The National Institute of Statistical Science (NISS) and American Statistical Association will hold a writing workshop for junior researchers (subject to availability of funds). The goal of the workshop is to provide instruction for writing journal articles and grant proposals.
Participants will be required to provide a recent sample of their writing, which will be reviewed by a senior mentor. The sample could be a current draft of an article to be submitted for publication, or it could be an early version of a grant proposal. (Submission of the manuscript will be required as part of the registration process. Prior experience suggests that the best results come from submitting an early draft of something that is written solely or primarily by the participant.)
The mentors will be former journal editors and program officers, who will critique (a portion of) the submitted material. Individual feedback will be provided as part of the opening session, and participants will be expected to prepare a revision in response. The workshop will open with a one-day session of general instruction in effective writing techniques and close with discussion and debriefing at a follow-up lunch.
The full-day session is scheduled for August 4, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. At the close of the formal activities, mentors will meet individually with participants to go over the writing samples they submitted. Each participant will then prepare a revision of a critiqued portion of the paper and return this to the mentor by the evening of August 6. Mentors and participants will meet again in conjunction with a lunch on August 7 to discuss the success of the revisions. The lunch program also will include general feedback to participants, mentors, and organizers.
Attendance will be limited and depend on the number of mentors available. To apply, go to the ASA website. Applications are due by June 1, and successful applicants will be notified by June 30. Applications received after June 1 will be considered if space is available. There is no fee for participation. Participants will receive lunch on August 4 and August 7. Participants must agree to attend both the full Sunday session and the Wednesday lunch. We have requested funding for partial travel support.
This workshop is designed for researchers with a recent PhD in either statistics or biostatistics. Top priority will go to those who have held the PhD for 0–3 years. The limited available funding will be used to support attendance by researchers at U.S. institutions. Current PhD students who are completing their degree before the end of the summer and who will be at U.S. institutions in the fall also will be considered. If space is available, researchers at institutions outside the United States will be admitted to the workshop, but will not be provided with travel support.
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