'Shut Up and Write' retreats
Each week during WriteFest there will be two ‘Shut Up and Write’ writing retreats: two hours of protected time to focus on your writing projects, strengthened by accountability and supported by a community of peers. Every Wednesday there is a hybrid option (join online or come in-person), while every Friday there is a virtual writing retreat. Locations for the hybrid option will be posted on the Teams channel. Join the Shut Up and Write Teams group here!
Programme of events
See below for our programme of events designed to bring researchers together to write, learn, and share. We also have both an interactive programme and a downloadable programme.
If you have any questions or queries, let us know at researcher@liverpool.ac.uk
Week 1 (commencing 03 November 2025)
| Date/Time | Title | Description | Presenter(s) | Format | Link to Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 03 November 2025, 10:00-11:00 | Copyright and your Thesis | Learn about the issues to consider when including material created by other people in your PhD thesis. | Heather Johnston & Martin Wolf | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Monday 03 November 2025, 13:00-14:00 | AI Tools for Research | Explore some of the Generative Artificial Intelligence tools that could be useful for research purposes. | Dr Bryony Parsons | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Monday 03 November 2025, 14:00-15:30 | CV Masterclass | Learn how to write and tailor CVs for both academia and industry. | Emma Galt | Masterclass (In-Person) | Book now |
| Tuesday 04 November 2025, 09:30-17:00 | PGR Writing Retreat | Make progress with your writing in a focused, supportive, distraction-free environment. | Dr Adam Gilbert & Dr Jeni Driscoll | Practical application of skills (In-Person) | Book now |
| Tuesday 04 November 2025 | Fellowship Quest: Navigating the journey from pre-application to success | This recording of an RSA Lunch & Learn provides an introduction to applying for a fellowship – how to go about it, what to consider, and what support might be available. | Brigid Bell & Dr Suzanne Palmer | On-demand resource (Online) | Recording (Panopto) |
| Wednesday 05 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Hybrid) | Teams Channel |
| Wednesday 05 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | The mechanics of academic writing | Explore the building blocks of strong academic writing. | Dr Adam Gilbert | Practical application of skills (In-Person) | Book now |
| Wednesday 05 November 2025, 14:00-15:00 | Best practice for Research Data Management | An introduction to Research Data Management. | Jacqueline Vigilanti & Gary Jeffers | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Thursday 06 November 2025, 10:00-11:00 | Mastering your abstracts for publication and REF | Master the essentials of writing effective STEM abstracts that capture editors’, reviewers’, and REF panellists’ attention - including practical tips, examples, and common pitfalls to avoid. | Dr Natalie Wallis | Interactive workshop (Online) | Book now |
| Friday 07 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Online) | Teams Channel |
Week 2 (commencing 10 November 2025)
| Date/Time | Title | Description | Presenter(s) | Format | Link to Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 10 November 2025 | The power of writing for just one hour | Unleash the power of writing for just one hour. | Dr Eli Saetnan | On-demand resource (Online) | Recording (Panopto) |
| Tuesday 11 November 2025, 11:00-12:00 | Research Data Management: FAIR Principles and Open Data | This session will introduce you to the FAIR Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and how you can apply them to your research data. | Jacqueline Vigilanti & Gary Jeffers | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Tuesday 11 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Thesis writing bootcamp for late-stage PGRs | Explore the practicalities of thesis writing, including planning techniques, appropriate writing style, and writing to completion. | Dr Sally Hoare | Interactive workshop (Online) | Book now |
| Tuesday 11 November 2025, 13:00-14:00 | RSA Lunch & Learn: Write on: Strategies to start, shape and sharpen your writing | Join us to discover creative ways to get the words flowing, ignite your imagination and turn a first draft into a final draft. | Dr Andrew Holmes, Dr Fiona McBride & Dr Stefania Silvestri | Interactive workshop (In-Person) | Book now |
| Wednesday 12 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Hybrid) | Teams Channel |
| Wednesday 12 November 2025, 14:00-16:00 | Fellows! Develop your publication strategy to strengthen your outputs and career | This workshop will help Research Fellows to create publication strategies, navigate REF, write 3*/4* publications & embrace Open Research. | Robert Cooney, Dr Natalie Wallis and Martin Wolf | Interactive workshop (In-Person) | Book now |
