“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
Academic writing underpins research excellence, REF performance, grant success, and academic career progression. Yet it is rarely treated as a core professional skill within institutional development programmes.
Academic Coach partners with Universities to strengthen writing capability as a strategic asset, supporting staff to produce high-quality research outputs consistently, sustainably, and at the level required for institutional success.
Targeted writing development interventions deliver measurable benefits:
Increased quality and quantity of research outputs
Improved REF readiness and submission confidence
Stronger grant applications and funding pipelines
Enhanced ECR retention, progression, and confidence
Reduced burnout through sustainable workload and productivity practices
Crucially, bringing in an external specialist reframes writing development as an investment rather than an additional institutional demand, increasing staff engagement and uptake.
Academic Coach works with Universities to design bespoke, evidence-informed interventions aligned to institutional priorities, disciplinary cultures, and career stages.
Bespoke Workshops and Masterclasses
Academic Coach delivers custom-designed workshops and masterclasses for academic staff and doctoral researchers, focused on writing, productivity, workload management, career development, grant writing, and REF-related skills.
Workshops are typically delivered as:
Standalone masterclasses, or
A short series aligned to a specific institutional objective
All workshops are:
Designed in consultation with the institution
Grounded in research on academic writing and productivity
Tailored to disciplinary norms and career stages
There are no off-the-shelf workshops. Each intervention is co-designed to address the specific challenges facing your staff, ensuring relevance, engagement, and tangible outcomes.
Where appropriate, participants are surveyed in advance to inform workshop design and maximise institutional benefit.
Small Group and Individual Coaching Programmes
Small-group coaching is a highly effective way to accelerate academic development, particularly for Early Career Researchers and staff at key transition points.
Academic Coach offers:
Small group coaching (maximum four participants)
1:1 coaching for selected staff members
These programmes support staff to:
Develop efficient, sustainable writing practices
Increase confidence and output quality
Clarify short- and medium-term career goals
Build momentum towards promotion, REF, and funding milestones
A typical small-group package consists of:
Five sessions
90 minutes per session
Coaching tailored to the group’s career stage and disciplinary context
This model complements internal mentoring structures by providing specialist expertise and protected developmental space.
Long-Term Coaching Programmes and REF Skills Development
For institutions seeking deeper, longer-term impact, Academic Coach delivers 12-month coaching programmes for departments or cohorts.
These programmes combine:
Access to a structured online curriculum (e.g. journal article writing, monograph development, or holistic writing development)
Live group coaching for implementation and accountability
Optional 1:1 feedback on journal articles or monograph work
Programmes can be aligned to:
REF preparation and 4* output development
ECR development pipelines
Mid-career consolidation and progression
Sustainable research productivity and workload management
Each programme is designed to support maximum REF-readiness while reducing staff overload.
Writing Retreats
Writing retreats provide dedicated, protected time for academic staff to focus on writing, supported by evidence-based productivity structures and expert facilitation.
Retreats may be delivered as:
One-day or two-day formats
On-campus or off-site
Retreats are structured in consultation with the institution and typically include:
An introductory session on writing productivity and sustainable practices
Structured writing blocks using proven productivity methods
Opportunities for reflection, discussion, and peer support
Optional 1:1 coaching sessions throughout the retreat
Writing retreats support both immediate progress on outputs and longer-term improvements in writing confidence and habits.
Working with Academic Coach
Academic Coach works in partnership with Universities to deliver strategic, high-impact writing development that supports institutional priorities while respecting the realities of academic workload.
contact us
Request a Proposal or Exploratory Conversation at coach@academiccoach.info
Academic Coach regularly works with Directors of Research and Research Development leads to scope interventions and support internal business cases.
How This Work Is Typically Funded
Academic Coach works with Universities across a range of funding routes. Interventions are designed to align with existing budgets and strategic priorities, rather than creating new financial burdens.
Typical funding sources include:
Faculty or School budgets (e.g. research development, REF preparation, ECR support)
Central Research Office or Researcher Development budgets
REF-related skills development and environment funding
Graduate School / Doctoral Training budgets
Staff development or organisational development budgets
Interventions may be commissioned as:
A single workshop or retreat
A short series of targeted interventions
A 6–12 month programme supporting a specific cohort or strategic objective
Academic Coach regularly works with Directors of Research and Research Development teams to scope interventions that are proportionate, defensible, and easy to justify within institutional frameworks.
Who This Is For
This work is designed for Universities and academic units that:
Are serious about improving research outputs and REF readiness
Want to support sustainable productivity, not short-term output pressure
Recognise academic writing as a core research skill, not an optional extra
Are investing in ECR development, mid-career consolidation, and staff retention
Want interventions that are evidence-informed, bespoke, and outcome-focused
Value external expertise to complement internal mentoring and development structures
Academic Coach commonly 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
Who This Is Not For
This work is not a good fit for institutions that:
Are looking for generic, off-the-shelf training delivered without adaptation
Want writing development as a tick-box exercise rather than a strategic intervention
Expect short-term output gains without addressing process or skill development
Are unwilling to protect staff time for meaningful engagement with the programme
Are seeking purely compliance-driven provision with no interest in long-term impact
Academic Coach focuses on depth, quality, and sustainability.
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.”