“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
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STRENGTHENING ACADEMIC WRITING AS RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
Universities invest heavily in recruiting talented researchers, developing research strategies and securing funding.
Far fewer invest systematically in the capabilities researchers need to translate that investment into sustained research performance.
Academic Coach partners with universities to develop those capabilities through researcher development programmes, workshops and strategic coaching.
Interventions are designed to support:
Increased quality and quantity of research outputs
Improved REF readiness and submission confidence
Stronger grant applications and funding pipelines
Greater ECR confidence, progression and retention
Sustainable writing and research practices that help reduce overwork and burnout
An external specialist brings dedicated expertise and a fresh perspective, creating space for staff to develop their research practices alongside existing institutional mentoring and support.
Academic Coach designs bespoke, evidence-informed interventions aligned with institutional priorities, disciplinary cultures and career stages.
WHAT YOU CAN COMMISSION
Institutions can commission support around four areas, delivered through workshops, short series or coaching programmes.
STRENGTHENING RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Support researchers to identify and strengthen the contribution of their work, exercise editorial judgement and develop publications towards submission.
Topics include:
Assessing originality, significance and rigour in research outputs
Identifying what distinguishes a stronger contribution
Editing to strengthen argument, structure and intellectual contribution
Developing effective journal article writing processes
Planning and progressing monographs
These interventions can support REF preparation, publication development and research quality improvement.
DEVELOPING FUNDING APPLICATIONS
Support researchers to turn an emerging idea into a coherent funding proposition and communicate the value of their research.
Topics include:
Framing significant research questions
Identifying the knowledge gap and articulating the project’s contribution
Connecting research questions, objectives and approach
Developing narrative CVs that demonstrate relevant contributions and capabilities
Building a funding pipeline within a wider research strategy
These interventions can be delivered as focused workshops or a short series supporting application development.
SUPPORTING ACADEMIC PROGRESSION
Support researchers to articulate their distinctive contribution and make deliberate choices about their next career stage.
Topics include:
Defining intellectual identity and research positioning
Communicating a coherent programme of research
Assessing existing evidence against promotion criteria
Identifying gaps and planning how to address them
Connecting publication, funding and visibility decisions to career goals
These interventions are particularly relevant to ECR development, mid-career consolidation and preparation for promotion.
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE WRITING PRACTICES
Support researchers to develop practical systems for writing and publication within the realities of academic workload.
Topics include:
Establishing a consistent, workable writing practice
Developing efficient planning, drafting and editing processes
Managing competing commitments and protecting research time
Moving stalled articles or book projects forward
Building realistic publication plans and maintaining momentum
The focus is on developing capabilities and working practices that staff can continue to use beyond the intervention.
BESPOKE WORKSHOPS AND MASTERCLASSES
Academic Coach delivers workshops and masterclasses for academic staff and doctoral researchers.
Workshops draw on established teaching frameworks and are tailored in consultation with the institution to reflect disciplinary context, career stage and the outcomes required.
They can be commissioned as:
A focused one-hour session addressing a specific skill or decision
A longer practical masterclass with time to apply the learning
A short series aligned with an institutional objective
A workshop within a departmental writing retreat or development programme
All workshops are:
Designed in consultation with the institution
Grounded in research on academic writing and productivity, alongside extensive coaching and teaching experience
Structured around clear learning outcomes and practical application
Tailored to the challenges facing participants
Where appropriate, participants are surveyed in advance to inform the design. Sessions can also use participants’ own writing, research plans or career materials to make the learning directly relevant to their work.
SMALL-GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL COACHING
Coaching provides sustained support for staff to apply new skills, address specific obstacles and make progress on research and career priorities.
Academic Coach offers:
Small-group coaching, with a maximum of four participants
1:1 coaching for selected staff members
These programmes support staff to:
Develop efficient, sustainable writing practices
Strengthen the quality and clarity of their research outputs
Clarify their research direction and career goals
Build momentum towards publication, promotion and funding milestones
A typical small-group package consists of five 90-minute sessions, tailored to the group’s career stage, disciplinary context and agreed objectives.
This model complements internal mentoring by providing specialist expertise and protected developmental space.
LONG-TERM COACHING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
For institutions seeking sustained development, Academic Coach delivers 12-month programmes for departments or cohorts.
These programmes combine:
Access to a structured online curriculum in journal article writing, monograph development or broader academic writing skills
Live group coaching to support implementation and accountability
Optional 1:1 feedback on journal articles or monograph work
Programmes can be aligned with:
REF preparation and the development of stronger research outputs
ECR development
Mid-career consolidation and progression
Sustainable research productivity and workload management
The combination of training, application and ongoing support gives researchers time to develop their skills while progressing their own work.
WORKING WITH ACADEMIC COACH
Academic Coach works with:
Directors of Research
Heads of School or Department
Research Development and Researcher Development teams
REF leads and environment leads
Graduate Schools and Doctoral Training programmes
Each commission begins with a conversation about what you want staff to be able to do, which challenges need addressing and what scale of intervention is appropriate.
Academic Coach then proposes a format, scope and set of outcomes suited to the institution’s priorities and available budget.
This work is particularly suited to institutions that recognise writing, publication strategy and research planning as core research capabilities and want to develop them systematically.
HOW THIS WORK IS TYPICALLY FUNDED
Interventions can be aligned with existing institutional budgets and strategic priorities.
Depending on local arrangements, funding may come from:
Faculty or School budgets, including research development, REF preparation and ECR support
Central Research Office or Researcher Development budgets
REF-related development and research environment budgets
Graduate School or Doctoral Training budgets
Staff development or organisational development budgets
Institutions may commission a single workshop, a short series, coaching for selected staff or a longer programme for a cohort.
Academic Coach works with commissioners to define a proportionate intervention with clear objectives and a rationale that supports an internal business case.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We believe research excellence is built, not born.
Research performance depends on capabilities that can be intentionally developed throughout an academic career.
Writing is one capability. Publication strategy, research planning, intellectual positioning and sustainable systems are equally important.
Our work helps researchers develop those capabilities while making progress on the publications, applications and career decisions that matter to them and their institutions.
CONTACT
To request a proposal or arrange an exploratory conversation, email coach@academiccoach.info.
If you have a particular cohort, challenge or institutional priority in mind, we can work together to identify the most useful intervention.
Testimonials
“When I first approached Melanie about the possibility of developing a bespoke coaching session for our school, she was incredibly helpful and insightful around the possibilities for meeting the needs of a diverse group of academics. Throughout our planning meetings, I was impressed by her depth of expertise and experience in academia and her skill in applying this to academic coaching. My colleagues found the content and delivery of the half-day workshop engaging and very useful, and many still talk about the tips and strategies that they learned at the workshop and now use in their research planning.
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“Melanie is an excellent teacher and communicator, and is so insightful on all aspects of an academic career, not least academic writing. She offers clear and practical advice on all aspects of writing, as well as helpful materials, which can be easily accessed following her sessions. I love how well structured Melanie’s sessions are, the amount of content (which can be tailored to the individual needs of academic departments), and the fact that she allows enough time for participant questions and engagement.
I recommend Melanie highly to any faculty or individual - whether novice researcher or more experienced academic - looking to review their existing writing habits and develop new and more productive ones.”