Theory and Practice in Scientific Writing and Discussion (Pharmaceutical Sciences, English)B-E3
| Numbering Code | U-LAS51 10015 SB48 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester | |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Seminar | |
| Target Year | 2nd year students or above | Target Student | For science students | |
| Language | Japanese and English | Day/Period | Mon.4/Mon.5 | |
| Instructor name | Martin Robert (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Program-Specific Associate Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course |
The ability to effectively communicate science in English, whether it is for a lab report, preparing an abstract and/or poster or oral presentation for a conference, a journal club, a thesis, or a full manuscript, is an essential skill for any student and aspiring young researcher. Failure to produce a good narrative results in lost opportunities for both the writer and the reader. Developing skills in both written and oral forms of communication is therefore important to successfully progress in science. This course will aim to improve student confidence in communicating science in English. Opportunities will be provided to learn and practice the basics of effective scientific writing and communication in English. Emphasis will be placed on learning the basic structures and logic of different forms of scientific communication and practicing through the analysis of scientific material and writing. Practical exercises to develop those skills, will include among others, preparing a good title and abstract, analyzing scientific text, and presenting a scientific research article (journal club presentation) and its evaluation. Many exercises will be completed in small groups. The course will be targeted to non-native speakers of English. |
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| Course Goals |
This main objective of this course is to learn and practice skills for communicating scientific content effectively in English. The emphasis will be on structuring and organizing content, data and figures, and their interpretation to build a coherent narrative. Tips and tricks about writing and presenting as well as patterns to avoid will also be presented. At the end of this course students will: - Understand and be able to explain the basic structure and format of different forms of scientific communications - Master key conventions and structures essential for effective scientific communication - Have gained skills in organizing concepts and ideas into a coherent narrative, using the appropriate words, units, logic, etc. - Be able to produce clear short text and make an oral presentation of a research article following the formal scientific style of writing and presenting - Have acquired confidence and practiced critical evaluation skills by providing constructive feedback about their peers' work. |
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| Schedule and Contents |
The following topics will be covered over the course of 14 classes, not necessarily in that order: Week 1 Course guidance and introduction Week 2 Introduction to communication Week 3 Finding and managing scientific literature and resources (databases and reference management software) Week 4 Crafting a good title Week 5 Analyzing and preparing a good abstract Week 6 The basics of scientific writing. Structure and logic Week 7 How to write different parts of a manuscript or report Week 8 Tips for reading and understanding scientific content Week 9 Making good figures and visuals and describing them well Weeks 10-14 Critical thinking and evaluation - Research article presentations (Journal club) Week 16 Feedback Total: 14 classes plus one Feedback session |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy |
20 % Class attendance and active participation 60 % In-class exercises/quizzes and homework assignments 20 % Presentation |
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| Course Requirements | Access to a personal computer or device is required to complete homework assignments and other practice. | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Students can expect to spend on average about 1-2 hours per week on homework assignments and preparation for in-class exercises. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References |
Scientific Writing 2.0: A Reader And Writer's Guide, Lebrun, J.-L. , (World Scientific Publishing Company, 2011) Science Research Writing: A Guide for Non-native Speakers of English. , Glasman-deal, H., (Imperial College Press, 2010) |
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| References, etc. |
Writing in the Biological Sciences: A Comprehensive Resource for Scientific Communication. , Hofmann, A. , (Oxford University Press, 2015)
Another useful resource: English communication for scientists is listed below. |
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| Related URL | https://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/cntNm-14053993/contents/ | |||
