ANU Boot Camps

Join the ANU Thesis Boot Camp Program: Accelerate Your Research in Three Days! 

Are you a researcher at ANU looking to make significant progress on your project? ANU Researcher Development invites you to our transformative 3-day boot camps, designed to boost the productivity of HDR candidates at any stage of their research journey. Whether you're crafting a thesis, writing a paper, or planning a book, our boot camps offer an intensive, focused environment to achieve your goals. 

Why come to a boot camp? 

Rapid Progress: Surpass your expectations with how much you can achieve – whether it's hitting a high word count or developing a document that’s key to moving your research forward, like a data analysis plan, ethics application, journal article or book proposal. The OG Thesis boot camp sets a seemingly impossible goal of writing 20,000 words in three days – which many people achieve. Don’t believe us? Come along and find out! 

Expert Guidance: A boot camp is not like any other kind of workshop you have been to. We don’t talk at you; instead, we provide a structured environment where you do the work, but can seek advice from experts when you need it. Benefit from one-on-one consultations and short information sessions that will help you produce your best work. 

Community and Support: Join a motivated community of peers and enjoy a structured schedule that includes breaks for connecting with like-minded others. Many of our boot camps are online, for your safety and convenience, but all face-to-face boot camps are fully catered – all you have to do is turn up and work. 

Pick the right boot camp for this stage of your research work. 

Statistics Boot Camp: Perfect for early-stage researchers. The purpose of this boot camp is to produce a detailed Data Analysis Plan (DAP), a document to help ensure the data you collect will match the kinds of claims you want to make. A completed DAP is a huge step towards writing an ethics application. 

Ethics Application Boot Camp: Open to anyone who needs to do an ethics application, this boot camp runs over three consecutive Fridays, giving you time to complete your document from start to finish over three weeks. Be supported by specialists from the ANU Research Ethics Office, who will guide you every step of the way. 

TPR (Confirmation) Boot Camp: The first ’big milestone’ in HDR candidature is the Thesis Proposal Review (now called ‘Confirmation’). This boot camp is ideal for those in their first year of research who are looking for structured writing time to complete all the milestone requirements. We will cover how to make a cohesive document that explains your research topic and sets out the plan for the rest of your candidature. At the end we will run a workshop on presenting your research to a sceptical audience. 

Journal Article Writing Boot Camp: Open to all ANU researchers, this boot camp is design to support you to conceptualise, write, finish and publish your paper. Join our expert facilitators who have deep experience in the academic publishing system and can advise on everything from choosing the right journal to responding to that cranky Reviewer Two! 

Editing Boot Camp: You've done a whole lot of writing during candidature – now it's time to bang it into shape. The final stages of preparing your manuscript for submission are challenging after working on your thesis/exegesis for several years. This boot camp steps you through the processes required to ensure the written document presents your work to examiners and reviewers in the best possible light.

Best Seller Book Boot Camp: Learn how to craft a compelling book proposal from your research over three consecutive Fridays. This boot camp takes you from a vague idea to a green-lit project that will lead to fame and fortune! If you’ve ever had the desire to be the ‘talking head’ on a documentary or celebrated in the media for your expertise, this boot camp is for you. This boot camp is suitable for all ANU researchers and is also open to alumni. 

Thesis Boot Camp (20,000 Word Challenge): The original and the best! In this three-day writing blitz, we teach you the skills to rapidly punch out that text, ready to be edited to perfection. People are transformed from timid writers who can barely produce a page a day to confident wordsmiths who look at any word count with a ‘can do’ attitude. This boot camp is only for HDR candidates who have completed at least 2.5 (EFT) years of their candidature. 

Make the leap! 

Spaces are limited and highly sought after. You must submit an expression of interest to be considered for a place, and we may ask you to do a preliminary activity to qualify. Applicants are selected based on research progress, goals, and personal circumstances, with special consideration for those with caring duties or health needs.  

Check out our yearly schedule to find a boot camp and sign up! 

To apply or for more information, contact researcherdevelopment@anu.edu.au