Interdisciplinary Writing Solidarity Group (IWSG)
In March 2025, the ‘Interdisciplinary Writing Solidarity Group’ (IWSG) was launched. This is a joint project between the Geary Institute for Public Policy (Dr Laura Foley) and the School of Psychology (Dr Glen Jankowski, Pat Mulvaney, and Isabelle Nic Craith) that is funded by UCD ReCLAIM fund.
This project will support researchers towards progressing in their writing and publication goals, and aims to build an inclusive research culture. The IWSG aims to enhance productivity and output among researchers by providing a dedicated time and space for reading, writing, and discussing progress, alongside a schedule of workshops. We will also conduct a formal evaluation of the retreats.
At the core of the IWSG is the idea that working alongside others in a supportive, distraction-free environment provides an opportunity to advance progress on journal articles, PhD chapters, conference papers/abstracts, and funding proposals. Retreats will balance structure in order to ‘get the writing done’ with enough flexibility for participants to network and build solidarity with other researchers, and learn from each other’s best practices.
How to Prepare for a Writing Retreat:
The Writing Retreats will not teach researchers ‘how to write’. Rather, retreats will provide a safe space for researchers to work alongside one another, write together, and discuss their progress during the designated break times.
Participants will receive the timetable in advance and be asked to decide on, and prepare, what they are going to work on beforehand, often reading extensively and making notes about the topic that they will write on in advance. On the day of the retreat, participants will discuss what they would like to achieve in the day’s writing, so that they can check in on each other's progress, and informally support each other. The writing blocks will facilitate deep focus on writing using an adaptation of the Pomodoro method.
We will update this page as new Writing Retreats open for registration.
| Date | Time | Type | Location | Registration Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th March 2025 |
9am to 5pm | Writing Retreat | UCD Village - Meeting Room 4 and Meeting Room 5 |
Registration closed |
| 8th April 2025 |
9am to 5.30pm | Writing Retreat | Ashling Hotel | Registration closed |
| 9th April 2025 |
9am to 5.30pm | Writing Retreat | Ashling Hotel | Registration closed |
| 8th May 2025 |
9am to 5pm | Writing Retreat and Workshop: Addressing gendered and racialized research barriers | UCD Village - Meeting Room 4 and Meeting Room 2 | (opens in a new window)Registration open |
| Workshop details: This workshop will be run by Dr Glen Jankowski (UCD School of Psychology) Research in the social sciences by people of color, women, and those in the Global South (Asia, Africa, and South America) is cited less frequently than research from other groups, despite its rigor and value (Craven, 2021; Henrich et al., 2010; Jankowski et al., 2022; Kahalon et al., 2021). This workshop will examine this citation, research, and teaching gaps and its impact on women and racialized academics in particular (Craven, 2021; Hegarty & Parr, 2024). It will also address the concept of "unbelonging" in research, which is often framed as imposter syndrome, but which critics argue individualizes a systemic issue rooted in gender, race, and class inequalities, invalidating the research and expertise of women and racialized academics (Rickett & Thompson, 2024). |
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| 21st May 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 |
Registration not open yet |
| 18th June 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 and Meeting 2 |
Registration not open yet |
| 20th June 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 |
Registration not open yet |
| 3rd July 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 |
Registration not open yet |
| 17th July 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat and Workshop |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 and Meeting 2 |
Registration not open yet |
| Workshop Details: This workshop will be run by Isabelle Nic Craith and Pat Mulvaney (UCD School of Psychology) This workshop will focus on the (opens in a new window)flawed nature of the publication industry, discussions about how to resist, and how to navigate this system, including getting academic publications, writing book proposals, or turning PhD theses into books. |
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| 6th August 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 |
Registration not open yet |
| 13th August 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 and Meeting 2 |
Registration not open yet |
| 10th September 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 |
Registration not open yet |
| 17th September 2025 |
9am to 5pm |
Writing Retreat and workshop: Bridging Research and Policy |
UCD Village - Meeting Room 5 and Meeting 2 |
Registration not open yet |
| Workshop Details: This workshop will be run by Dr Laura Foley (UCD Geary Institute and Content Manager of PublicPolicy.ie) PublicPolicy.ie is an online platform where policy-related research and information is disseminated in an accessible way to policymakers, non-specialist academics, and members of the general public. This workshop will focus on how to translate academic research into policy-focused papers. Discussions will include how to write for a policy audience, including how to write policy recommendations. |
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The Retreats are open to all UCD researchers, but first priority will be given to researchers in the School of Psychology and Geary Institute due to logistical constraints.