UCT offers writing support to help you refine your academic writing. Explore the offerings below to strengthen your skills and produce structured, grammatically correct and well-referenced academic papers.

Writing centre

The Writing Centre, which is part of the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) offers one-on-one walk-in consultations with students from all faculties who want to improve their academic writing. They also have online resources for those who want to get some tips, and they offer workshops and short courses, such as the following listed below.

See the workshops and short courses, visit Room 9 of the Knowledge Commons at the Chancellor Oppenheimer Library.
Get in touch by phone: +27 (0)21 650 2645

Writing lab

The Writing Lab, housed at the health sciences campus, is a collaborative space for developing your skills as a writer. It connects you with a trained consultant, who is also a postgraduate health science student, to provide one-on-one consultations, group support and online resources.

Visit the online collaborative space.
Get in touch by phone: +27 (0)21 650 6241

Research writing in the sciences short course for postgraduates

Science and engineering postgraduates can engage in different forms of scientific writing beyond the thesis, such as writing for journal publication, peer review and engaging with a public audience through popular science writing. The course takes place over four weeks and is a combination of interactive online learning, in-person morning workshops and writing afternoons.

Learn more about the short course, or query via email: sabirah.adams@uct.ac.za

Journeys in research writing short course for postgraduates

A free five-week online course for all postgraduates. The series helps you focus on writing your proposal and literature review and provides guided writing sessions and support.

Learn more about the free online course or query via email: writingpathways@uct.ac.za

Navigating research writing short course for postgraduates

An intensive week-long course for all postgraduates, at any stage of your research. It’s aimed at postgraduate students who have been out of academia for a while or are starting on their research journey. It will help you to develop a research identity, make strong arguments and sustain a strong writers voice. The focus is on writing an exploratory concept paper, with help on proposal writing and aspects of a thesis such as a literature review.

Learn more about the intensive week-long course, or query via email: writingpathways@uct.ac.za or Catherine.Hutchings@uct.ac.za