The Academic Language Programme (ALP) Writing Centre offers support for students and PhD candidates who are writing their dissertation to obtain a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. This support takes the form of individual coaching, workshops in small groups, and tutorials (both individually or in very small groups). The coaching and workshops for students will be targeted at dissertations written in Dutch as well as English; tutorials for PhD candidates will be about writing in English only.
Update: as of February 2019 onwards, the ALP also offers an editing service for master and PhD theses.
Editing service
The editing service is aimed at master students and PhD candidates who want to cross the t’s and dot the i's in their dissertation and can use some help in doing so. An editor will provide feedback on the correctness and clarity of the English or Dutch, and will help you to achieve the right style for an academic text (for instance word choice, stance, tone).
Coaching
If you find yourself stuck in the writing process of your dissertation, you are welcome to schedule a single appointment or a series of coaching talks (with a maximum of five). The focus will be on managing the writing process, rather than on the contents of the dissertation. Read more about coaching.
Workshops English and Dutch
Short workshops (3.5 to 4 hours) in groups of no more than 15 participants. The workshops will focus on specific themes that come into play when writing texts in Dutch and in English.
- Schrijven in een academische stijl
For those who are told their writing is ‘too informal’ or ‘too popular’. - Op weg naar een samenhangende tekst
For students having trouble presenting the ‘common thread’ in their written work. - Lastige kwesties in het Nederlands
How to deal with frequent errors. - Academic style
Achieving the right tone and style for your thesis. - Top 10 grammar and language issues
The most frequent errors in English texts written by speakers of Dutch, and how to solve them. - Clear and effective writing
Improving transitions, flow and sentence structure. - Overcoming your writer's block
This workshop is aimed at students who are writing their thesis and who want to learn how to be more effective as writers and avoid getting stuck.
Tutorials for PhD candidates (English)
We offer tailor-made support for PhD candidates writing a dissertation in English. The support will be aimed specifically at the quality of academic English, and will always be discussed with the candidate’s supervisor. Tutorials will be offered individually or in groups of no more than three PhD candidates. For more information, contact Professor Mike Hannay, m.hannay@vu.nl.