Chandigarh February 17, 2022
University Institute of Fashion Technology and Vocational Development. Panjab University, Chandigarh in collaboration with Department of Life Long learning & Extension organized an online Academic Writing Workshop from 10 February to 17 February, 2022, for Research scholars and Post Graduate students with an objective to guide them and direct them towards producing a better quality of thesis and dissertation work. Around 50 Research scholars, Masters’ students and faculty from UIFT & VD and various colleges and Universities like IIS University, Jaipur, Amity University , Noida etc. attended this workshop. The workshop aimed at highlighting the helpful approaches of academic writing, essential for communicating a research idea in a comprehensive and engaging manner. Five experts:Prof. Sharda Kaushik, Prof. Pushpinder Syal, Prof. Deepti Gupta, Dr. Apara Sharma and Ms. Jashanpreet Kaur were invited to share their expertise and enlighten the learners about the pertinent approaches and myriad aspects of academic writing.
Prof. Sharda Kaushik, former Professor and Head, Centre of Management and Humanities, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh discussed the importance of publishing quality research work in valuable journals. She emphasised the importance of writers, reviewers, editors, and readers in helping to publish excellent academic works on a global platform. The interactive workshop provided research researchers with theoretical as well as practical exposure. In another session, Dr. Kaushik conducted a practical task, in which audience was asked to sum up each paragraph of a research paper in a single phrase. The task helped the audience to learn the importance of effective communication which is achieved with each paragraph forming a building block.
Prof. Pushpinder Syal, Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University provided an in-depth insight into the style, language, and structure of an article, journal, or any other piece of academic writing. From conceiving a concept to giving it a formal academic shape, the session delves into the process of research analysis. Prof. Syal further emphasised the importance of decision-making at both the macro and micro levels. The students were inspired to participate in active research projects in order to add something unique and noteworthy to their respective fields.
Prof. Deepti Gupta, Dean International Students and Professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University spoke about ‘Plagiarism in Academic Writing’. She used appropriate examples to explain the meaning and types of plagiarism. She emphasised the need of following the research ethics religiously while explaining the challenges with thesis writing and what researchers should bear in mind while writing theses. Participants were demonstrated how to paraphrase a sentence by changing active to passive, negative to positive or vice versa and they were involved with exercises on paraphrasing. The resource person emphasised that language is a tool and participants can use this tool to their advantage, and encouraged them to become friends with the language.
Another session focused on the role of language in academic writing was led by Dr. Apara Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women, Chandigarh. She compared language to a dress. Academic writing is incomplete without language, just as a clothing is incomplete without adornment. She clarified several grammar topics, including basic punctuation rules, choosing proper words, constructing a logical structure, and using the appropriate tone in academic writing. She discussed proper citation practises as well as the ethics of using citations.
Ms. Jashanpreet Kaur from the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University, spoke in detail about the features of Academic Writing, difference between Academic Writing and Non-Academic Writing, Types of Writing etc., the structure of Academic Text, that include Introduction, Body and Conclusion.
Participants in the sessions were invited to speak about the difficulties they faced when writing their theses, research papers, and synopses. A thought-provoking discussion between the experts and the participants completed the sessions. After each session, students were invited to submit their inquiries and questions, and they were given the opportunity to engage in a productive discourse with the resource person. Hands-on exercises were also undertaken during the workshop to promote student participation. Students appreciated the programme because it proved to be highly useful for their future research endeavours. Ms. Nidhi, a student from M.Sc. Fashion and Lifestyle Technology said that
“Thanks for organizing this workshop. I feel learning about the details of academic writing at Masters level is going to help us a lot in reducing the chances of errors and repetitions in our research work.”
The workshop was well received by students as it proved to be very helpful for their future research projects. The success of the workshop was evident with the enthusiastic participation of the students. Dr. Anu H. Gupta, Chairperson, UIFT & VD lauded the commendable sessions delivered by all the experts and encouraged the participants to improve their writing skills by attending such insightful workshops and continuously working on their writing pursuits. Such initiatives and workshops, according to Dr. Paramjit Singh Kang, Chairperson, DLLL&E, assist researchers enhance their creative skills and constitute a lifelong learning process.
