Scientific Writing Program
2020 Scientific Writing Program Calendar
The Abigail Wexner Research Institute of Nationwide Children’s Hospital is excited to announce the new and improved 2020 Scientific Writing Program to facilitate best writing practices, improved prospects for funding, and sterling publications. Training opportunities include opportunities for writers at all stages: Seminars (one-hour) with more general content for wider audiences (staff through junior faculty), Workshops (all day) for targeted more committed participants, and Writing Groups for serious R and K Grant application writers and biomedical authors. Seminars are open to all, but registration in Training Tracker is required for all Workshops and Writing Groups to verify commitment as participation is limited to committed applicants. See details on Workshops and Writing Groups below. Specific details on all seminars, workshops, and Writing Groups can be found below for your planning purposes. We encourage you and your mentors to review the program together, select your needed courses and get them on your calendar (register as needed) to purposefully plan your training in 2020.
New for 2020
- Mock Study Section and Study Section Member Panel
- Teaming Up with SPO: Your Proposal’s Ally by Todd Neilsen, Jeannette Holshu, Alison Pappas (dates TBD)
- Powerful Poster Presentations! by Chris Bartlett, PhD
- Manuscript Writing Groups – TBD; looking at organizing a group in the fall of 2020 if sufficient interest.
- Biostatistical Seminars on Data Presentation – TBD; working with the Biostats Core on your proposal; common biostats, how to use them, and what they mean; powering your sample size; etc.
- Scientific Writing Program Seminar Series Video Channel: Can’t make it to the seminar? Enjoy the many recorded seminars available on a range of topics.
- Website: The Scientific Writing Program will be rolling out a comprehensive web site to meet your writing and editing needs: Editing assistance and scheduling; Scientific Writing Seminar slides and video presentations on our channel, Workshop offerings and registration, Funding Opportunity Links, Grammar Resource links, Writing Tools, Library of Funded Grants; Commercial Resource links on editing services and tutorials; FAQs and Working with SPO.
Workshops
(Note: You may attend a workshop without being in the corresponding Writing Group.)
- The Biomedical Writing will have a ½-day didactic with mentoring in the afternoon.
- Morning sessions (8 a.m. - Noon) will cover manuscript components, style, story arc, and getting published. One-hour afternoon sessions (1 - 4 p.m.) will be hands-on with a mentor to review your manuscript 1:1. You do not need to sign up for both sessions, but the morning session is required to register for the afternoon session.
- P.M. Mentoring Prerequisite: Registration and draft manuscripts must be submitted by Monday, April 15, 2020 to be assigned and reviewed by a mentor in advance of 1:1 discussion.
- R and K Proposal Writing Workshops will be day-long didactic sessions covering crafting a proposal that establishes clear Specific Aims, substantial significance, transforming innovation, a rigorous approach, working with the Special Programs Office, a commanding biosketch, a vibrant summary and narrative, with concise and precise writing. The K Workshop will also cover Candidate background, Career Goals and Objectives, Career Development and Training Plan, the Responsible Conduct of Research, Human Subjects Protection, Mentorship Team and Responsibilities, Environment and Institutional Commitment, Letters of Support and References, and Budgeting.
- R and K Writing Groups: If you are interested in submitting an R proposal on October 5, 2020, or a K proposal on June 12, 2021, and would like to participate in a Mentored Writing Group, please register for both the Workshop and the Writing Group. Attendance at the corresponding day-long workshops on R and K Proposal Writing will serve as prerequisites for participation in the corresponding Writing Group. When registering for a Writing Group, you will need to identify a committed mentor to accompany you as well. Writing Groups will meet every other week for 8-10 1.5-hr-sessions with regular assignments, mentored reviews and discussions, and constant revisions. The mentor will be asked to attend the writing group meetings along with their mentee. Each mentor/mentee dyad will also be paired with another dyad for co-review and peer-to-peer revision. The final product is a submission-ready proposal.
