Two-day course on disciplinary expectations in scientific writing

This is a two day course. It will occur on Tuesday 20th of October and Tuesday 27th of October. 

This course familiarizes doctoral students with disciplinary expectations in scientific writing. We cover topics such as the writing process, outlining, macro-, paragraph and sentence structure, and style. Participants will also learn about and practice the effective and responsible use of AI-based tools. In our hands-on approach, course participants will analyze and produce texts, focusing on the structure, clarity, precision, conciseness, and reader-friendliness of writing. To maximize the effectiveness of this course, we ask participants to bring their own writing projects to class. During afternoon coaching sessions, they will receive individual feedback on their writing and advice on the next steps.

After the completion of the course, participants will be able to do the following:

• Manage the writing process
• Plan, draft, and revise scientific texts efficiently and effectively
• Write according to disciplinary standards and expectations
• Provide constructive feedback on scientific texts
• Select appropriate AI-based tools for writing and declare their use

Up to 20 doctoral students may attend this in-person course. There is no option for remote attendance.

The course is assessed with a pass/fail grade. To earn 1 ECTS point, participants need to attend both course dates and submit a writing portfolio, consisting of the following elements:

• Outline for a section of an academic paper (due on the second course day)
• Sample paragraph (approximately 150 words, due on the second course day)
• Revision of the paragraph (due two weeks after the second course day)
• A section of a manuscript (approximately 500–1000 words, due two weeks after the second course day)
• AI declaration

Day 1

Morning

• The writing process and writing aids
• Effective outlining
• Reader-friendly sentence structures
• Paragraph structure and creating flow
• Editing your own writing

Afternoon

Group and individual coaching

Day 2

Morning

• Macrostructure and crafting the research story
• Integrating visuals in writing
• The main sections (methods, results, discussion)
• Introduction and literature review
• Conclusion
• Abstract and title

Afternoon

• Group and individual coaching