Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

About this Course

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Scholarly Communication is a concise but comprehensive course on how to write research papers in English. The course will help the candidates gain a better understanding of the rhetorical conventions of English and the common challenges the candidates may face as an academic writer. The course provides instruction, exercises, structure, and deadlines needed to create a publishable paper.
The aim of the course is to improve competence in scholarly communications by deepening knowledge of the core features of the scientific writing style. It presents and analyzes the unwritten rules of scientific writing, the ones candidates most likely never learned in academic writing.

The course will enable the candidates to write clear, detailed and well-structured scientific texts appropriate to a suitable academic journal. In particular, they will develop an awareness of fundamental concepts of academic writing, such as contrastive rhetoric, logical organization, and argumentation. In addition, they will develop skills for self-editing and revision techniques, including editing
for precision and clarity. They will also gain a deeper understanding of how to prepare a scientific paper using the IMRAD format. Finally, the candidates will develop an enhanced understanding of the concept of academic integrity and the ethics of scientific writing.

The candidates will be able to overcome anxiety about academic publishing and get their research papers published in international journals.

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Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Intermediate Level

Approx. 23 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.75/5 (29 Ratings)

Elena Bazanova

Director of the Language Training and Testing Center

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

71,454 Learners

4 Courses

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Intermediate Level

Approx. 23 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, English, Spanish

Offered by

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Московский физико-технический институт (Физтех) является одним из ведущих вузов страны и входит в основные рейтинги лучших университетов мира. Институт обладает не только богатой историей – основателями и профессорами института были Нобелевские лауреаты Пётр Капица, Лев Ландау и Николай Семенов – но и большой научно-исследовательской базой.

Основой образования в МФТИ является уникальная «система Физтеха», сформулированная Петром Капицей: кропотливый отбор одаренных и склонных к творческой работе абитуриентов; участие в обучении ведущих научных работников; индивидуальный подход к отдельным студентам с целью развития их творческих задатков; воспитание с первых шагов в атмосфере технических исследований и конструктивного творчества с использованием потенциала лучших лабораторий страны. Среди выпускников МФТИ — нобелевские лауреаты Андрей Гейм и Константин Новоселов, основатель компании ABBYY Давид Ян, один из авторов архитектурных принципов построения вычислительных комплексов Борис Бабаян и др.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating94%(1,637 ratings)

Week

Week 1

5 hours to complete

Science Writing

MODULE I: SCIENCE WRITING will help you develop an enhanced understanding of English written pattern, based on Anglo-American rhetorical conventions. The module covers issues relating to writing strategies, style, hedging, clear meaning, organization, and choice of first-person pronouns. The focus is on improving your ability to write academic English appropriate to a research article.

5 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 52 min), 6 readings, 7 quizzes

10 videos

Welcome words2m

Writing in English4m

Anglo-American Rhetorical Traditions3m

Golden Rules of Scientific Writing3m

Clarity, Precision, and Accuracy8m

Hedging5m

Fuzzy and Smothered Words5m

Function and Structure Words7m

I and We in Scientific Writing5m

Who, Which, … or That?6m

6 readings

Elena Bazanova10m

MIPT10m

LTTC10m

Grading Policy10m

Supplementary materials10m

Takeaways10m

7 practice exercises

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

Self-assessment30m

Progress check30m

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

End-of-Module Test30m

Week

Week 2

5 hours to complete

The Challenge

MODULE II: THE CHALLENGE covers issues relating to the internal text structures intrinsic to a research article. The module clarifies the usage of three major types of modifiers (squinting, misplaced, and dangling) and suggests a number of strategies to avoid obvious negation. In addition, you will learn how to create stronger academic writing by choosing the right verb form used either in the active or passive voice. The module teaches the Anglo-American style of outlining, paragraphing, and argumentation to make the reading process easier for the reader. Also, you will develop an awareness of the process of journal analysis.

5 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 59 min), 2 readings, 7 quizzes

9 videos

Wayward Modifiers9m

Hidden Negation5m

Active vs. Passive4m

Tenses in Scientific Writing7m

Punctuation4m

A Unit of Composition8m

Anglo-American Style of Argumentation6m

Presenting Results or Telling a Story?6m

Journal Analysis6m

2 readings

Supplementary materials10m

Takeaways10m

7 practice exercises

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

End-of-Module Test30m

Week

Week 3

6 hours to complete

The Manuscript

MODULE III: THE MANUSCRIPT will teach you how to prepare a publishable paper in the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods & Materials, Results, and Discussion) format. The module provides clear instructions on manuscript writing. You will gain a better understanding of four elements that underlie the structure of all stories, including those you write in science – Opening, Challenge, Action, and Resolution, which can be easily mapped on the IMRaD format.

6 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 42 min), 3 readings, 8 quizzes

9 videos

Manuscript Guidelines: Insider Knowledge5m

The IMRaD Format4m

Introduction4m

Materials and Methods3m

Results4m

Discussion3m

Title, Abstract, and Keywords5m

Acknowledgments4m

References4m

3 readings

Supplementary materials10m

Takeaways10m

FAQ concerning peer-review assignments.10m

7 practice exercises

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

End-of-Module Test30m

Week

Week 4

7 hours to complete

Scientific Communication

MODULE IV: SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION covers issues concerning the manuscript submission process. The module highlights editorial requirements, scientific integrity, and publishing ethics. In addition, you will learn several self-editing techniques that will enable you to prepare your manuscript for submission. The module suggests ways to self-promote in academia.

7 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 73 min), 2 readings, 7 quizzes

8 videos

Self-Editing Checklist8m

Manuscript Submission3m

The Road to Calvary7m

Ethics8m

Self-Promotion7m

Interview24m

Interview12m

Goodbye Message45s

2 readings

Supplementary materials10m

FAQ concerning peer-review assignments.10m

6 practice exercises

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

Self-assessment30m

Progress Check30m

End-of-Module Test30m

Final Test30m

Frequently Asked Questions

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What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
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Will I earn university credit for completing the Course?
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Scholarly Communication