Editing Services
- Grant Proposals: A 2019 Research Faculty survey identified proposal editing assistance as a principal need. In this increasingly competitive market, your scientific editor will assist PI’s with the editing of external grant applications to ensure the highest advantage of funding success. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute is offering this complimentary service to investigators who may desire to work with an editor and will provide us with your feedback. Limited opportunities are available, which will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis with priority given to NIH proposals. The most benefit comes from scheduling at least three months out from your due date. Interested investigators should contact Melody Davis directly by email to schedule a ½ hr. appointment to discuss your editing needs and get you on track to a successful and timely submission. You must fulfill three requirements to participate in this service:
- Adhere to the agreed-upon schedule once negotiated
- Complete a brief survey at the end for our service metrics
- Keep us informed on your proposal’s progress (e.g., review, scoring, and funding)
- Manuscripts: Editing services for manuscripts designated to journals with impact factors > 2 are also available. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute is offering this complimentary service to authors who may desire to work with an editor and will provide us with your feedback. Limited opportunities are available, which will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis, although external grant applications will always take editing priority. The best available times for manuscript editing are July-August, November-December, and March-April or as time permits. Interested authors should contact Melody Davis directly by email to schedule a ½ hr. appointment to discuss your editing needs and get you on track to a successful and timely submission. You must fulfill three requirements to participate in this service:
- Adhere to the agreed-upon schedule once negotiated
- Complete a brief survey at the end for our service metrics
- Keep us informed on your manuscript’s progress (e.g., submission (including Journal’s name, review progress, rejection/revision, final publication reference).
2020 Scientific Writing Program Calendar of Events
Available Courses – Listed chronologically
|
Event |
Month/Day/Time |
Location |
Intended Audience |
Description |
|
K01 (Mentored Research Career Development Awards) Proposal Writing Group |
January 9 – May 28, 2020 Generally 10 – 11:30 a.m. Enrollment closed. |
WB4020 |
K Grant Applicants for NIH 6/12/20 submission. Eligibility: Be doing patient-oriented clinical/translational research and applying for a K-series grant for the next NIH grant cycle.
Have published at least three first-authored peer-reviewed papers in your broad area of research interest. Have established a mentoring team (lead mentor and co-mentors) and have discussed your Specific Aims with your team. |
Sessions 1 & 2: Specific Aims Sessions 3 & 4: Significance and Innovation Sessions 5 & 6: Career Development and Mentoring plan |
|
Seminar: Managing Your Writing Time Productively |
Monday, January 13, 2020 Noon – 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Eat that Frog! Do the hardest thing first! ABCDE method. Prioritize! Get it on paper! Establishing Timelines Revisions and Reviews |
|
Seminar: Ramping Up Your Biosketch |
Thursday, January 30, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Personalizing your Personal Statement Position and Honors Contributions to Science Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance |
|
Seminar: Writing the Approach with Rigor |
Monday, February 7, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Intro. Paragraph Justification & Feasibility Review of Relevant Literature Preliminary Studies: Rigorous Research Design, Expected Outcomes, Potential Problems & Alternative Approaches, Timeline and Future Directions |
|
Seminar: Getting the Most from EndNote by Alison Gehred |
Wednesday, February 18, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Using the software effectively to build bibliographies, link citations, and format to journal specifications. |
|
Biomedical Writing Workshop (1/2 day didactic with mentoring in afternoon) |
Tuesday, February 25, 2020 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lunch break from Noon - 1 p.m. on own. Registration Required in Training Tracker; must register for each session separately. |
WB1110 |
Those currently writing scientific manuscripts. Register for a.m. only or a.m. + p.m. Priority given to those with draft manuscripts. You do not need to sign up for both sessions; but the morning session is required to register for the afternoon session. |
Morning sessions (8 a.m. - Noon) will be didactic covering manuscript components, style, story arc, and getting published. 1-hr afternoon sessions (1 - 4 p.m.) will be hands-on with a mentor to review your manuscript 1:1. p.m. Mentoring Prerequisite: Draft manuscripts must be submitted by Monday, February 17, 2020 to be assigned to and reviewed by a mentor in advance of 1:1 discussion. a.m. Didactic Topics: Manuscript Pieces, Parts, & Structure Manuscripts from the Editor’s Perspective Twelve Tips for Better Papers Combating Writer’s Block and Sloth Creating a Story Line in Science Papers Revising Manuscripts & Responding to Reviews Plagiarism, Permissions, Consents and Other Pot Holes |
|
Seminar: Cut the Fluff! Editing & Copyediting |
Friday, March 6, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
The review process How to line edit for flow, style, & organization. How to copyedit grammar, syntax, acronyms, formatting Concise and Precise phrasing |
|
Seminar: Abstracts, & Summaries, & Narratives (Oh My!) |
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Components of an Abstract Differences between Abstracts, NIH Summaries and Narratives. |
|
Seminar: Powerful Poster Presentations Chris Bartlett, PhD |
Monday, March 30, 2020 Noon - 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
Discovery WA1020 (Recorded) |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers and poster presenters; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Planning and Preparing content Organizing your poster Emphasizing the visual Know your audience Scripting your presentation talk. |
|
Seminar: How to Represent Your Data Well: Graphics & Figures |
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format.
