National Workshop on Academic Writing- 2026 at Department of English,MKBU
This blog records my participation in the National Workshop on Academic Writing organised by the Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU), in collaboration with the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG), Government of Gujarat. Conducted over five intensive days, the workshop brought together eminent scholars to discuss key areas such as academic writing, ethical use of artificial intelligence, research methodology, publication practices, UGC NET preparation, and academic career planning. Through a combination of plenary lectures, interactive discussions, and practical demonstrations, the programme provided valuable insights into the creation, presentation, and reliability of academic knowledge. The sessions enhanced my understanding of scholarly writing and research ethics while also deepening my critical perspective on contemporary academic issues. Overall, the workshop was a rigorous and intellectually stimulating experience that greatly contributed to my academic development.
The Department of English at Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU), in association with the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG), Government of Gujarat, organised a National Workshop on Academic Writing. The inaugural ceremony was attended by university officials, invited experts, faculty members, research scholars, and students. The event was conducted by Prakruti Bhatt, Research Scholar and Visiting Faculty in the Department of English.
The programme began with a formal welcome, followed by the University Song and Prayer. As a mark of respect and to signify the enduring importance of knowledge, the dignitaries were honoured on the dais through the ceremonial presentation of books.
The dignitaries present included the Honourable Vice-Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) B. B. Ramanuj; In-Charge Registrar, Dr. Bhavesh Jani; Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Kishor Joshi; along with the invited resource persons, Prof. (Dr.) Paresh Joshi and Dr. Kalyan Chattopaadhyaay.
The welcome address was delivered by Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Barad, who elaborated on the objectives and framework of the workshop. He highlighted the present academic challenge of balancing natural intelligence with artificial intelligence and outlined the key focus areas, including academic writing skills, ethical use of AI, research aptitude, NET/JRF preparation, and the development of a digital resource hub for English studies.
The first plenary session was conducted by Prof. (Dr.) Paresh Joshi, who explored the evolution of writing across different historical periods and stressed the importance of preserving human creativity and critical thinking in the age of artificial and generative intelligence. He also emphasised the central role of academic writing for scholars of language and literature.
The second plenary lecture, delivered by Dr. Kalyan Chattopaadhyaay, traced the development of academic writing in India from ancient traditions to modern educational frameworks such as NEP 2020 and NCF 2023. He emphasised the value of multilingualism, indigenous knowledge systems, and inclusive academic practices.
Dr. Kishor Joshi, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, shared statistical insights regarding research output, publication quality, and research funding in India. He underlined the responsibility of educators and researchers in enhancing academic writing standards and improving the overall quality of research.
The inaugural ceremony concluded with the presentation of tokens of appreciation to the invited speakers by the Honourable Vice-Chancellor, followed by a vote of thanks expressing gratitude to all dignitaries, participants, organisers, and student volunteers.
Day One – First Session
The session centred on Academic Writing and Prompt Engineering and began with a formal welcome and introduction of the resource person. Prof. (Dr.) Paresh Joshi, with over two decades of teaching and research experience, has made significant contributions to English Language Teaching, Applied Linguistics, Phonetics, and Academic Writing. His academic achievements were briefly highlighted before the session commenced.
In the first part, Prof. Joshi explained the nature of academic writing by distinguishing it from creative writing through simple examples. He emphasised that academic writing is objective, logical, and evidence-based, forming part of the “literature of knowledge,” whereas literary writing is imaginative and emotional. He also described academic writing as a process of scholarly conversation involving reviewing existing literature, analysing ideas, and contributing original insights. The stages of writing—planning, drafting, revising, proofreading, and feedback—were also outlined.
He further highlighted key principles of academic writing, including formal tone, clarity, conciseness, precision, logical organisation, careful use of claims, and the importance of a strong thesis statement.
In the second part, he introduced prompt engineering as an important skill in the age of Artificial Intelligence. He explained it as the practice of giving clear and structured instructions to AI tools to generate accurate outputs. Various prompting techniques—such as zero-shot, one-shot, few-shot, chain-of-thought, role-based, and audience-specific prompting—were discussed with simple examples.
He also stressed the ethical use of AI, cautioning against overreliance and highlighting the need for fact-checking AI-generated content. Students were encouraged to use AI as a supportive tool for editing and idea generation, rather than a substitute for critical thinking and originality.
The session concluded with student feedback, where participants appreciated the clarity, practical approach, and relevance of the session in enhancing their understanding of academic writing and the responsible use of AI in scholarly work.
