Research workshops
The Summer School for Postgraduate Students (3-6 February 2025), which will be held online, will be followed by a 4-day online Writing/ Publishing Retreat (10-13 February 2025)
Are you a postgraduate student who is struggling to complete your research project? Have you had to change your research design and methodology in light of COVID-19? Are you having difficulty in writing up your thesis? Are you thinking of enrolling for a postgraduate degree, but you are not sure where to start? Are you keen to publish papers in journals but are not sure how to? Are you having problems with your supervisor and you are not sure how to address these? Are you trying to apply for funding? Are you a supervisor or a post-doc who wants to establish a long-term research career?
In the Summer School, we cover all the above topics and more! My aim in these 4 days is to demystify the process of research and to help you complete a high quality thesis in good time. Everyone who attends the workshop also gets a free copy of my Postgraduate Toolkit (4th edition, pictured above), which will be made available online. The Toolkit is a peer-reviewed electronic textbook and multimedia resource that assists postgraduate students and researchers across all disciplines and fields of study complete their research projects and theses and build towards a long-term research career.
I use an intersectional feminist, decolonial and queer-friendly lens to investigate how research can be used to address the pressing socio-economic and other challenges that we have in the country, and on the continent and more globally. My approach is interdisciplinary and holistic, emphasising health and wellbeing for researchers. The workshop is ideal for postgraduate students at any level of study, as well as supervisors and post-doctoral researchers.
We cover the following essential topics in the course of the 4-day Summer School:
Day 1:
The research proposal
- Introduction to research – reflecting on the history, philosophy and context of research, and the need for decolonised research
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Ethics in research
- Narrowing down the scope of a research project and deciding on a suitable topic
- The structure of a comprehensive research proposal, which each component gone through in detail
- The ‘golden thread’ linking the research question, problem statement, hypotheses, aims, objectives and other components of the research project
Day 2:
Research design and methodology
- Defining what research design and methodology is (epistemology, ontology and axiology)
- Different types of data (primary/ secondary and quantitative/ qualitative) and how to choose the most appropriate kind of data for your research project
- 18 commonly used research methods, as well as their sub-types, and how to select the most appropriate methods for your research. 11 of these 18 are priority research methods at the CSIR, the largest research organisation in South Africa
- How to justify your choice of sample size and sampling technique
- Key concepts that examiners and reviewers are going to be raising (error, bias, reliability, validity, trustworthiness, pilot testing)
- A basic introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics
- How to do content analysis or coding of qualitative data
- The structure of a good research design and methodology chapter
- Key project management principles in research
Day 3:
Thesis writing
- Quality of life challenges that can make it more difficult to complete the research project, such as time management, balancing different demands, stress and health problems, as well as motivation. We look at wellness holistically
- Different structures/ formats of a thesis
- How to write a high quality thesis, with each of the chapters gone through in detail. Particular attention is turned to the literature review
- Theoretical frameworks, how to use these and where they go in the thesis
- University requirements for thesis submission
- The thesis examination process, which we cover in detail. We go through a typical examiner’s form so that you can see the kinds of things examiners will be looking for
- Common mistakes to avoid in academic writing
- How to improve your reading and comprehension skills
- Scientific writing vs popular writing
- Guidelines for the legal thesis
Day 4:
Publishing, grant application writing and the student-supervisor relationship
- How to write and publish an academic journal article – I am a reviewer for the South African Pharmaceutical Journal and will also share a reviewer’s perspective with you
- How to select a suitable journal and decide on the scope of a paper
- How to apply for funding – in particular, I take you through how to complete a funding application for the National Research Foundation (NRF), one of the largest funding bodies in South Africa. I have also been a reviewer for the NRF and will share more details about the review process that is used for Thuthuka applications
- Oral and poster presentations on your research
- The student-supervisor relationship, how this relationship can be enhanced and ways of addressing conflict. We look at the role of mentorship in the research context in South Africa and some of the challenges that are being experienced
- Career development for researchers – in this section, we also consider self-employment as a career option for researchers
- Legal considerations in research
Day 5:
Guest talks
Cost of attending the 4 days of the Summer School: R7000 ex VAT if paying privately (total is R8050) or R8500 ex VAT if the organisation is paying (total is R9775)
The prices above include workshop attendance and a free online copy of the Postgraduate Toolkit (4th edition, valued at R600 ex VAT). VAT is not charged for international delegates. A discount of 10% is given for 3 or more registrations from the same institution at the same time. A discount of 10% is also given if someone registers for 2 or more events at the same time. An electronic certificate of attendance will be issued at the end of the workshop.
