NKEA09010U Scientific Writing, Planning and Presentation
MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Chemistry
MSc Programme in Chemistry with a minor subject
MSc Programme in Nanoscience
The course addresses higher-level aspects of scientific communication (both written and oral) required by a master’s student. Scientific writing should be seen as a process, not a product, so the focus of the course is developing a personal writing process. There are lessons and workshops on topics such as prewriting, considering your audience, academic writing style, figures and graphics, and the structure of a scientific paper. There are four assignments, which culminate with a publication-quality paper. While these assignments are based on writing tasks that are typical for a chemist, the overarching principles taught will be useful to anyone who writes in science.
Knowledge:
- how to structure a scientific paper
- how to organize literature
- how to integrate innovation into a publication strategy
Skills:
- write clear sentences
- compose unified and coherent paragraphs
- make easily understood figures
- give engaging presentations
Competency:
- develop a writing process, for example, starting with an outline
- make writing clear and engaging by telling a story
- adapt writing to a specific audience
- enhance the writing process with new technology
- rely on peer feedback while revising
See Absalon for a list of course literature. We have previously enjoyed using The Scientist’s Guide to Writing by Stephen B. Heard (2022), but we recommend waiting until the course begins to buy anything.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 42
- Preparation
- 10
- Practical exercises
- 9
- Project work
- 145
- Total
- 206
As
an exchange, guest and credit student - click here!
Continuing Education - click here!
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Continuous assessment
- Type of assessment details
- Assignment 1 – Introduction to writing (15% of total grade)
Assignment 2 – Proposal (15% of total grade)
Assignment 3 – Outline (20% of total grade)
Assignment 4 – Paper (40% of total grade)
Workshop participation and in-class presentation (10% of total grade)
Each part is assessed and weighted individually, and the final grade is determined based on this. Each part does not need to be passed individually to pass the overall exam. - Aid
- All aids allowed
The use of Large Language Models (LLM)/Large Multimodal Models (LMM) – such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 – is permitted in the preparation of the assignments.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Several internal examiners
- Re-exam
The reexam is based on the submission of a single, new paper that counts as 100% of the final grade.
Criteria for exam assesment
The grading will be based on a combination of formal mistakes (spelling, grammar, etc.) and style.
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NKEA09010U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 1
- Schedule
- B
- Course capacity
- 50
The number of places might be reduced if you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student.
Study board
- Study Board of Physics, Chemistry and Nanoscience
Contracting department
- Department of Chemistry
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Gemma C. Solomon (gsolomon@chem.ku.dk)
Lecturers
Gemma Solomon
Karen Martinez