Second Session | Day Two – First Session
Session Title: Academic Writing in English for Advanced Learners – I & II
Resource Person: Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay, Author, ELT Specialist, and UGC Master Trainer from Bankim Sardar College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata.
Dates: 27 January 2026 – 28 January 2026
The two sessions conducted by Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay were intellectually engaging and methodologically grounded, focusing on how academic knowledge is constructed, communicated, and validated in research writing. Together, they presented academic writing as both a formal and rhetorical practice.
The sessions began by outlining key features of academic writing—formality, objectivity, clarity, and precision—and demonstrated how these are reflected in tone, vocabulary, structure, citation, and impersonal style. Emphasis was placed on formulating clear research problems, hypotheses, and questions, and on interpreting data rather than relying on personal opinion. Participants were advised to avoid overly assertive claims and instead use appropriate hedging.
Dr. Chattopadhyay then explained the structure of research articles, highlighting the distinction between findings and interpretation, and stressing the importance of evidence-based arguments, methodological rigour, and clear reporting of research procedures. Using examples, he also emphasised proper citation practices, logical organisation, and coherent argumentation.
A key focus of the sessions was authorial voice. Drawing on ideas of authorial identity, he explained that academic writing is not entirely impersonal and that writers must consciously decide their level of visibility. The use of first-person pronouns and strategic authorial presence was discussed as a way to enhance clarity and scholarly authority while maintaining academic tone.
The sessions also highlighted the importance of hedging, demonstrating how cautious language helps present claims responsibly and maintain academic balance. In addition, citation was presented as a rhetorical strategy for positioning research within existing scholarship, with attention to different citation styles and the need to synthesise sources effectively.
In conclusion, participants were guided on writing effective conclusions and adapting their academic voice according to disciplinary expectations. Overall, the sessions deepened understanding of academic writing as a structured, analytical, and reflective practice, while strengthening skills in authorial voice, hedging, and citation for more credible and effective research writing.
Day Two:
Session Title: Academic Writing and BAWE Corpus – I & II
Dates: 28 January 2026 – 29 January 2026
Mode: Online
Resource Person: Dr. Clement Ndoricimpa , eacher-Researcher and Lecturer at École Normale Supérieure du Burundi (Burundi Higher Institute of Education), East Africa.
The session conducted by Dr. Clement Ndoricimpa focused on guiding research scholars in preparing research papers suitable for publication in Scopus- and Web of Science–indexed journals. The session was comprehensive and practice-oriented, addressing both the technical and ethical aspects of academic publishing, including journal indexing, paper structure, academic language, ethical use of AI, plagiarism, and reference management.
Dr. Ndoricimpa began by explaining the significance of indexed journals, highlighting that platforms like Scopus and Web of Science ensure wider visibility, academic credibility, citation impact, and career advancement. He emphasised that such journals maintain strict quality standards, which researchers must meet.
He then discussed the structure of a strong research paper, focusing on the IMRD format—Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion. Special importance was given to the Introduction, which should follow a three-move structure: establishing the research area, identifying gaps in existing studies, and clearly stating the purpose of the study. He stressed the need for logical flow and appropriate academic phrasing.
A key concern highlighted throughout the session was the lack of proper referencing in student writing. He insisted that all claims must be supported with citations and that recent, relevant sources should be prioritised. The session also addressed academic language, emphasising clarity, coherence, precision, and the effective use of logical connectors to strengthen arguments.
The ethical use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Perplexity was also discussed. Dr. Ndoricimpa advised that AI should be used only for support tasks like editing and language improvement, not for generating original academic content. He stressed the importance of maintaining intellectual ownership and exercising critical judgment.
Plagiarism was identified as a serious ethical violation, with strict checks in indexed journals leading to rejection if similarity levels are high. The session also introduced reference management tools like Mendeley and explained major citation styles such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and Vancouver, emphasising accuracy and consistency in referencing.
The session also carried personal academic significance, reflecting a progression in learning—from foundational writing skills during undergraduate studies to more advanced research practices at the postgraduate level. Re-engaging with the speaker’s guidance reinforced both the technical demands and ethical responsibilities of academic publishing.
The session concluded with feedback on participants’ work and appreciation for their engagement. Overall, it provided practical and insightful guidance on writing publishable research papers, understanding journal expectations, avoiding plagiarism, using AI responsibly, and managing references effectively.
Day Three – First Session
The session titled “Detecting AI Hallucination and Using AI with Integrity” focused on the risks, limitations, and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in academic and research contexts. Prof. Nigam Dave explained how AI functions, why it can be misleading in scholarly work, and how it can be used responsibly with proper human oversight.
