‘We are all in this together’: the role of collaborative writing sessions in developing doctoral candidates' confidence to engage in the academic publication process

In this chapter, we explore our approach to including a Shut Up and Write! (SUAW) session immediately following an input session as part of a 12-workshop series designed to empower doctoral candidates to navigate the academic publication process. This chapter draws from both our experiences as course leads and qualitative data generated via focus groups and questionnaires. In this chapter, we argue that the combination of input sessions and collaborative writing spaces not only enhances doctoral candidates' understanding and engagement with academic writing but also cultivates a supportive community that is vital for both student and faculty development. Thus, our contribution directly speaks to the power of SUAW sessions to create a strong sense of community while evidencing how researchers were better able to engage with the writing process in a positive and effective manner due to the community support they benefitted fro