Short Outline
This interactive workshop supports PhD students in developing clear, publishable journal articles and dissertation chapters in the social sciences. Across three blocked half-day sessions, we combine concise input on academic writing and publishing with structured peer discussion of participants’ manuscripts. Participants will receive input on effective paper structure, clear academic writing, and strategies for communicating their argument. Moreover, the workshop introduces key aspects of the publishing process: choosing an appropriate journal, understanding submission and review procedures, responding to reviewers’ comments, and engaging in peer review. The course is especially suitable for junior social science researchers applying quantitative research methods, though students from other methodological backgrounds are welcome.

Course sessions are structured in two parts:
(1) input sessions on writing and publishing,
(2) application sessions: skill application exercises, discussions on participants’ papers, and QAs in real time.

Prerequisites
Participants are required to bring their own work at any stage of the writing process, from extended abstracts to full drafts. During the application sessions, the instructor and studying peers will provide structured comments from reviewers’ perspective. And there will be opportunities for in-class discussions. Feedback is provided both during sessions and asynchronously, giving students the opportunity to reflect on and revise their work between sessions.
By the end of the course, students will have advanced their manuscripts and gained practical insights into the entire academic publishing process. The workshop is mainly aimed at doctoral students at the University of Bamberg and LIfBi. In case of any vacant places, it is open to anyone interested.

About the Trainer
Dr. Chen-Hao Hsu is a postdoctoral researcher in the Professorship of Demography and Health at the University of Bamberg, with extensive experience in teaching, academic publication, and grant writing. His work covers diverse topics including fertility and parenting, family dynamics, health and wellbeing, labour market outcomes, and welfare policies. His PhD dissertation “Employment Instability, Family Formation, and Motherhood Penalties: Comparative and Life Course Perspectives” received the Promotionspreis der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (2024) and won the second place of ECSR Prize for best PhD thesis (2025). His works have been published in international journals such European Sociological Review, Journal of Marriage and Family, Advances in Life Course Research, European Journal of Population, among others.

Date & Time: 
Friday, 30 October 2026, 09.00 a.m. to 01.00 p.m. (s.t.) +
Friday, 06 November 2026, 09.00 a.m. to 01.00 p.m. (s.t.) +
Friday, 13 November 2026, 09.00 a.m. to 01.00 p.m. (s.t.)

Place: BAGSS, Feldkirchenstraße 21, 96050 Bamberg, Room FG1/00.06

Work Units: 12

Registration: To register, please send an email to courses.bagss(at)uni-bamberg.de by 29 September
2026. Registration is mandatory. The number of participants is limited to 12.