|
WA1525 (Recorded) |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Let your data speak How best to present your data: tables vs figures Keeping Figures & Tables readable |
|
NIH R Proposal Writing Workshop |
Monday, April 27, 2020 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Lunch provided. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring proposal writers; more in-depth content. Prerequisite for Hands-on R Writing Group Participants. |
Crafting a proposal that establishes clear Specific Aims, significance and innovation, a rigorous approach, a commanding biosketch, vibrant summary and narrative, with concise and precise writing. The budget process and working with SPO will also be addressed. |
|
Seminar: Working with Your Proposal Advocate: SPO Todd Neilsen, Jeannette Holshu, Allison Pappas |
Monday, May 4, 2020 Noon - 1 p.m. No registration required. Lunch provided. |
WA1020 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Are you eligible? What is the Sponsored Projects Office, and how can we help you? Request for Proposals (RFP) -- what does it all mean? What to include in a budget Required documents and how to submit a proposal |
|
Workshop: Polishing the Specific Aims (SA) Page |
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
NIH R or K proposal writers for February submission (or current proposal writers). Hands on workshop. Come with your Specific Aims page. |
Understanding the Importance of the SA page to the Funder, Defining a Meaningful Problem, What? Why? Who?, Making the SAs Achievable The Payoff Paragraph. |
|
Seminar: Distinguishing Significance and Innovation Sections |
Friday, May 29,2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Importance Significance Section Establishing the Knowledge Gap The Statement of Significance Emphasize Benefits and Positive Impact (Innovation Section) 1: What is the current norm? 2: Depart from the Status Quo 3: Establish New Horizons |
|
R Proposal Writing Group for 10/5/20 NIH Submission |
June 1 - October 1, 2020 Mondays or Thursdays 2:30 - 4 p.m. |
WA1525 |
R Grant Applicants for NIH 10/5/20 submission. Limited to 10 qualified applicants with committed mentors. Prerequisite: NIH R Proposal Writing Workshop (4/27/20) |
Mentored Writing Group to produce an NIH R proposal for submission 10/5/20; meets every other week with assignments, mentored reviews, and constant revisions. Final product ready to submit to NIH 10/5/20. |
|
Seminar: Managing Your Writing Time Productively |
Friday, June 12, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Eat that Frog! ABCDE method Get it on paper! Establishing Timelines Revisions and Reviews |
|
Seminar: Ramping Up Your Biosketch |
Wednesday, June 24, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Education and Personal Statement Positions and Honors Contributions to Science Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance |
|
Seminar: Writing the Approach with Rigor |
Monday, July 8, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Intro Paragraph Justification & Feasibility Review of Relevant Literature Preliminary Studies: Research Design Expected Outcomes Potential Problems & Alternative Approaches Timeline Future Directions |
|
Seminar: Biostatistics Shasha Bai |
Monday, July 13, 2020 Noon - 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1020 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
TBD |
|
Seminar: Editors/Reviewers/ Mock Study Section Panel |
Friday, July 24, 2020 10 a.m. - Noon No registration required. Lunch provided. |
WA1020 (Recorded) |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
The Grant Funding Process What Reviewers are looking for Interpreting and Responding to Critiques of Your Grant Choosing a Journal The Manuscript Review Process Responding to Reviewer Comments |
|
Seminar: Getting the Most from EndNote by Alison Gehred |
Wednesday, August 5, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA 1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Using the software effectively to build bibliographies, link citations, and format to journal specifications. |
|
Seminar: Cut the Fluff! Editing & Copyediting |
Monday, August 10, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
The review process How to line edit for flow, style, & organization. How to copyedit grammar, syntax, acronyms, formatting Concise and Precise phrasing |
|
Biomedical Writing Workshop (1 day with mentoring) |
Monday, August 17, 2020 8 a.m. - Noon; 1 - 4 p.m. Lunch break from Noon -1 p.m. on own. Registration Required in Training Tracker; must register for each session separately. |
ED131 |
Those currently writing scientific manuscripts. Register for a.m. only or a.m. + p.m. Priority given to those with draft manuscripts. You do not need to sign up for both sessions; but the morning session is required to register for the afternoon session. |
