Communication

The library offers a variety of workshops to support students' academic and professional skill development, including workshops on academic writing style, organizing and writing the thesis or dissertation, and improving their scientific writing skills.

Browse the library’s workshops and events calendar.

Students can also book individual writing appointments to help them reach their academic and professional goals. Visit the library's appointment booking page to learn more.

The library created a website on Writing in the Sciences that offers practical writing guidance.

Writing Resources Online

Writing resources (guides, templates, and videos) are designed to help academic writers at various stages of their writing process. Topics include grammar, style, citations, plagiarism, literature reviews, lab reports, and much more. This collection also includes resources to help writers in their pre-writing and revising stages.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

The university provides a tutorial explaining the definitions of academic integrity and plagiarism, the regulations and penalties for Academic Misconduct and information about how to avoid unintentional academic misconduct or plagiarism.

To help students avoid committing academic misconduct or plagiarism, all new graduate students are required to take the short course UNIV*7100: Academic Integrity for Graduate Students before the end of their first semester. Students will receive instructions for accessing and completing the course when they register for their graduate program.

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The library offers a variety of workshops to support students' academic and professional skill development, including workshops on grammar skills, written communications for graduate students with English as an Additional Language, and academic integrity and plagiarism.

Browse the library’s workshops and events calendar to see what events are coming up.

Students can also book individual appointments to help them reach their academic and professional goals, such as improving reading, writing, pronunciation, and communication. Visit the library's appointment booking page to learn more.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

The university provides a tutorial explaining the definitions of academic integrity and plagiarism, the regulations and penalties for Academic Misconduct and information about how to avoid unintentional academic misconduct or plagiarism.

To help students avoid committing academic misconduct or plagiarism, all new graduate students are required to take the short course UNIV*7100: Academic Integrity for Graduate Students before the end of their first semester. Students will receive instructions for accessing and completing the course when they register for their graduate program.

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Information on Mitacs Training

Build Your Scientific and Technical Writing Skills

You will broaden your perspective on the importance of the writing process, learn to analyze your audience and plan the writing process accordingly, be able to identify all aspects of technical reports, learn effective editing techniques and understand how to use graphics to make an impact and support an argument.

Business Writing for Today's Professional

You will have the opportunity to build on your business writing knowledge and skills through a combination of self-directed activities and in-person, facilitated application. You will gain practical written communication skills to improve engagement with various stakeholders, deepen your understanding of writing techniques to concisely grab a reader’s attention and get results, learn writing methods that can be applied immediately, and harness writing processes that maximize preparation and effective writing time.

Writing Effective Emails (online)

You will learn how to draft concise emails with clear information and direction, and use email appropriately within the work environment. Topics include email etiquette, exploring appropriate and professional usage, understanding your target audience, common email mistakes, response time.

Writing Strategic Business Reports (online)

You will learn how to write clear and strategic business reports that achieve their intended purpose, tailor a report for its intended audience and make a positive impression with readers. Topics include the difference between academic and business reports, business report styles and formats, structuring a report, grammar usage and target audiences.

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The library offers a variety of workshops to support students' academic and professional skill development, including workshops on presentation skills, publishing and author rights, citation management, meeting Open Access requirements from funding agencies, and developing an online scholarly identity.

Browse the library’s workshops and events calendar.

Students can also book individual appointments to help them reach their academic and professional goals, such as presentation skills, creating multimedia, and knowing their rights as an author. Visit the library's appointment booking page to learn more.

Return to Library

The library offers a variety of workshops to support your academic and professional skill development, including workshops on pronunciation, reading, writing, and communication.

Browse the library’s workshops and events calendar.

Students can also book individual appointments to help them reach their academic and professional goals, such as presentation skills, creating multimedia, and knowing their rights as an author. Visit the library's appointment booking page to learn more.

Return to EAL

Information on Mitacs Training

Communicating Your Research (online)

This short online course highlights the importance of communicating well and focuses on three common communication opportunities that researchers face on a regular basis: presentation skills; writing skills; and poster creation. Topics include learning how to construct a clear and concise narrative that audiences will remember, understanding how to use text, visuals, and interactivity to communicate your message effectively, taking a clear and cohesive approach to your written communication, types of poster presentation layout styles and tips to communicating your research effectively.

Practice Your Presentation Skills I

Theory is introduced in short bursts and participants spend the majority of time practising their presentation skills while receiving onsite feedback. You will broaden your understanding of presentation logistics. gain a greater ability to persuade and motivate others, understand how to plan and structure presentations, understand how (and how not to) use visual aids, learn to engage others through genuine and authentic presentation, learn tools to overcome and manage fears of public speaking gain onsite practice and receive expert and peer feedback.

