Academic Writing Workshop

0001On 23rd February, 2024, the Centre for Innovation, Intellectual Property and Competition, CIIPC, and the IPR Chair, National Law University Delhi, under the aegis of IQAC, organised an Academic Writing Workshop. The event was conducted in hybrid mode, with participants attending physically on the NLU Delhi campus and others joining virtually through video conferencing.

0002The workshop was open to LL.B. and LL.M. students and received registrations from over 137 participants from universities and colleges across India.

Inaugural Session

0003The workshop commenced with welcome remarks by Ms. Nishtha Sharma, Research and Programme Coordinator, CIIPC IPR Chair, National Law University Delhi. She introduced the speaker, Dr. Pratyush Nath Upreti, Senior Lecturer in Law at the School of Law, Queen's University, Belfast.

0004Before his appointment at Queen's University, Belfast, Dr. Upreti held positions at the Faculty of Law, University of Helsinki, and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition Law, Munich. He has acted as an expert and commissioned studies for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He is also a member of the expert committee on the resource project of the World Health Organization, South East Asia.

0005Dr. Upreti is the author of Intellectual Property Objectives in International Investment Agreements, published by Edward Elgar in 2022, which was voted for the IPKat 2022 IP Law Book of the Year. He is also the co editor of Intellectual Property Rights in the Post Pandemic World, published by Edward Elgar in 2023.

0006The workshop focused on the intricacies of legal research and academic writing. The first half of the workshop focused on legal research, while the second half focused on academic writing.

0007Dr. Upreti began the session by explaining the meaning of legal research. He highlighted that research and writing are interconnected processes, while also explaining the key differences between them. He shared his personal experience and emphasised the importance of taking breaks during research to refresh perspectives.

0008The session covered various elements of research and different research methodologies. Particular emphasis was placed on empirical research, including approaches to data collection and fieldwork. The discussion focused on establishing research objectives, using data to develop arguments, using data to support the overall objective of the research, and avoiding biases.

0009The lecture was interactive and included examples demonstrating how research can be narrowed down using mapping methodology.

0010Dr. Upreti also discussed academic writing and the importance of audience awareness. He explained that different forms of academic writing address different audiences and therefore require tailored approaches. He emphasised that academic writing should be precise, formal, clear, simple, and direct, rather than descriptive or authoritative.

0011This was followed by an exercise on writing abstracts. Dr. Upreti highlighted that research paper abstracts should be concise and straightforward. The workshop also explored different forms of academic writing, including book chapters, journal articles, and policy reports.

Peer Review and Publishing

0012The workshop concluded with a discussion on peer review and publishing strategies, followed by an interactive question and answer session. The session provided attendees with insights into different forms of legal research and academic writing.

0013The workshop was followed by high tea.