Writing Skills for Research (Academic and Grant Applications)

In late 2024, ACRF and Amgen entered a partnership to champion the role of women in oncology and related fields. They seek to support, amplify, and celebrate the contributions of female researchers across Australia, ultimately working toward improved patient outcomes and breakthroughs in cancer treatment. This innovative collaboration aims to address the critical need for greater female representation and leadership in the field, fostering breakthroughs from the laboratory to clinical care. This 3-year partnership is built around a shared vision to advance gender diversity in the field and to empower women at every stage of their careers.

In this webinar recorded in November 2025, hear firsthand from three industry leaders:
– Professor Nikki Verrills, University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute
– Dr Andrew Stone, Children’s Cancer Institute
– Nicole Makoviney, The University of Sydney

Hear the panel discuss how wins and losses have shaped their approach to grant applications and how they assess applications when appearing on panels.

A critical review asks you to examine a topic in light of what you know about that field of research. Your critical review is an opportunity to demonstrate coverage of a topic but also to provide your critical assessment of the ideas and arguments you are writing about.

This guide provides key steps to begin your review and how to structure your review.

This guide provides information and activities that will help you create an infographic.

There are tips and tools to step you through the process of creating an infographic, including: links to free online infographic creator tools and free images.

Includes a 3 mins video to get a quick overview of the creation and development process, worth watching before moving through the content of the module.

Writing for research or study means placing our own ideas in the context and knowledges of the discipline. We do this by reading, viewing or listening to the work of other researchers and experts in an area. Citation is a key tool in crediting and acknowledging when we use ideas and information from other people.

Citation has established formulas called referencing styles that we need to use. There are multiple styles but they all communicate enough information for readers or reviewers of a work to find the material cited, to follow up and evaluate the original information themselves. This guide provides you with the “how to” and tools needed for referencing correctly.

Abstract writing is indeed a crucial skill for any researcher. An abstract is often the very first thing a reader notices, and it can determine whether they will continue reading your full paper or not. Writing an intriguing abstract for a research paper is incredibly important as it is the section that grabs and holds the reader’s attention. Give your best while writing the abstract for your research paper. To make it easier for you, in this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps of writing a coherent and compelling abstract.

This useful resource covers a wide range of topics including how to structure your manuscript, how to present each section of your article, e.g. data presentation, and hints on cover letters, peer review and communicating your research through blogs.

This 14 page guide provides instructions and examples of writing for

• research proposals
• literature reviews
• academic conferences e.g. abstracts, papers
• publication submissions

How do you write an effective proposal? This guide covers the possible macro-structures of a proposal, tips for writing and provides advice on all aspects of the finished document.

Explore one or more of these options to determine the approach for referencing that aligns with your needs and preferences.

1. Create and format yourself – explore 7 referencing styles e.g. Harvard and determine which is best for your research.
2. Auto-generate and clean up – Learn about using reference generators, which can be a good option to quickly generate citations for your reference list/bibliography if you don’t want to use reference management software.
3. Get organised for your thesis and/or a research project – choosing reference software and exploring best options for your research.

Writing is the most used channel of communication of ideas, research and findings.Being able to have quality and effective scientific writing is a fundamental part of research translation. This seminar provides a practical overview of scientific writing; including principles of good writing, how to get started, article structure and organisation, how to negotiate authorship, and the publication process.

There is an increasing requirement for researchers to demonstrate the impact of their research to funders, stakeholders and to the community. This seminar looks at the one simple process you can use to capture and communicate your research impact, as well as provide an overview of research impact, showcasing the recently published AAMRI Research Impact Framework.

This seminar explores where and how to find grant opportunities and strategies for putting together a high quality grant application. It is also focuses on how to understand the grant review process, and to submit and respond to reviewer comments.

Assoc Prof Zachary Munn presents on the challenges that predatory journals present to systematic reviewers, and how to identify predatory publishers.

A one-stop-shop for writing and publishing high-impact health research. The EQUATOR Network is a repository for study protocol and publishing checklists. Includes reporting guidelines for main study types e.g. qualitative research; toolkits for writing research, peer reviewing research, using guidelines in your journal, how to develop reporting guidelines.

The Academic Phrasebank is a general resource for academic writers. It aims to provide you with examples of some of the phraseological ‘nuts and bolts’ of writing organised according to the main sections of a research paper or dissertation. The resource should be particularly useful for writers who need to report their research work. The phrases, and the headings under which they are listed, can be used simply to assist you in thinking about the content and organisation of your own writing, or the phrases can be incorporated into your writing where this is appropriate.

Step by step instruction from the beginning of a study to publishing.

Covers MLA format, Chicago style, APA style and provide links to further resources.

Access “how to guides” for APA 7, Chicago 17th B, AGLC, Vancouver referencing.

Covers the 5 main citation styles used in scientific research and some important points for using them. For more information, use the style book indicated in the article.

Strategic publishing involves taking a systematic approach to ensure you publish in the most effective place and maximise success in your publishing endeavours. Your publishing record will have a crucial impact on your career if you pursue academia or research and can be a valuable addition to your CV if you choose to work in industry or government.

Links to topics: Concept and Planning, Searching and Literature Review, Data Collection and Analysis, Writing and Publishing, Promotion and Impact.