He began by establishing a personal connection with the department and emphasised that, despite its usefulness, AI has clear limitations. Drawing on scholarly principles, he stressed the importance of verification rather than blindly trusting AI-generated information. He observed that modern learners often prioritise speed and convenience over critical reflection and careful evaluation.
Tracing the evolution of knowledge—from oral traditions and print culture to the digital age—he highlighted how contemporary information abundance and fast-paced digital systems have reduced attention span and depth of engagement. In discussing the present academic landscape, he introduced the concept of Human–Cyber–Physical Systems, arguing that humans must remain central in decision-making, with technology serving as support rather than replacement.
A major focus of the session was AI hallucination, defined as the generation of plausible but factually incorrect information. Since AI relies on probabilistic prediction rather than truth verification, it can produce confident yet fabricated responses. Prof. Dave noted that disciplines like English studies are particularly vulnerable, as AI can easily imitate analytical and interpretative writing styles.
He identified warning signs of hallucination, such as vague claims without references and fabricated citations. He also discussed AI bias, explaining that AI reflects the biases present in its training data, including cultural and gender biases, and therefore cannot be considered neutral.
Despite these concerns, Prof. Dave emphasised that AI should not be rejected but used responsibly. He demonstrated its appropriate academic uses, such as proofreading, citation formatting, idea evaluation, and journal verification. However, he strongly advised against using AI to generate original arguments or scholarly interpretations, stressing that intellectual responsibility must remain with the researcher.
The session concluded with a reminder that true knowledge depends on critical judgment and verification. Overall, it offered a balanced and insightful perspective, encouraging scholars to use AI ethically while maintaining intellectual integrity and human discernment in academic work.
Day Four & Day Five
Session Title: From Classroom to an Academic Career
Resource Person: Dr. Kalyani Vallath , CEO and Founder, Vallath Education, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Dates: 30 January 2026 – 31 January 2026
The sessions conducted by Dr. Kalyani Vallath over two days were among the most intensive and integrative components of the workshop, combining academic writing, UGC NET preparation, literary studies, and long-term academic development. They reflected a well-structured pedagogical approach aimed at strengthening both intellectual skills and academic mindset.
For the participant, these sessions held personal significance, marking a continuation of earlier academic engagement with Dr. Vallath through lectures and online resources. This continuity reinforced both technical knowledge and a sustained approach to learning.
Dr. Vallath began by emphasising that education should inspire curiosity and self-belief rather than merely transmit information. She challenged the idea that writing is an innate talent, presenting it instead as a skill developed through practice, disciplined thinking, and revision. Academic writing, she explained, evolves from questioning and interpretation, and improves through continuous effort. Participants were encouraged to adopt a growth mindset and engage actively in the writing process.
She introduced practical strategies such as free writing, reverse planning, mind mapping, and goal-setting. Reverse planning, in particular, helped students work backward from their academic goals to structure their research effectively. Artificial Intelligence was discussed as a supportive tool for outlining and idea generation, but not as a replacement for original thinking.
In the sessions on UGC NET preparation, Dr. Vallath clarified that the exam primarily tests reasoning, analysis, and inference rather than memorisation. She trained participants to identify distractors, think logically, and approach questions with conceptual clarity, encouraging them to “think like a teacher” while selecting answers.
The sessions also provided a conceptual overview of English literature, tracing its development from early periods to global contexts, along with key literary critics and theories such as Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Feminism, and Postcolonialism.
Additionally, Dr. Vallath addressed academic career development, emphasising time management, portfolio building, and the importance of cultivating an authentic academic voice. She also introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, encouraging learners to move beyond their comfort zones for continuous growth.
In conclusion, the sessions offered both practical strategies and intellectual clarity, enhancing participants’ confidence, critical thinking, and academic direction. Overall, they were highly engaging, motivating, and deeply enriching for students and research scholars.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to the successful organisation of this event. I am especially thankful to Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Barad, Head of the Department of English and Workshop Convenor, for his visionary leadership, academic guidance, and careful planning. I also extend my appreciation to the Co-convenors, Ms. Megha Trivedi and Ms. Prakruti Bhatt, for their dedicated coordination and continuous support throughout the workshop.
I gratefully acknowledge the support of the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG), Government of Gujarat, whose patronage made this programme possible. I also appreciate the enthusiastic cooperation of the students of the Department of English, whose efforts played an important role in ensuring the smooth conduct and overall success of the event.
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