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Academic Writing and Publishing

Course developers

Prior knowledge

PārZD049, Research Methodology in Food Science

Course abstract

The aim of the study course is to familiarize doctoral students with the principles of academic writing in the exact sciences, manuscript preparation according to the requirements of various publishers, manuscript submission and communication with scientific editors and reviewers, as well as basics of presentation.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge – about the principles of academic writing, the structure of a scientific article, the most common mistakes (lectures and practical works).
Skills – to select a suitable journal for publishing an article, critically select literature for the preparation of the introduction, correctly describe materials and methods, prepare the results and discussion part and draw the conclusions, edit the manuscript and prepare presentation (lectures, practical works and independent work).

Competence – to prepare a manuscript for submission to a specific scientific journal, communicate with the scientific editor and reviewers and present research results (lectures, practical work and independent work).

Course Content(Calendar)

In full-time face-to-face studies:
1. Types of scientific articles. Citation and impact factors. Criteria and tools for journal selection. Thematic area of the journal. Publication costs, funding sources. Instructions for authors. Copyright and its transfer. (2 h lectures) Choice of journal for manuscript submission. (2 h practical work)
2. Databases subscribed by the Fundamental Library of LBTU. Use of other authors' works. Automatic reference management tools. Plagiarism and paraphrasing. (2 h lectures) Working with databases. Reference management (2 h practical work)
3. Analysis of the structure of a scientific article. IMRaD. Article authorship and sequence of authors. Scientific ethics and acknowledgments (3 h lectures)
4. Selection and critical analysis of articles. (4 h practical work)
5. Elements of academic language. English terms and phrases commonly used in academic writing. Preparation and design of visual material. (3 h lectures)
6. Practical work on the use of different terms in English and preparation of visual material. Test. (4 h practical work)
7. Preparing the manuscript. (4 h practical work)
8. Manuscript preparation. (4 h practical work)
9. Editing the manuscript before submission. Language editing. (2 h lectures) Practical work in manuscript editing. (4 h practical work)
10. The most common errors in cases where the language of the manuscript is not the native language of the author. (2 h lectures) Error recognition (3 h practical work)
11. Manuscript preparation for submission. (4 h practical work)
12. Manuscript submission. Communication with scientific editor and reviewers. Preparation of the article, CREDiT, ethical issues, selection of possible reviewers, Cover letter. Second cover letter. Responses to reviewers. Revision, resubmission of manuscript. Language editing, language improvement services. Proofreading approval. (3 h lectures) Preparation of cover letter. (2 h practical work)
13. Reviewing manuscripts submitted by other students (2 h practical work). Preparing an answer for reviewers (2 h practical work)
14. Presenting scientific papers. Poster presentation (2 h lectures) Poster preparation based on the manuscript. (3 h practical work)
15. Oral presentation (1 h lecture) Preparation of oral presentation based on the manuscript. (2 h practical work)

16. Final presentation and discussions on the prepared manuscript (2 h practical work)

Requirements for awarding credit points

All practical works must be completed. A manuscript of a research paper and a review of another student's paper must be prepared. The prepared manuscript must be publicly presented.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

The doctoral student prepares:
1) a manuscript and a presentation of their chosen research for submission to a specific journal;

2) a review of another student's manuscript.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Pass with a grade.
The cumulative assessment during the semester is formed from the following works:
• completed practical work on choosing a journal, managing references, analysing articles, recognizing errors, preparing a cover letter - 20%;
• successfully completed test on the use of various terms and phrases in academic articles in English - 20%;

• submitted all independent works (manuscript, presentation, review) - 60%.

Compulsory reading

1. Glasman-Deal H. Science research writing for non-native speakers of English. London, Hackensack, NJ: Imperial College Press, 2010. 257 p.

2. van Emden J., Becker L. Writing for engineers. London: Palgrawe Macmillan, 2018. 151 p.

Further reading

1. Zinātniskā rakstīšana un pētījumu rezultātu izplatīšana. K. Mārtinsone un A. Piperes red. Rīga: RSU, 2018. 301 lpp.
2. del Campo-Albendea, L., Muriel-García, A. Ten common statistical mistakes to watch out for when writing or reviewing a manuscript. Enfermeria Intensiva, 32(1), 2021, 42-44. Pieejams: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enfi.2020.09.002
3. Faber, J. Writing scientific manuscripts: Most common mistakes. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics, 22(5), 2017, 113-117. Pieejams: https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-6709.22.5.113-117.sar
4. Flores-Mir, C. 10 Common Mistakes in Writing a Scientific Article. APOS Trends in Orthodontics, 9(1), 2019, 4-6. Pieejams: https://doi.org/10.25259/apos-9-1-2
5. Marina, V., Snuviškienė, G. Error analysis of scientific papers written by non-native speakers of English. Transport, 20(6), 2005, 274-279. https://doi.org/10.1080/16484142.2005.9638031. Pieejams: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/16484142.2005.9638031

6. Montagnes, D. J. S., Montagnes, E. I., & Yang, Z. Finding your scientific story by writing backwards. Marine Life Science and Technology, 4(1), 2022, 1-9. Pieejams: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42995-021-00120-z

Periodicals and other sources

1. SCImago Journal Rank. Pieejams: https://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php

2. LBTU bibliotēkā pieejamās datubāzes Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Wiley Online Library, EBSCO u.c.

Notes

Elective course for doctoral study program "Food Science", as well as for doctoral students of other LBTU doctoral study programs. The course is conducted in English in the 3rd or 5th semester.