SIG Writing Research School 2026

Writing Research for Writing Practice

Logo SIG Writing 1

Dates: May 29 to June 1st 2026

Location: Männedorf, Switzerland


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The EARLI Special Interest Group Writing and the ZHAW School of Applied Linguistics, organize the SIG Writing Research School from May 29 to June 1st, 2026. The research school takes place prior to the 21st biennial SIG Writing conference to be held at ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland, from June 2nd to 4, 2026.

Theme and topics

The SIG Writing Research School will focus on methods for writing research. Junior researchers working towards a PhD will get to know various research methods from respective experts in the field. The trainers will also engage in dedicated mentoring and coaching sessions to give feedback on drafts provided by the participants (for research papers, the PhD project proposal, etc.). We will provide space for discussing all things writing research and academia at large.

Courses will cover:

  • Uncovering Hidden Writing Processes: A Hands-on Introduction to Keystroke Logging with Inputlog
  • Analyzing and Visualizing Keystroke Logging Data
  • Fluency as a Multifaceted Construct: The Various Concepts and Measurement Methods
  • Measuring Handwriting Fluency and Control—A Research-Oriented Intro-duction to CSWin
  • Tracking Writing and Researching Processes Across documents and Tools by uUsing Screen-Recording
  • Writing and AI: A Process and Product Viewpoint
  • On, for, and with practitioners: Fostering transdisciplinary dissertations in times of science criticism
  • Publishing your Writing Research Study—Insights into Editorial Processes
  • In Search of your Inner Supervisor

Venue and Travel Information

Einfahrt

The SIG Writing Research School 2026 takes place at the Seminarhotel Boldern (belongs to Männedorf), Switzerland.

How to get there

Männedorf is easily reachable by train from major cities across Europe via Zurich, where trains to Männedorf can be taken. Consult the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) website for train information in Switzerland.

The nearest airport is Zurich (ZRH), which serves international flights from all around the world. It's less than 20 minutes by train from ZRH to Winterthur. However, Winterthur can also be reached via train from the airports Basel (BSL), Geneva (GVA), or Munich (MUC)—although traveling by train from Munich to Zurich takes some time.

Visa

Switzerland is part of Schengen, but not a member of the European Union. Please visit the Swiss Government's Visa and entry to Switzerland page for information on whether you require a visa and how to apply.

The minor but important things: water, power, internet

Usually, all tap water is drinking water. You will also find quite some fountains in public spaces, also all with drinking water. As a rule of thumb: if the running water from a fountain is easily reachable—e.g., you do not need to climb over a fence—it is save to drink. There will be signs if water is not safe for drinking.

In Switzerland, power plugs and sockets (outlets) of type J (also known as T13) are used, see here. Europlugs do fit. The standard voltage is 230 V at a frequency of 50 Hz.

In Switzerland you will find open WiFi at various public places like train stations, market squares, libraries, etc. Restaurants and hotels offer WiFi for guests with a password or are open as well. At the Research School venue, we will provide Internet access with a password.

Program

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The research school will feature courses and tutorials in morning and afternoon sessions. In the evening, there will be opportunities to discuss all things concerning writing research, research careers, and academia at large. We'll make sure to include leisure activities like hiking.

Here is the preliminary program with details on courses and trainers/mentors, more information will be added.

Preparatory Task

Participants will produce and provide a short video on their PhD project by end of April 2026. The format adopts the idea of the «3 minute thesis» and challenges participants to present their research in just 180 seconds, in an engaging form that can be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the research area (see Wikipedia). Information on file size and where to upload the video will be communicated to participants with the acceptance notification.

All trainers and participants will watch the videos before the research school to get a first idea on the various research questions and methods.

Trainers and Mentors

Cislaru

Georgeta Cislaru

Courses: «Writing and AI: a process and product viewpoint», «Analyzing and Visualizing Keystroke Logging Data» (with Cerstin Mahlow)

Sorbonne Nouvelle University (France)

Hurschler square

Sibylle Hurschler Lichtsteiner

Mentoring

PHLU Lucerne University of Teacher Education (Switzerland)

Keller

Stefan Keller

Mentoring

PHZH Zurich University of Teacher Education (Switzerland)

Linnemann

Markus Linnemann

Course: «Fluency as a Multifaceted Construct: The Various Concepts and Measurement Methods» (with Afra Sturm)

University Koblenz (Germany)

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Cerstin Mahlow

Course: «Analyzing and Visualizing Keystroke Logging Data» (with Georgeta Cislaru)

ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland)

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Daniel Perrin

Course: «On, for, and with Practitioners: Fostering Transdisciplinary Dissertations in Times of Science Criticism», Mentoring

ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland)

Karl Heinz Portrait KS

Karl-Heinz Pogner

Course: «In Search of your Inner Supervisor"; Mentoring

Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)

Rijlaarsdam

Gert Rijlaarsdam

Course: «Publishing your Writing Research Study—Insights into Editorial Processes»; Mentoring

