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2022　Advanced Writing in Physics

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Academic unit or major
Graduate major in Physics
Instructor(s)
Webb Adrean 
Class Format
Lecture    (Face-to-face)
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Tue3-4(H119B)  
Group
-
Course number
PHY.P610
Credits
2
Academic year
2022
Offered quarter
3-4Q
Syllabus updated
2022/9/11
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
English
Access Index

Course description and aims

This course teaches the basics of writing informative essays to senior graduate students, through a more comprehensive use of peer learning, questioning, and short-essay writing. It is clear that English is important for those pursuing careers in the physical and life sciences, engineering, and other specialized disciplines. Therefore, students will be asked in this course to assess, explain, or summarize various scientific concepts by writing detailed essays in English.

Students will develop their technical writing skills and understand better how to apply them in their chosen specialties.

Student learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to do the following:
1) Analyze experiments and communicate their observations in clear, concise English.
2) Assess a scientific concepts in clear, concise English.
3) Explain scientific concepts in clear, concise English.
4) Summarize scientific concepts in clear, concise English.

Keywords

General technical writing, assessing ideas, explaining concepts, summarizing results

Competencies that will be developed

✔ Specialist skills Intercultural skills ✔ Communication skills ✔ Critical thinking skills Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

This class is divided into five, three-week units, with each unit focusing on one section of a standard academic paper. In detail, students will learn how to formulate and write up an IMRaD+C paper, which contains the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, plus Conclusions sections. By the end of the class, students should be able to generate a journal-ready academic article in English.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Review of technical writing for physicists Review the basics of writing a scientific article. Explain the importance and properties of the introduction, body, and conclusion.
Class 2 Writing an Introduction section Understand how to formulate and write an Introduction section. Discuss structure, tense, voice, pronouns, and linking.
Class 3 Writing a Methods section Understand how to formulate and write a Methods section. Discuss structure, justification, topic sentences, and compiling of information.
Class 4 Designing and developing simulations and experiments Review current methods for creating simulations and experiments. Discuss the importance of data retention and current methods for long-term data storage. Understand the necessity for reproducibility of results.
Class 5 Peer review exercises (no lecture) Peer-learning and writing of a Methods section in English.
Class 6 Writing a Results section Understand how to formulate and write a Results section. Discuss structure, identification and reporting of trends, as well as appropriate usage of figures, tables, and other visualization methods.
Class 7 Discussing and evaluating data Review the role of peer review in scientific research. Discuss various methods and platforms for the distribution of scientific results. Understand the importance of outreach and how to avoid misinforming the public.
Class 8 Peer review exercises (no lecture) Peer-learning and writing of a Results section in English.
Class 9 Writing a Discussion section Understand how to formulate and write a Discussion section. Discuss structure, error, expressions of proof, casual language, and other concepts.
Class 10 Understanding the purpose and style of science research articles Review the type of language used in academic writing. Discuss the various registers: Frozen, Formal, Consultative, Casual, and Intimate. Understand the genre, audience, and purpose of an academic article.
Class 11 Writing the Conclusion and Abstract sections Understand how to formulate and write the Conclusion and Abstract sections. Discuss structure, identifying main results and applications, as well as summarizing an IMRaD paper.
Class 12 Peer review exercises (no lecture) Peer-learning and writing of a Discussion section in English.
Class 13 Using citations and references in academic writing Review the basics of generating a bibliography. Discuss various procedures for the efficient gathering and organizing of references. Understand what to cite, what not to cite, and how to avoid committing academic misconduct.
Class 14 Peer review exercises (no lecture) Peer-learning and writing of Conclusion and Abstract sections in English.
Class 15 Finalizing and sharing your academic work Discuss the importance of scientific communication and the role of peer review in physics. Understand the scientific method and ethics in research. Review the processes for submitting unpublished work to academic journals and conference proceedings.

Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)

To enhance learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments).
This should be done by referring to the textbooks and other course materials.

Textbook(s)

English for Writing Research Papers, 2nd Edition
Wallwork, Adrian (2016); ISBN: 978-3319260921

東工大英単 科学・技術例文集〈新装版〉
東京工業大学 (2021); ISBN: 978-4327453015

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Writing for Science and Engineering: Papers, Presentations and Reports, 2nd Edition
Silyn-Roberts, Heather (2013); ISBN: 978-0080982854

Science Research Writing: For Non-Native Speakers of English, 2nd Edition
Glasman-Deal, Hilary (2020); ISBN: 978-1786347848

As needed, appropriate course materials and references will be made available before or after class via T2SCHOLA and Slack.

Assessment criteria and methods

Students will be assessed on their ability to express themselves in written English.

Report write-ups : 90%
Attendance : 10%

Related courses

  • PHY.P410 ： Basic Writing in Physics

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

Students must have successfully completed PHY.P410 or have equivalent knowledge.

Other

Before coming to class, students should read the course schedule and check what topics will be covered.
Required learning should be completed outside of the classroom for preparation and review purposes.

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