Western Academic Writing: Getting Published in a Peer-Reviewed Journal workshop on February 26, somewhat unexpectedly drew a large and engaged audience. The participant group was fairly diverse: from inexperienced students to scholars with publication record.

The workshop was conducted by by CRRC-Armenia DI and MT Program Manager Jenny Paturyan, with the aim to provoke the participants into thinking about western academic style, as it is reflected in written form. Is different from what we in Armenia are used to? Does it challenge us to adjust our writing style? There probably are no definite answers to these questions but it is worth thinking about them. The discussion at the workshop was a testimony that some thinking did take place.

A more tangible goal of the workshop was to provide participants with some practical advice on writing structure and style, useful tools, and sources of further information. To prevent the workshop from being just a “talk in the air” the participants were asked to provide samples of their writing in advance to be used for practical exercise during the seminar. Three people were bold enough to do so. Hopefully they found at least some of the comments raised at the workshop useful. The truth is – it is always easier to edit someone else’s work, rather than your own, and it is probably the best exercise to improve one’s own writing skills.