn how to manage your TIME and your writing more productively.
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you’re interested in how mindfulness and meditation can benefit your productivity when writing but you don’t know where to begin.
But to be honest, this course is probably not for you if you’re searching for:
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Individualized attention. I do my best on supporting you whenever you need help, and creating an intimate feeling. But please note that this is a group program. That means around 15 people in the Q&A calls with me.
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Technical aspects and theory of scientific writing, such as how to avoid the passive form or the use of phrasal verbs. Although in this course we will look at some technical aspects of writing, the focus is more on what goes in where, common mistakes and how to avoid them, and behavioral aspects of scientific writing so you can implement fast what you learn.
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English language. The course is taught in English, but it does not include lessons on learning or improving the language. If you feel that’s your main struggle, I think there are better courses for you.
FAQ
I AM A POSTDOC/ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AND HAVE WRITTEN SEVERAL ARTICLES ALREADY. IS THIS SCIENTIFIC WRITING COURSE SUITABLE FOR ME?
If you came all this way, it is! I did several “soft skill” courses myself as a postdoc, and I always learned something useful. Probably I’ll tell you some things you already know, but others will be new to you! Plus, an important aspect is also the accountability you’ll get (often not so much in this middle career stage). In the last editions, 24% of the students were post-docs and 16% assistant professors, and their feedback was very positive!
IS THIS COURSE SUITABLE FOR ANY RESEARCH FIELD?
The principles of the course apply to any research field, similar to what happens to most scientific writing books. The specific examples I show from manuscripts, and of course my personal stories around science are from my research field (Ecology, Entomology, Plant Sciences, Agriculture). If you want a number, around 15% of the slides you'll see in the videos are examples from those topics. The rest is explained in general terms that can apply to any STEM field.
WILL YOU REVISE THE FULL MANUSCRIPT?
No. But in 4 of the live sessions we´ll revise together a piece of your texts. Mainly sections where, as an editor and reviewer I often see scientists making mistakes: title, abstract, first and last paragraph of the introduction, and figure legends.
WHAT ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY?
Everything will be as confidential as you want it to be. You can let me know if you don’t want me to discuss your questions in the group calls, and it’s totally up to you whether to attend those calls, or join the chat.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE ACCESS TO THIS COURSE?
You have online lifetime access to the videos, and you can download the other materials (slide decks, workbooks, audios, etc.).
CAN I SHARE THE CONTENT WITH A COLLEAGUE?
Nope. You will receive a personal login to access the course and it is forbidden to share it. But you can (and I’d love it!) recommend it to your colleagues!
COULD I JUST FIND THIS INFORMATION FOR FREE ONLINE?
Sure, most of this information is online. But the problem is that there is too much information, from all kinds of sources (many not reliable), and scattered. Here I have done the work at curating that information, combining it with my unique expertise (you also have one by the way) after years of supervision and editorial work, and setting it up in a step-by-step process.
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Do you have a question that is not answered here? Or would you like to discuss you situation? Just drop me an email at ana@ifocusandwrite.com!
Disclaimer
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Just by purchasing this program, your manuscript won’t materialize out of thin air. You’ll have to actually do the work. Your results may vary depending on your writing skills, the time you spend on the course, and the complexity of your work.
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If you want to read more about what other students say...
Anna Feit
Full Professor
Saarland University, Germany
@AnnaFeit
When I joined this course I was struggling to keep up the motivation for writing and all my other tasks. Now I’ve learned to prioritize important tasks like writing, rather than checking emails and working on quick reward tasks that have little impact. The course (among other things like my daily meditations) also helped me at being nicer to myself, accepting the imperfect, and realizing what I achieve every day. After this course, I changed my work schedule, got more organized, and feel more motivated!
Teresa Quijano, PhD candidate, Universidad de Yucatan-CSIC, Mexico-Spain
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Before I started the Mindful Scientific course, my main struggle was the insecurity about the accuracy of my sentences and thoughts. Now, I realize that my ideas are good and that my writing although no perfect is good enough. For me, it was a matter of confidence that I could overcome when I started to write every day, and when I realized that these insecurities are quite common. As a result, I am now more fluent in my writing and I get "stuck" much less! And with that, I manage my time better and I am more productive
Ximena Cibils-Stewart
Adjunt researcher,
National Institute of Agricultural Research, Uruguay
@XimeCibils
This course has helped me with my main struggle to organize the ideas I wanted to write and work more productively during the writing progress. I’ve learned how meditation and positive feedback are important for my process of writing mainly by helping with my impostor syndrome. I loved to identify my golden hours, to fight against anxiety and impostor syndrome, to organize my thoughts, and most importantly to STOP multitasking to improve my productivity. The Pomodoro method and meditations have helped me a LOT!!!! Thanks :)
Elena Lloret
PhD candidate
Institute of Marine Sciences - CSIC, Spain
@ElenaLloret3
I liked everything about this course. It has fantastic lectures and you can rewatch them as many times as you want. Not to mention that the tips that were shared during the course were amazing and I have already implemented many of them in my daily work. Moreover, I really enjoyed the accountability group and weekly calls. They create a very nice feeling of community. Those calls made me realize that I am not the only one struggling with writing. And last, by not least, Ana is such a joyful and positive person, she helps you feel engage and motivated while learning and improving. I will definitely repeat a course with her and would recommend this writing course to everyone in the early, and not so-early scientific path!
Gabriel Souba, PhD candidate, University of Alicante, Spain
@JacquesMcPollo
This course changed my life. To future students: this is an amazing program to channel all your insight potential into scientific writing. It will guide you through steps on how to focus and make the most of your research when preparing a paper, even if you think you already know how to do it.
Elly Morrien, Assisstant Professor, University of Amsterdam
@MorrienElly
I joined this course because I was struggling to find time to write. And I have learned how to create that time, and write effectively. Especially practicing free-writing, which has been very productive for me!
Sandra Martínez, PhD candidate, University of Alicante, Spain
This course brings an innovative perspective to do and publish science. These strategies also helped me with the common challenges of writing a paper as a Ph.D. candidate. I’d do this course again because I see that depending on the professional and personal moment you’re in, you can always learn new things. And working with Ana is pleasure…she is professional and at the same time spreads very personal energy!
Saioa Legarrea
Postdoctoral researcher
University of Georgia, USA
@Saioa_LI
When I joined this course I was facing big uncertainty which made it difficult to focus on the manuscript and stop procrastinating. Now I have become more self-conscious of the writing process and I gained valuable tools for a better writing experience. Also, I managed to change some lines of thought that were not positive for me and instead, focus on the progress of writing.