Resources for Improving Trainees’ Writing Skills



Resources that trainees can access to improve their writing skills

There are two reasons why trainees might seek to improve their writing skills:

a) because they themselves have concerns about their writing skills, or

b) because concerns about the quality of written work have been raised by course staff or placement supervisors, and the trainee has been asked to develop an action plan to remedy these concerns

Trainees who have been asked to develop an action plan will usually need to access a combination of resources, tailored to their learning needs.

Self-help resources

Books

There are a number of books that set out the rules of English grammar in a way that is very accessible – a good example is Michael Swan’s Practical English Usage.

We highly recommend Rob Kail's (2015) excellent, concise book "Scientific writing for psychology: Lessons in clarity and style" (This has been requested via the UCL library but is not yet available – at around £18 for the paperback or under £12 for the kindle edition very worth buying we suggest).

Online resources for improving grammar

A very helpful guide to grammar can be accessed at ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar

A more extensive site is Purdue’s ‘online writing lab’:



This includes an excellent overview of the basics of grammar, punctuation and spelling, along with more detailed sections on specific topics (for example, a section on the correct use of commas).

Online resources for developing academic writing

A wide range of resources on academic writing is available via Moodle (once logged in these can be accessed via the ‘Personal & Professional Development’ menu).

Individual tutoring

Individually tailored guidance is available from UCL's two Royal Literary Fund Fellows - professional authors who offer free one-to-one tutorials in effective academic writing to all students at UCL. Their principal aim is to foster good writing practice across all disciplines and media, helping students to write clearly and effectively. They are based in the Graduate School and operate during academic terms. Tutorials can be booked through the graduate school website:

cs.ucl.ac.uk/students/mphil_phd/training_and_skills_development/royal_literary_fund_fellows/

The Graduate School Skills Development Programme website contains details of both one-to-one tutorials and one-day to three-day writing workshops specifically designed for postgraduate students whose first language is not English (grad.ucl.ac.uk/courses - look at “course list”).

These courses are free to trainees, but timing may be an issue as they cannot take priority over teaching days on the DClinPsy programme.

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