Writing for Social Sciences and Humanities: Bridge Programs and Improving Graduate Student Outcomes

Figures & data

Table 1. Writing bridge program basic curriculum.

Writing Bridge Program basic curriculum
	Themes	Specific activities
Day 1	Ideas and invention Turning confusion into questions Gathering information	Discuss how scholars come up with questions Basic differences between undergraduate and graduate questions Scoping questions appropriately Reading as “listening” to academic conversations Deconstruct an abstract - can we tell what conversation the author is entering and what kind of questions they are asking?
Day 2	Entering the academic conversation Citation	Purpose of a literature review as a way to gather information and build ideas Introduce “they say, I say” moves. Read a literature review and discuss Potential literature review organization strategies Importance and purpose of citation Annotated bibliography as a tool for snapshotting current state of literature Introduce citation managers & online resources
Day 3	Goal setting Outlining and drafting	Establishing SMART Goals Exercise: set goals and timeline for a 15-page paper Bare bones structure of empirical, historiographic, and interpretive writing Learning to reverse outline an article
Day 4	Revising and editing Writing as collaborative process	Read, discuss Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts” Writing as an iterative process Deep revision, reorganizing, and rewriting Getting feedback and possible sources Giving and incorporative constructive feedback Coping with feedback and emotions
Day 5	Peer mentorship Editing and polishing Genre shifting Transferable skills	Peer feedback and peer mentoring Polishing academic prose Tools: academic phrasebook, pre submission checklist Proofreading and final editing Moving beyond the research paper: look at other styles of writing outside academia Deconstruct writing in policy briefs, press releases, and op-ed pieces Final discussion and reflections

Table 2. Quotes referring to Day 3: goal setting, outlining, drafting.

Participant	Quotes referring to Day 3: goal setting, outlining, drafting
C	“In the future, I hope to make the specific parts of my writing process more distinct. I tend to blend them together a lot.”
A	“Not only did I learn terminology, tools, and tricks but I also learned to take a deep breath and embrace the process. The ability to break down a project into achievable steps.”
B	“I rarely set goals for myself and I think the SMART goals will be very helpful to my self-esteem and writing skills.”
E	“Another huge lesson for me was about SMART goals and scope. I looked back on so many failed writing projects I never finished because I was taking on too much.”
C	“I think a lot of my procrastination comes from wanting it to be perfect, and if it’s not perfect, then what’s the point? But just getting the shitty draft over with will hopefully help with procrastination a lot!”

Table 3. Quotes referring to Day 4: revising, editing, writing as a collaborative process.

Participant	Quotes referring to Day 4: revising, editing, writing as a collaborative process
B	“I had an issue with time management before this class and would spend too much time on composing and not enough on revising.”
C	“I also tend to draft, revise, and edit all in one go, so taking the time to separate those and focus on the process will help my writing immensely.”
D	“I also plan on implementing better revision techniques and utilizing the comradery of my peers to end up with better end results.”
D	“Before this workshop, the thing I dreaded the most was receiving feedback. I felt that feedback was an attack on my writing and thus an attack on me. I now feel that this mindset hindered me from growing as an academic, and I am more willing to send out my writing and have it critiqued.”

Table 4 Quotes relating to intrapersonal experience.^a

Participant	Quotes relating to intrapersonal experience
B	“Coming into this workshop I felt as if my writing skills were just good enough to get by, but I feel much more confident in those skills now. I have a voice that needs to be heard and my writing is the tool to do that.”
E	“I learned so much from the Bridge writing program. The most fundamental lesson was that the anxieties I experience are universal and everybody experiences them at all levels of writing.”
D	“I am definitely less afraid to reach out for help than I was.”
A	“I think overall the main point I have taken away is that this is doable, I can work through the process- but mainly that I am not alone. I have tools to start and mentors to turn to along the way.”

^aEmphasis added by article authors.