Writing Scientific English for ESL Learners (English second language), 3 credits

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

Teknat PhD students who are currently writing a paper or thesis.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After the course, the student will be able to recognize:

1. the essential elements to include in each part of the journal article
2. what constitutes good paragraph and sentence structure in English
3. the roles of editors, referees, and peers in giving feedback

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR DOCTORAL DEGREE 

Scientific papers, written in English, are an essential part of research. The PhD degree requires several manuscripts and a thesis. However, many PhD students do not have formal training in writing and many do not have English as their first language. This course teaches the structural elements of journal articles and provides practice and ample feedback on the student's own writing. It also covers problem areas in English for the non-native speaker.

COURSE CONTENTS

• IMRAD, the most common structure for scientific articles: what to include in each section of it
• What makes a text easy to read? Improving readability.
• Correcting English grammar with digital tools
• How to write titles and abstracts that capture the target audience
• Hedge words and connector words: what they are and how to use them
• Results vs. conclusions: not the same thing
• The editorial and referee processes
• Individual writing tutorials and peer feedback sessions

INSTRUCTION

Six workshop sessions, 1 lecture by The Language Workshop, and 1 private tutorial, over a period of eight weeks.

ASSESSMENT

Completion of the eleven writing assignments.

COURSE EXAMINER

Terese Bergfors, terese.bergfors@icm.uu.se

DEPARTMENT WITH MAIN RESPONSIBILITY

Dept. of Cell and Molecular Biology

CONTACT PERSON/S 

Terese Bergfors, terese.bergfors@icm.uu.se

APPLICATION

Submit the application for admission to: terese.bergfors@icm.uu.se
Submit the application not later than: 15 Sept 2023