2018 NISS Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers (at JSM)

The National Institute of Statistical Science (NISS) will hold a writing workshop for junior researchers in statistics and data science during the 2018 Joint Statistical Meetings in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Objective

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 an early version of a grant proposal.

Senior mentors will be former journal editors and program officers, who will critique the submitted material and provide individual feedback. Participants will be expected to initiate a revision in response with additional feedback from their mentors.

The application deadline is June 1, with notification of acceptances on a rolling basis until June 20.

Content

The workshop consists of two sessions, plus a final meeting with mentors. The Sunday tutorial is an all-day session that covers scientific writing, as well as how to organize a paper. It also discusses ethical issues, writing grant proposals, issues of journal choice, and understanding and responding to reviewers’ comments. At the end of this session, each participant meets with the mentor who analyzed their paper.

The Tuesday session focuses on specific issues for participants whose native language is not English, covering the writing process and details of grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. A panel of senior researchers whose native language is not English will discuss their experiences with technical writing in English.

Audience 

The workshop is designed for researchers with a PhD awarded or anticipated during 2012–2018 in statistics, biostatistics, or a related field. Attendance at the writing workshop will be limited Applicants within 0–3 years post-PhD and members of the participating societies will receive preference.

Schedule Time 
Part I: Sunday, July 29, 2018, 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Convention Center
Part II: Tuesday, July 31, 2018, 7:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m., Convention Center

Registration

Workshop applicants are asked to register online, submit a writing sample, and confirm interest in participating by paying the $100 registration fee (if the submission is accepted). Depending on the availability of funds, travel and housing costs will be partially reimbursed to those accepted. We strongly encourage workshop participants to also seek additional funding on their own.

All submitted material will be handled confidentially.