MHSGC Doctoral thesis write up support series - How to get over a blank screen
Duration 0.5 days
Team Researcher Academy



This face to face course is run by the Researcher Academy as part of the Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty Training Programme.

The Researcher Academy courses are very popular and the majority are run in both semesters to give you the opportunity to attend at a time of the year that suits you. 

Target audience: This short session is for Postgraduate Research Students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the School of Pharmacy only.

Final year (or beyond) doctoral students who are writing up, or just about to start writing up. The doctorate write up series is repeated annually, you will gain maximum benefit from attending these sessions when you have finished your data collection and the majority of your time/focus is on writing your thesis. If this does not apply to you then you should attend the sessions in Autumn 2019.

If you are at an earlier stage of your doctorate, Researcher Academy has workshops covering more detailed information on these topics that you should attend instead.

You must be at least a final year PhD student in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences or School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Science.

Course description:

This session is part of the PhD write up support series in the Medicine and Health Sciences Graduate Centre. This session on 'How to get over a blank screen and what to do on the days the writing just isn't happening' will explore dealing with procrastination and how to stay motivated when writing your thesis.

Process: This session is led by a facilitator who will guide the group discussions as well as providing valuable information relevant to the topic and their own experiences of good practice. This is an informal discussion group (not a lecture/seminar).

This series will provide a platform for sharing your experiences and for discussion of any problems/uncertainties you may be facing whilst writing your thesis with fellow doctoral students and the session facilitators it is not a substitute for attendance at training workshops.

Related sessions:

Doctoral thesis write up support series (M&HS) 

Related training courses:

Graduate School- Research development programme 


Course Accessibility

The following table shows a summary of what is needed to participate in the course. 

If you feel you will experience any difficulties participating, please let us know via the ‘special requirements’ tab, providing as much information as possible. The special requirements tab can be completed when you book your place. Alternatively, you can contact us directly at ra-training@nottingham.ac.uk.

Print off pre-requisite paperwork/ resources & bring them to the course (optional)
Bring your own laptop/ PC to the course (optional)
Access seminar room on campus
Attend the course at the specified date and time
Watch and listen to the course tutor(s) and/or other attendees
Follow presentation slides during the course


Booking Conditions

Latecomer policy

Researchers should plan to arrive prior to the advertised course start time. Except for exceptional reasons, there will be no admittance to a Researcher Academy or Faculty Training Programme (FTP) course 15 minutes after the advertised course start time.

Importance of booking commitment

When booking on to a Researcher Academy short course you are entering into a commitment to attend. If you find that you are no longer available to attend you MUST cancel your place (on the system if more than three days before the course) or if at short notice by emailing ra-training@nottingham.ac.uk. This will ensure that your place can be offered to another researcher on the waiting list. Failure to cancel a place results in other researchers missing out on places through the waiting list process.

It is unacceptable for researchers to just not attend when booked onto a course. The Researcher Academy maintains records of those who repeatedly do not attend courses they have booked. This may affect future eligibility to book onto further Researcher Academy courses and will affect considerations for Researcher Academy funded opportunities.

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