University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Sturm square

Afra Sturm

Course: «Fluency as a Multifaceted Construct: The Various Concepts and Measurement Methods» (with Markus Linnemann); Mentoring

FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Switzerland)

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Mirjam Weder

Course: «Tracking Writing and Researching Processes Across documents and Tools by Using Screen-Recording»; Mentoring

University of Basel (Switzerland)

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NIna Vandermeulen

Course: «Uncovering Hidden Writing Processes: A Hands-on Introduction to Keystroke Logging with Inputlog»

University of Antwerp (Belgium)

Application

We invite junior researchers working on a PhD project or aiming to start a PhD project. The submission system asks for the following information that will allow the trainers/mentors of the research school to decide about acceptance to the research school:

  • Motivation: Why do you want to attend the research school? What do you want to gain, what are your expectations? What do you bring to the research school? Make references to specific parts of the program (300 words)
  • PhD project: Title and brief description (200 words)
  • PhD process: Status of the PhD project (are you thinking about a suitable topic or already near completion) and description of the process (e.g., cumulative vs. monographic, will there be publication and/or defense, field of your degree) (100 words)
  • Supervisor and institution: Where do you do your PhD, what is the field of your degree, who is your supervisor, are you part of a larger project or a research group? (50 words)

Submission of your Application

All applications must be written in English and submitted using the online submission system: https://www.earli-eapril.org, application will close on January 17, 2026. Please note that this is a firm deadline!

To submit a proposal, you need your user name and password for the EARLI system. If you never used any service by EARLI, you first need to create an account.

On the User Dashboard, you find the section "My Submissions." Click "New Submission" and then "SIG Writing Research School 2026". In the meta data section, please choose exactly 4 keywords matching your interest or your PhD project. The keywords are used to assign reviewers accordingly.

Application Criteria

The applications will be reviewed by the trainers and mentors of the research school. They will use the provided information for balancing participants, adjusting the program, and to ensure a significant experience for everybody. The main criteria for acceptance is the motivation: what do you want to gain from and what do you bring to the research school?

The number of participants is restricted to 20.

BESST Award

SIG Writing BESST AWARD

The SIG Writing Best Early Stage Short Talk (BESST) Award aims to encourage and motivate early stage scientists to continue their research efforts in the writing field. This award is attributed to promising (PhD) students as a distinction for their contribution to the Research School preceding the SIG Writing Conference. This year, the presentations will be pitches bout the PhD project incorporating skills acquired and knowledge gained during the Research School. The pitches build on the 3-minute-thesis videos prepared in advance.

An evaluation panel composed of three trainers of the Research School will rate presentations concerning the following items:

  1. Research significance: Extent to which the work contributes to theory, practice, and policy within the writing research domain and to society at large.
  2. Research quality, academic rigor: Extent to which the theoretical framework, research goals, methods, results, and conclusions are clear and appropriate.
  3. Reflection of strengths and weaknesses of own work: Extent to which the presentation acknowledges limits, constraints, and opportunities.
  4. Transfer of skills and knowledge gained at the Research School: Extent to which the presentation shows which and how methods and insights will be incorporated into the PhD project.
  5. Presentation style: Extent to which the talk was well prepared and delivered in a scientific style, with appropriate vocabulary tailored to the audience (trainers and peer researchers).

The recipient of the BESST award will be announced at the SIG Writing Closing Conference. A monetary prize of 400€ will be given to the winner.

Registration

Registration is open to accepted participants to the research school.

Registration fee for accepted junior researchers is CHF 300.

Financial Support

We can offer a limited number of travel grants—CHF 500 each—for financial support for EARLI JURE members of SIG Writing from Low-GDP qualifying countries according to the regulations of EARLI (see here) who are participants of the Research School. Information on how to apply will be sent to participants only.

Important Dates

Please consider the following important dates in preparing for the SIG Writing 2026 conference:

  • Submission for application closes

  • Notification of acceptance

  • Registration opens

  • Registration closes

  • Upload your 3MT video

  • Research School

  • Main conference

Organizing Committees

Conference Chairs

Cerstin Mahlow (ZHAW), Liana Konstantinidou (ZHAW), Daniel Perrin (ZHAW)

sigwriting26@zhaw.ch

Organizing Support

Sibylle Hurschler Lichtsteiner (PH Lucerne), Stefan Daniel Keller (PH Zurich), Afra Sturm (FHNW), Mirjam Weder (University of Basel)

Local Organizers

Cerstin Mahlow, Liana Konstantinidou, Renate Balogh, Nadja Spillmann

Support

The SIG Writing 2026 Research School is supported by several organizations and institutions. They act as sponsors and support the organizational teams.



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SNSF Grant Scientific Exchanges

SIG Writing 2026 Conference and Research School get financial support from the SNSF instrument Scientific Exchanges as scientific event.

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ZHAW Sustainable Impact Program

ZHAW Sustainable supports SIG Writing 2026 Conference and Research School as a project within their «Sustainable Impact Program» (SIP) by funding water bottles for participants.

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FHNW School of Education

The School of Education of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) supports the organization of SIG Writing 2026 Conference and Research School