| Thursday 13 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Academic writing for mid-stage PGRs | Deepen your understanding of academic writing and develop good writing practices. | Dr Joanna Young | Interactive workshop (Online) | Book now |
| Friday 14 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Hybrid) | Teams Channel |
Week 3 (commencing 17 November 2025)
| Date/Time | Title | Description | Presenter(s) | Format | Link to Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 18 November 2025, 10:00-11:30 | Academic cover letters | Consider how to craft a cover letter for various academic positions. | Dr Adam Gilbert | Interactive workshop (Online) | Book now |
| Wednesday 19 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Hybrid) | Teams Channel |
| Wednesday 19 November 2025, 12:00-13:00 | Developing PGRs as academic writers | This session for supervisors will discuss the challenges PGRs face with academic writing and our role as supervisors in developing the skills and practice for successful academic writing and successful thesis completion. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Interactive workshop (Hybrid) | Book now (LearnWell) |
| Wednesday 19 November 2025, 13:00-16:00 | Academic reading for academic writing | This online session is designed to help participants develop skills and strategies for academic reading which feed into their academic and research writing. | Dr Jeni Driscoll | Interactive workshop (Online) | Book now |
| Wednesday 19 November 2025, 09:30-16:30 | RSA Writing Retreat | Protected time and space to achieve your writing goals supported by other researchers, with time for setting goals and sharing writing tips. | Dr Andrew Holmes | Practical application of skills (In-Person) | Book now |
| Thursday 20 November 2025, 10:00-11:30 | Writing policy briefings | Provides a guide for researchers interested in writing targeted policy briefings with potential to generate genuine impact. | Dr Tom Arnold | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Thursday 20 November 2025, 10:00-11:00 | Best practice for Research Data Management | An introduction to Research Data Management. | Jacqueline Vigilanti & Gary Jeffers | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Friday 21 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Online) | Teams Channel |
Week 4 (commencing 24 November 2025)
| Date/Time | Title | Description | Presenter(s) | Format | Link to Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 24 November 2025, 12:00-12:45 | Advanced EndNote Desktop | Learn more about using this referencing tool. | Dr Paul Catherall, Zelda Chatten & Heather Johnston | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Monday 24 November 2025, 14:00-15:00 | Research Data Management: FAIR Principles & Open Data | This session will introduce you to the FAIR Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and how you can apply them to your research data. | Jacqueline Vigilanti & Gary Jeffers | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Tuesday 25 November 2025, 13:00-14:00 | Thinking critically about Data | This webinar will cover the basics of collecting and analysing data, including critiquing methodology used by others. | Dr Bryony Parsons | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Tuesday 25 November 2025, 14:00-16:00 | Overcoming writer's block | Learn the common roadblocks for writing and how to combat them. | Dr Amy Birch | Interactive workshop (In-Person) | Book now |
| Wednesday 26 November 2025, 14:00-15:00 | Creating a Data Management Plan using DMPonline | Discuss how to use DMPonline for writing your data management plans. | Jacqueline Vigilanti & Gary Jeffers | Webinar (Online) | Book now |
| Wednesday 26 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Hybrid) | Teams Channel |
| Thursday 27 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Narrative CV Clinics | Get one-to-one feedback on your narrative CV for an external funding application. | Dr Lydia Nicholson & Hannah Dutton | Interactive workshop (Online) | Book now |
| Thursday 27 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Developing effective writing habits | Build effective writing habits to support your research. | Dr Adam Gilbert | Practical application of skills (In-Person) | Book now |
| Friday 28 November 2025, 10:00-12:00 | Shut Up and Write | Online writing retreat giving participants two hours of protected time to focus on their writing projects. | Dr Eli Saetnan | Practical application of skills (Online) | Teams Channel |
Additional resources
- Writing Resources for Researchers Wakelet
- Prosper's Communication Playlist
- Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Blog post Making time for writing
- Turbo Charge Your Writing video
- Research Funding and Outputs Hub
- Researcher KnowHow at the library
- PGR Development Programme
Back to: Researcher Hub