As a doctoral researcher at Imperial, you will be contributing to the formation of knowledge by communicating new, complex content to diverse, often interdisciplinary audiences. Whether you're coming from a Master's, from industry or even from research, you need higher-order communicative competence to meet Imperial doctoral expectations and fulfil your ambitions as a researcher, regardless of whether English is your first language. 

The university therefore requires every doctoral student to undertake initial academic communication training within the first year of their programme. This is known as the Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement (DACR).  

DACR training links

What is in the training?

You'll work through input and tasks focusing on academic communication, with opportunities for self-diagnosis. Together, these are designed to help you align with the communication goals of Imperial doctoral researchers. The training takes up to two hours to complete.

When should I do the training?

You'll need to complete the training before your Early Stage Assessment (ESA), but it is to your advantage to do it as soon as possible. This will give you time to benefit from the range of opportunities for communication coaching and/or work on areas that may need more development before you write your ESA report. 

How do I access the training?

You'll find the link to the latest version of the training on the DACR training access webpage. 

What happens after the training?

You’ll receive an email confirming you have fulfilled DACR, followed by a separate email with recommendations based on your responses to the self-diagnostic elements of the training.

What else is available?

You'll be able to continue developing your academic communication through our coaching sessions, online resources and live workshops. Visit our doctoral students webpage to find out more.