The Summer School will be followed by a 4-day Writing/ Publishing Retreat (10-13 February 2025). By the end of the Writing/ Publishing Retreat, the aim is that delegates have a full first draft of a paper for publication/ research proposal/ thesis chapter, and would have received feedback on this. The Writing/ Publishing Retreat consists of plenary sessions online, as well as focussed individual writing and feedback time. All delegates also receive a free online copy of my Postgraduate Toolkit (4th edition) and an electronic certificate of attendance. The Writing/ Publishing Retreat will be co-facilitated with Dr Meryl du Plessis.
Cost of attending the Writing/ Publishing Retreat only: R7000 ex VAT (total is R8050) if paying privately or R8500 ex VAT if the organisation is paying (total is R9775)
It is a great idea to attend both the Summer School and the Writing Retreat, as the Summer School focusses on important theory that you need, and the Writing Retreat is more practical and allows you individual time to implement the theory, work on your writing and receive feedback from Dr Du Plessis and I.
Dr Layla Cassim has been facilitating research workshops for more than 12 years at different universities and research bodies across South Africa. Dr Cassim holds a B.Pharm. (with distinction) and PhD (Pharmacology) degrees from Rhodes University as well as an MBA (with distinction) from UNISA. Dr Meryl du Plessis holds B.Com., LLB (with distinction) and LLM (with distinction) degrees from Rhodes University and a PhD in Commercial Law from the University of Cape Town.
These are just some of the comments that have been made by previous workshop participants:
- “I am Denis, one of the masters NMMU students who attended your workshops. Please be informed that l finished my dissertation in May 2017 instead of December 2017. Please be also informed that l have just had my provisional final examination results and all 3 examiners had no objection to giving me 75% above for my dissertation. I owe it to your research workshops. Thank you so much, your workshops opened my mind and motivated me in terms of research.” – Denis Nyirenda, Master’s graduate
- “Thank you so much for the workshop you presented on 18 to 20 August 2020. You really helped me understand concepts of research I was struggling with for years. The way you explained them has motivated me to study further.” – Nomaza, Master’s student
- “I just wanted to email and personally thank you for an incredible 3 day workshop. I found it really helpful and insightful. The recorded voice-overs [voice recordings on the Toolkit] are a super great idea because it allows us to go back to places we felt a little confused with. I really appreciated the morning stretches and the self-defence video! The stretching reminded me to check in with my body and the self-defence video gave me such an empowering feeling of being able to watch my own back being a woman in this scary world. Thank you again for an awesome workshop! I reckon it was one of my favourites. I look forward to future workshops!” – Samantha Cunningham, Master’s student
- “Herewith my sincere appreciation and gratitude for an excellent and well-structured workshop. The workshop was a great eye-opener and it put the essence of a PhD research project into perspective. It was well presented with excellent supporting learning material that will be of great benefit to me on this challenging and exciting journey. Sincere thank you once again.” – Hilton Adonis, PhD student
- “Absolutely amazing and mind blowing. I went into the course a bit skeptical as I wasn’t sure how different this would be from what universities give you but it’s very different. She teaches you to be an open thinker as well as to be the best researcher you can be. The course motivated me to do the best I can for my Master’s.” – Aaliyah Motala, Master’s student
- “Dr Layla is an exceptional teacher; her teaching skills are excellent. The content of her tool kit is above everything. Her training methodology allows you to learn on your own and yet provides you with all necessary tools. I was so impressed by the content of her voice recordings. I wish many books and other study materials could be in an audio format as I learn so much better listening than reading. She has met and exceeded my expectation. I am so motivated to further my studies and I will be making sure I work closely with Dr Layla. I already have a good feeling about the journey I am about to embark on; I feel confident enough to enroll with any university of my choice because I now know where to begin. Thank you so much for bringing so much positivity in my life and career. Please continue planting the seeds and shine brighter.” – Omphile Khutsoane, prospective Master’s student
In order to register for the upcoming Summer School for Postgrad Students (3-6 February 2025) & Writing/ Publishing Retreat (10-13 February 2025), please email me. I will then send you an invoice.
Deadline for registration: 20 January 2025
Deadline for full payment: 27 January 2025
For further information, please contact Dr Layla Cassim on +27749995847 or Lcassimers@gmail.com.
Summer School for Postgraduate Students (3-6 February 2025) & Writing/ Publishing Retreat (10-13 February 2025), held online
For details on my Grant application writing workshop, Research supervision workshop and Research ethics workshop