On October 23-24, the BIAA welcomed 25 Early Career Researchers from several universities in Türkiye for the first two workshops on “Writing for Publication”.
Funded by the British Academy’s International Writing Workshops programme and led by Dr Peter Cherry (BIAA Assistant Director), the project is part of the Institute’s ongoing commitment to promoting inclusive research and supporting ECRs on writing and publishing on gender-related themes in the humanities and social sciences. In his words:
“These workshops offer the BIAA a meaningful way to give back to early career researchers. Research on gender often receives limited support and few opportunities for networking; this project seeks to change that. It provides a valuable platform for collaboration between British and Turkish scholars by helping ECRs develop sustainable academic research and writing skills that can support them throughout their careers. Leading such an impactful and purposeful initiative is truly a career highlight.”
The programme of the first two workshops featured talks by facilitators Dr Selin Akyüz (TED University), Dr Peter Cherry (BIAA), Dr Çimen Günay-Erkol (Özyeğin University), Dr Murat Göç (TED University), Dr Sarah Irving (Staffordshire University and Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Levant), Dr Janine Su (BIAA), addressing challenges when writing and how to overcome them, and how to write a good abstract.
The workshops, which included visits to the David H. French Library and collections, also brought together a panel of academic journal editors (Turkish Studies; Contemporary Levant; Middle Eastern Literatures; Gender, Place & Culture; British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies) to discuss how to approach journals. To conclude, Dr Nurdan Atalan Çayırezmez (BIAA Digital Repository Manager) and Sean Swanick (BIAA Librarian) highlighted the research skills needed to support one’s own writing.
The second series of workshops, focusing on writing funding applications, AI and ethics when writing, and writing anxiety and procrastination, will be held at the BIAA’s premises in Ankara in March 2026.
Check the Project webpage here.