Morning sessions will be a ½ day didactic on manuscript components, style, story arc, and getting published. Afternoon sessions will be hands-on with a mentor to review your manuscript 1:1. p.m. Mentoring Prerequisite: Draft manuscripts must be submitted by email to Melody Davis by Thursday, October 31, 2020 to be assigned to and reviewed by a mentor in advance of 1:1 discussion. a.m. Didactic Topics: Manuscript Pieces, Parts, & Structure Manuscripts from the Editor’s Perspective Twelve Tips for Better Papers Combating Writer’s Block and Sloth Creating a Story Line in Science Papers Revising Manuscripts & Responding to Reviews Plagiarism, Permissions, Consents and Other Pot Holes |
|
Seminar: Abstracts, & Summaries, & Narratives (Oh My!) |
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Components of an Abstract Differences between Abstracts, NIH Summaries and Narratives. |
|
Seminar: Working with Your Proposal Advocate: SPO Todd Neilsen, Jeannette Holshu, Allison Pappas |
Monday, September 7, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Are you eligible? What is the Sponsored Projects Office, and how can we help you? Request for Proposals (RFP) -- what does it all mean? What to include in a budget Required documents and how to submit a proposal |
|
Seminar: Powerful Poster Presentations Chris Bartlett, PhD |
Monday, September 14, 2020 or Wednesday, September 30, 2020 Noon - 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
Discovery WA1020 or WA1525 (Recorded) |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers and poster presenters; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Planning and Preparing content Organizing your poster Emphasizing the visual Know your audience Scripting your presentation talk. |
|
NIH K Proposal Writing Workshop (Mentored Research Career Development Awards) |
Friday, Octover 9, 2020 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lunch provided. |
ED131 |
Aspiring K proposal writers; more in depth content. Prerequisite for Hands on K Writing Group Participants, |
Crafting a proposal that establishes clear Specific Aims, significance and innovation, an aspiring Career Development and Mentoring plan, a commanding biosketch, and vibrant summary and narrative with concise and precise writing. The budget process and working with SPO will also be addressed. |
|
Seminar: How to Represent Your Data Well: Graphics & Figures |
Friday, October 16, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format.
|
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Let your data speak How best to present your data: tables vs figures. Keeping Figures & Tables readable |
|
Workshop: Polishing the Specific Aims (SA) Page |
Thursday, October 29, 2020 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
NIH R or K proposal writers for February submission (or current Proposal Writers). Hands on workshop. Come with your Specific Aims page. |
Understanding the Importance of the SA page to the Funder Defining a Meaningful Problem What? Why? Who? Making the SAs Achievable The Payoff Paragraph |
|
Seminar: Navigating NIH R- and K- Award Mechanisms by TBD |
TBD (2nd Tues Fall 2020) Noon - 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1020 Discovery |
Junior faculty members with: Active research (clinical, basic science or translational) program - publications, national recognition, track record of funding (small) Planning to submit an NIH grant A degree of independence (no previous independent NIH funding) Engaged mentoring team Support from Division Chief/Center Director Research commitment |
Gain enough information to begin navigating the NIH (and NCH) system Plant the seed to ask: When is right? What is right? Who do I need to be right? |
|
Seminar: Distinguishing Significance and Innovation Sections |
Friday, November 13, 2020 11 a.m. - 12:00 pm No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Importance Significance Section Establishing the Knowledge Gap The Statement of Significance Emphasize Benefits and Positive Impact (Innovation Section) 1: What is the current norm? 2: Depart from the Status Quo 3: Establish New Horizons |
|
Seminar: Getting the Most from EndNote by Alison Gehred |
Thursday, December 3, 2020 11 a.m. – Noon No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
Using the software effectively to build bibliographies, link citations, and format to journal specifications. |
|
Seminar: Biostatistics |
Monday, December 7, 2020 Noon - 1 p.m. No registration required. Brown bag lunch format. |
WA1525 |
Aspiring new proposal or manuscript writers; general content suitable for all audiences (staff, trainees, fellows, post-docs, jr. faculty). |
TBD |
|
K (Mentored Research Career Development Awards) Proposal Writing Group |
January 2021 - May 2021 Email Melody Davis to enroll. Must have a committed mentor.
|
TBD |
K Grant Applicants for NIH 6/12/21 submission; Eligibility: Be doing patient-oriented clinical/translational research and applying for a K-series grant for the next NIH grant cycle. Have published at least three first-authored peer-reviewed papers in your broad area of research interest. Have established a mentoring team (lead mentor and co-mentors) and have discussed your Specific Aims with your team. |
Sessions 1 & 2: Specific Aims
Sessions 3 & 4: Significance and Innovation Sessions 5 & 6: Career Development and Mentoring plan
|