Practice Your Presentation Skills II

Advanced skills development is achieved through a greater emphasis on practice and critique of realistic presentations that are relevant to the job, as well as the ability to watch oneself on video. You will prepare a 15-20 min presentation relevant to your work or interests and receive expert and peer feedback as well as the opportunity to be videotaped for personal reference and feedback. You will have the opportunity to apply learning from Presentation Skills: Level I, develop a greater ability to persuade and motivate others, be able to engage others through genuine authenticity, overcome fear through practice, receive valuable peer and expert feedback on your presentations and style.

Skills of Communication

This full-day course features the tools and tips for better verbal communication. It will test your assumptions and mental models and introduce you to the Ladder of Inference, the Johari Window and more. The goal is to make you more aware of the tools available to help you become a better communicator in both your work and personal lives. You will understand how personal assumptions and mental models adversely influence communication, learn how to determine your own personal assumptions and how to avoid them, learn to navigate and approach difficult conversations, identify and implement communications tools and techniques for team success.

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The Certificate in Knowledge Mobilization is a professional development opportunity offered entirely online by the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI). Through three eight-week courses, participants learn to identify and address barriers to knowledge mobilization, and use tools and techniques to enhance the impact of research and facilitate the development of evidence-informed policy and practice.

The program is targeted towards researchers, policy-makers, service providers and knowledge mobilization professionals looking to enhance their ability to share and use evidence relevant to the social sciences, human services, and health sectors. Courses focus on the development of knowledge mobilization strategies tailored to each stage of the Knowledge to Action continuum.

Inform: Processes of knowledge translation and dissemination [F]

This course provides an overview of the theories and practices involved in the creation, sharing and uptake of evidence. Learn why and how to enhance awareness of and accessibility to relevant evidence. You will explore the processes of knowledge creation, synthesis, translation and dissemination, and learn to use different techniques and products to share evidence.

Engage: Building capacity to understand and use relevant evidence [W]

This course focuses on processes and products to support target audiences in engaging with new evidence. Students will learn skills and techniques to help build capacity for users to identify, make sense of, and apply relevant evidence in their individual, organizational and societal contexts. Students will explore the role of knowledge brokers in enhancing user literacy and motivation, facilitating engagement, and increasing understanding and uptake of evidence.

Act: Transforming knowledge into action [S]

This course focuses on the final stage in the KMb continuum, where evidence is transformed into decisions and practices at the system, organization, community and individual level. Students will learn about KMb tools and techniques that facilitate the implementation of evidence into practice and support target audiences in sustainable change. Students will be introduced to more complex approaches to knowledge production and use, including co-creation, which can enhance the uptake of evidence and favour evidence-informed decisions and practices.

Return to Certificate

The monthly workshop series Skills for Research Impact is a collaboration between CESI, the Research Innovation Office, and the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.  It is aimed at faculty, research staff and graduate students who are interested in enhancing the impact of their research. Through nine hands-on sessions facilitated by impact experts, participants will learn how to successfully plan, execute and evaluate knowledge mobilization (KMb), or knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) activities. Sessions will cover topics key to effective research communications and engagement of non-academic audiences, including policy, industry and community stakeholders.

Planning for Research Impact

Become familiar with knowledge mobilization plans and conceptualize strategies adapted to your goals and audiences.

Stakeholder Engagement

Reflect on how to engage your stakeholders throughout your research process to increase your impact, and review engagement best practices for policy, industry and community actors.

Clear Language Writing

Hone your clear communications skills! Get tips on how to structure and write clear language summaries of your research for dissemination to lay audiences.

Design Principles: Designing for your Audience

Go beyond the academic poster: learn all about best practices for designing visual materials that are appealing and bring your messages across.

Website Design & Digital Accessibility

Build your own website: explore available platforms and consider website structure, content and budget. Learn about digital accessibility and how to promote your website.

Social Media Engagement

Learn all about the web 2.0! Discover how to choose social media platforms that are appropriate for your goals and audiences, and get tips on creating engaging posts.

Event Planning and Facilitation

Getting your stakeholders into the room is important, but you also need to know what to do with them! Build a checklist of event planning essentials and discuss best practices in group facilitation.

Data Visualization

From data to story, learn to turn numbers into compelling visuals and impactful design. Explore the figures and formats most appropriate to share your data and get step-by-step direction on visualizing your messages.

Evaluating KTT Activities

When all is said and done, how do you know it worked? Go beyond the anecdote and learn to use evaluation techniques to assess the impact of your knowledge mobilization efforts. From data to story, learn to turn numbers into compelling visuals and impactful design. Explore the figures and formats most appropriate to share your data and get step-by-step direction on visualizing your messages.

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The Guelph Knowledge Translation and Transfer Community of Practice (KTT CoP) is an informal group of knowledge mobilization professionals, faculty and students seeking to share best practices, develop new skills, and connect with peers. They host semi-regular workshops on topics related to research impact and knowledge exchange, and maintain a listserv that supports sharing of resources and opportunities within the community.

Visit the KTT CoP Events page to find out what workshops are planned for the upcoming year.