Doctoral students & postdocs (KHYS)

Offer for young scientists (in cooperation with KHYS)

In cooperation with the Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists(KHYS), the Language Center offers targeted English-language writing and language formats for doctoral candidates and postdocs.

Registration takes place via the event calendar of the Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS).

Contact person at the Language Center: Cynthia White, Tel.: 0721 608 48051, E-Mail: cynthia.white∂kit.edu

Our current offer

English à la carte

English à la carte is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their English but either doesn't have time for a regular course or has specific learning needs that can't be met in a group format.

The course is individually tailored to your needs. The focus can be on improving writing skills, grammar or developing fluency in oral expression.

Each participant can attend a total of 4 × 45 minutes of one-to-one tuition with an experienced teacher from the English department. The appointments take place online, in person or hybrid.

Shut up and write! -Structured writing time for docs and postdocs

Writing is central to academic success, but it is often difficult to find focused time for it in our research-intensive everyday lives. Our "Shut up and write!" event offers KIT docs and postdocs a protected environment to work on their own texts in a concentrated manner - be it articles, project proposals or other scientific publications.

Each session lasts 90 minutes. Every two weeks, the meeting begins with a short 15-minute impulse from the course leader on topics such as writing strategies, time management or overcoming writer's block. Afterwards, you have time and space to work on your text in peace.

During our "teaching weeks", we also offer individual 35-minute one-to-one coaching sessions with the course leader. These can be used to discuss personal writing challenges, obtain feedback or clarify questions about structure and comprehensibility. Meanwhile, the rest of the group continues to work quietly.

The course does not provide a comprehensive introduction to academic writing, but focuses on promoting continuous writing practice, developing productive routines and reflecting on individual writing processes.

Participants gain new impulses for their everyday writing, learn effective strategies and take the opportunity to make concrete progress with professional support - without any distractions. No preparation is necessary; just bring your own writing project and get started!

Scientific Writing

This workshop focuses on the language used in writing scientific papers. The aim is to improve your writing by talking about common conventions in the subject, producing your own texts and discussing issues that arise when writing.
At the beginning, we briefly discuss the content of the individual sections of a scientific paper (abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion). Together we will develop guidelines that you can apply when writing your own texts. We will then analyze authentic sample texts to discuss stylistic conventions and, if necessary, grammar. We pay particular attention to linguistic patterns in specific subject areas, as these often vary.
In a further step, we practise revising texts. You will then write short texts of your own, e.g. a project summary, a critical review or a results section. You will receive feedback on your writing style and linguistic expression. Questions about language, punctuation and grammar will be discussed during the course.
By the end of the workshop, you will have improved your ability to write about your research and comment on the work of others in English. You will sharpen your text revision skills and develop a sense of the appropriate style for scientific texts.