How to write and publish a scientific paper, 3 ECT

Aims and target group

The aim of the course is to train PhD students to write and publish scientific results. After the course the students will able to:

• Understand the structure of a scientific paper and be able to describe and discuss what each section needs to include, based on an understanding of the IMRAD-concept.
• Write manuscript sections with clear and concise language.
• Design appropriate table and figures for reporting results.
• Describe and discuss the process of submitting a manuscript, the roles of reviewers and editors and the different perspectives of the writer, reader, reviewer and editor.
• Apply the gained knowledge in order to develop a strategy for improving writing skills and publishing results in scientific peer-review journals.

Course content

The course will be made up by lectures, reading and exercises. The course starts with the students reading and discussing the course literature. The course literature will be “How to write and publish a scientific paper” by Day and Gastel. There will be an invited guest with specific experience in scientific publishing, Editor Richard Johnson (SLU). Thereafter there will be three occasions with training sessions on writing scientific English with invited language proof reader Sue Avalon. The course will also highlight the use of aids like the reference program “EndNote”. Then the course continues with time for the students to polish their own manuscripts before the literature seminars, when the students should read each other’s manuscripts and discuss them. The student will get the course credits when the manuscript is submitted to a scientific journal.