2020 Scientific Writing and Presentation Skills

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Academic unit or major
School of Engineering
Instructor(s)
Berrar Daniel 
Class Format
Lecture     
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Mon9-10(Zoom)  Thr9-10(Zoom)  
Group
-
Course number
XEG.G401
Credits
2
Academic year
2020
Offered quarter
4Q
Syllabus updated
2020/9/18
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
English
Access Index

Course description and aims

This course is designed as a practical "how-to" course for graduate students (Master and PhD) of science and engineering who plan to write up and publish their research results and give presentations at international conferences. This course consists of two parts. In the first part, the students will learn how to write and publish a scientific paper, including how to structure a paper, how to write the abstract, introduction, materials & methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. The students will also learn how to represent experimental and analytical results graphically. The students will learn about the entire publication process, from writing the first paper draft to finalizing the camera-ready version. Publishing a scientific paper involves more than just writing - a scientist also needs to understand how the editorial and peer review process work. We will pay particular attention to how to respond to reviewers' comments and revise a paper accordingly. Another important component of this course is how to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls in the writing process, including problems of grammar and style. In practical exercises, the students will hone their academic writing skills. The second part of the course focuses on academic presentation skills. Here, we will study how to design effective presentation slides, how to give an oral presentation, and particularly how to handle the Q&A session.

Student learning outcomes

After successful completion of this course, the students will know
(1) how to write and publish a scientific paper;
(2) how to respond to reviewers' comments;
(3) how to design effective presentation slides;
(4) how to give a scientific presentation and handle the Q&A session.

Keywords

scientific writing; presentation; academic publication; review process; Q&A session

Competencies that will be developed

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

Class flow

The first part of the course consists of lectures on scientific writing. In the second part, the students will practice scientific presentations with Q&A sessions.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Introduction to the course; general principles of good scientific writing -
Class 2 How to write effective sentences and paragraphs Revision
Class 3 How to use effective words; how to avoid common mistakes Assignment
Class 4 How to organize a research paper using IMRaD; how to write the Materials & Methods Revision
Class 5 How to write the Results; how to produce effective tables and figures; how to describe figures Assignment
Class 6 How to write the Discussion & Conclusions Revision
Class 7 How to prepare presentation slides Revision
Class 8 How to write the Introduction; how to cite the literature Assignment
Class 9 How to write the Abstract; how to choose a good title Assignment
Class 10 How to revise a paper; how to respond to reviewers' comments Prepare presentation
Class 11 Students' presentations with Q&A Prepare presentation
Class 12 Students' presentations with Q&A Prepare presentation
Class 13 Students' presentations with Q&A Prepare presentation
Class 14 Students' presentations with Q&A

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

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

None required. Course materials are provided during class.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

H. Glasman-Deal (2009) Science Research Writing: A Guide for Non-Native Speakers of English, Imperial College Press.
J.L. Lebrun (2009) When the Scientist Presents: An Audio and Video Guide to Science Talks. World Scientific Publishing Company.

Assessment criteria and methods

Students' grades will be based on their completed assignments and presentations.

Related courses

  • LAC.C662 : Scientific Communication
  • ENR.E610 : Academic Writing A
  • ENR.E611 : Academic Writing B

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

At least an intermediate level of English is required.

Contact information (e-mail and phone)    Notice : Please replace from "[at]" to "@"(half-width character).

daniel.berrar [at] ict.e.titech.ac.jp

Other

This course is for all graduate students (MSc and PhD) who are planning to submit their papers to an international journal or conference, and students who are planning to give a presentation at an international conference. Although this course is designed primarily for non-native speakers of English, native speakers who are not yet familiar with the academic publishing process or with scientific presentations will also benefit from this course.

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