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2017　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(W621)  Thr9-10(W621)  
Group
-
Course number
XEG.G401
Credits
2
Academic year
2017
Offered quarter
4Q
Syllabus updated
2017/11/21
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 (Thursday classes). In the second part, the students will practice scientific presentations with Q&A sessions (Monday classes).

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 (1) Introduction to the course (2) Ethical principles in publishing (3) Open access and open science principles (4) How the editorial and peer-review process work -
Class 2 (1) Good academic presentation principles (2) How to prepare presentation slides (3) How to avoid common mistakes Revision
Class 3 (1) How to begin and structure a paper using IMRaD (2) How to write the section Materials & Methods (3) How to use effective words, sentences, and paragraphs Assignment
Class 4 (1) Listening comprehension techniques (2) Note taking tips & tricks (3) Classroom exercises Revision
Class 5 (1) How to write the section Results (2) How to produce effective figures and tables (3) How to describe figures and tables Assignment
Class 6 (1) How to handle the Q&A session (2) Classroom exercises Prepare presentation
Class 7 (1) How to write the section Discussion and Conclusions (2) How to choose a good title (3) How to cite the literature Assignment
Class 8 (1) Students' presentations (2) Q&A session (practice) Prepare presentation
Class 9 (1) How to write a paraphrase and a summary (2) How to write the Abstract (3) How to avoid common mistakes: misplaced modifiers Assignment
Class 10 (1) Students' presentations (2) Q&A session (practice) Prepare presentation
Class 11 (1) How to express criticism (2) How to respond to reviewers' comments and revise a paper Assignment
Class 12 (1) Students' presentations (2) Q&A session (practice) Prepare presentation
Class 13 (1) How to write a review paper (2) How to write the Acknowledgements Assignment
Class 14 (1) Students' presentations (2) Q&A session (practice) Prepare presentation
Class 15 (1) Students' presentations (2) Q&A session (practice) -

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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