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 a scientific journal article
2. What constitutes good paragraph and sentence structure in English
3. How to construct the text for a logical flow
4. The roles of editors and reviewers

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR DOCTORAL DEGREE 

Scientific papers, written in English, are an essential part of research. The doctoral degree requires several manuscripts and a thesis. However, many PhD students do not have English as their first language nor have they taken writing courses in their first language. This course teaches the structural elements of journal articles and theses. It practices writing skills and how to construct scientific arguments. It is taught with the viewpoint of non-native English speakers in mind.

COURSE CONTENTS

1. IMRAD, the most common (but not the only) structure for scientific journal articles: what to include and how
2. What makes a text easy to read? Improving readability
3. Hedge words and connector words: what they are and how to use them
4. Writing titles and abstracts that capture the target audience
5. Results and conclusions: not the same thing
6. The editorial and referee processes
7. Individual writing tutorials and peer feedback

INSTRUCTION

7 workshops (2 hours each) and one private tutorial (30 min) over 8 weeks

ASSESSMENT

Completion of the 14 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: Applications will be received until 1 September 2024 or until the course is full, whichever occurs first.