Academic Writing Workshop 2026

Hello everyone,

This blog is a reflection on what I learned from the Academic Writing Workshop 2026. Although I was not able to attend the workshop physically, I carefully watched the recorded sessions and learned a lot from them. Even through online videos, the experience was very meaningful and helpful for my academic growth.

The workshop was organized by the Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University under the guidance of the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG), Government of Gujarat. It was a week-long National Workshop on Academic Writing. Many respected professors, scholars, research students, and learners participated in it. The main aim of the workshop was to improve academic writing skills, understand research ethics, and learn how to use Artificial Intelligence responsibly in academic work.

Inaugural Ceremony – 27 January 2026

The workshop began with a formal inauguration ceremony. The programme was hosted by Ms. Prakruti Bhatt. It started with a welcome speech and the University Prayer and Song, which created a respectful and academic atmosphere.

The chief guests of the programme were:

• Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) B. B. Ramanuj

• In-Charge Registrar Dr. Bhavesh Jani

• Dean of Arts Dr. Kishor Joshi

• Resource Persons Prof. (Dr.) Paresh Joshi and Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay

Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Barad, Head of the Department of English and Convenor of the workshop, explained the purpose of organizing this programme. He spoke about the importance of balancing Natural Intelligence (human thinking) and Artificial Intelligence. He emphasized that AI should support learning but should not replace human creativity and originality.

Even though I watched this session later through recordings, I could clearly understand the vision and seriousness of the workshop.

Day 1: Academic Writing and Prompt Engineering

The first academic session was conducted by Prof. (Dr.) Paresh Joshi from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University. He explained what academic writing really means.

He said academic writing is different from creative writing. It is:

• Objective

• Formal

• Evidence-based

• Well-structured

Academic writing is like a scholarly conversation. When we write academically, we engage with other scholars’ ideas, analyze them, and try to contribute something new.

He explained important elements of academic writing:

• Use formal language

• Maintain clarity and accuracy

• Organize ideas logically

• Develop a strong thesis statement

• Support arguments with proper evidence

He also introduced the concept of Prompt Engineering. This means giving clear and proper instructions to AI tools to get useful responses. He explained techniques like:

• Zero-shot prompting

• Few-shot prompting

• Chain-of-thought prompting

• Role-based prompting

The most important lesson from this session was that AI is only a tool. We must always check facts and verify information instead of depending completely on AI.

Day 1 and 2: Advanced Academic Writing

Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay conducted detailed sessions on advanced academic writing. He explained that academic writing is not only structured but also persuasive. A researcher must present ideas logically and convincingly.

He discussed:

• How to frame clear research questions

• The difference between findings and personal opinions

• The importance of proper citation

• The use of hedging words like “may,” “might,” and “suggests”

• Writing a strong literature review

He referred to Ken Hyland’s idea of authorial identity, explaining that writers must maintain a balance between objectivity and their own scholarly voice.

Even while watching the videos, I understood how important academic tone and structure are in research writing.

Day 2 and 3: Publishing in Indexed Journals

Dr. Clement Ndoricimpa from Burundi conducted online sessions about publishing research in Scopus and Web of Science indexed journals.

He explained that publishing in reputed journals increases academic visibility and career opportunities. He introduced the IMRD structure:

• Introduction

• Methodology

• Results

• Discussion

He also explained how to write a strong introduction using three steps:

1. Introduce the research area

2. Identify the research gap

3. Present your contribution

He discussed plagiarism, citation styles like APA, MLA, Chicago, and Vancouver, and reference tools such as Mendeley.

This session made me realize that publishing research requires honesty, discipline, and proper structure.

Day 3: Understanding AI Hallucination

Prof. (Dr.) Nigam Dave from Pandit Deendayal Energy University delivered an important lecture on AI hallucination.

He explained that AI hallucination happens when AI gives information that sounds correct but is actually wrong or fabricated. Sometimes AI may provide false references or incorrect facts confidently.

He warned students not to blindly trust AI-generated content. He said that AI does not truly “understand” information; it predicts answers based on patterns.

However, he also said that AI should not be rejected. It can help in idea generation and drafting. But checking facts and ensuring originality is always the responsibility of the researcher.

This session helped me understand the ethical use of AI in academic writing.

Day 4 and 5: Academic Writing and Career Development

Dr. Kalyani Vallath conducted inspiring sessions on writing skills and UGC NET preparation.

She explained that academic writing is not a natural talent; it develops with practice. She suggested useful techniques like:

• Free writing to overcome fear

• Mind mapping to organize ideas

• Structured planning for clarity

Her guidance on UGC NET preparation was very practical. She explained that the exam tests conceptual understanding and analytical thinking, not just memorization.

Her sessions motivated students to think like future scholars and researchers.

Day 6: Multimodal Learning and Digital Resources

The final session was conducted by Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Barad. He discussed multimodal learning in connection with NEP 2020.

He explained the concepts of:

• Pedagogy (teaching children)

• Andragogy (teaching adults)

• Heutagogy (self-directed learning)

He demonstrated AI tools like NotebookLM for creating structured academic content. He also talked about adding an AI-supported “Fifth Quadrant” in the SWAYAM model.

The main message was clear: technology should support education, but human thinking must remain central.

Acknowledgment

I sincerely thank:

• Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Barad

• Ms. Megha Trivedi

• Ms. Prakruti Bhatt

• Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG)

• All resource persons and organizers

Even though I was not physically present in the seminar hall, the recorded sessions helped me learn deeply. I am grateful that these videos were made available for students like me.

Conclusion

The Academic Writing Workshop 2026 was a very enriching learning experience for me. Watching the recorded sessions allowed me to understand:

• The structure of academic writing

• The importance of research ethics

• Responsible use of AI

• Publishing standards

• Career development strategies

This workshop taught me that academic writing is not just about writing essays or research papers. It is about thinking critically, maintaining honesty, and contributing meaningful knowledge.

Even though I did not attend the workshop live, I feel connected to its learning outcomes through the recorded sessions. It has strengthened my confidence and improved my understanding of academic professionalism.

Thank You.