Type of course

PhD course. This course is available as a singular course.

PhD students and students at the Student Research Program at UiT The Arctic University of Norway register for class and exam in Studentweb by September 1st for autumn semester and February 1st for spring semester.

Other applicants apply for the right to study by June 1st for courses that are taught in the fall semester and December 1st for courses that are taught in the spring semester. Application is sent through SøknadsWeb. Please use the appliction code "9301 - Singular courses at the PhD level". If granted admission to the course students must register for class and exam in Studentweb by September 1st for autumn semester and February 1st for spring semester.

Admission requirements

This course has a maximum capacity of 25 students. If there are more applicants than available seats in the course, students will be given priority from category 1 to 4:

1. PhD students and students participating in a Student research Programme at UiT The Arctic University of Norway

2. Participants in the Associate Professor Programme

3. PhD students and students at a Student Research Programme at other universities

4. Applicants who have minimum a master’s degree or equivalent, but have not been admitted to a PhD programme

Should we have to make priorities within category 1, students who have gotten the furthest in their course of study will be given priority.

Recommended prerequisites: The student should have started writing the first paper of the PhD thesis.

Course content

The course aims at enhancing and improving the writing skills of those already familiar with the process. It contains lectures, group work, discussions in plenum and individual assignments. Lecture topics include;

• Academic Writing traditions
• The scientific language
• Efficient scientific writing - how to write a lot
• Shaping your text - telling a story
• A journal editor's view on submitted manuscripts
• Structure: constraints, organization and emphasis
• Publish or perish? Publication Ethics
• Language: being clear, concise, and correct
• Reference lists and how to cite properly
• How to write a review paper - tips for your home assignment

Objectives of the course

Knowledge and understanding

On successful completion of the course, the student should:

• know the structure of a scientific manuscript
• know the key criteria for good manuscripts
• be able to critically judge which parts of their scientific work to include in the manuscripts and how to evaluate their own writing against external criteria

Skills and abilities

On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• communicate and disseminate scientific results from health research efficiently in writing
• master scientific writing for different target groups
• master practical tasks on how to write efficiently and to overcome hurdles for writing
• respond to reviewers' comments and revise manuscripts
• critically read and evaluate scientific articles within health sciences

Judgement and approach

On successful completion of the course, the student should:

• Demonstrate insight into the review process and the craft of scientific writing focusing on health sciences

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

The course will include didactic teaching including lectures and power-point presentations, small and large group-working and interactive discussions and feedback sessions. There will be a mixture of teacher-led and student-led activities throughout each day of the course.

Students are expected to take an active and dynamic part in all coursework. Individual reading towards knowledge assimilation will also be a requirement. Pre-coursework in the form of submitting an abstract before the course, as well as providing feedback to other students during the course and presenting orally is also compulsory.

Recommended reading/syllabus