How to write in English scientific articles in journals and applications for grants

Today we will speak about such an important aspect for the entire scientific community as academic literacy. Our article (and neglected specialization) will be interesting and useful for undergraduates, graduate students, young researchers, in general, anyone who plans to associate their lives with science or for many years in it, as well as those who are somehow connected with science, for example , editors of scientific publications.

“In modern conditions, English prevails in the scientific community. Students and scholars around the world need to be well-versed in the features of English-speaking academic discourse in order to successfully study and build a scientific career. In this regard, it is necessary to form academic literacy within the framework of English courses for academic purposes (English for Academic Purposes, hereinafter - EAP). In foreign scientific literature, the term “academic literacy” is considered in the works of I. Leki, J. Brain, B. Green, C. Highland, and L. Hamp Lions [11–16]. However, foreign scientists believe that the key indicators of students' ability to study at a university and indicators of their academic success is the cumulative possession of reading and writing skills.
')
Practically in all foreign universities, the development of academic literacy of students takes place within the framework of special university courses, the central place in which is given to the course of academic writing. "(N. Rozhkova. Problems and Prospects for the Development of Academic Literacy of Russian-speaking Students // Young Scientist. - 2015. - № 6. - p. 672-674.)

According to authoritative experts, Russian education in this issue has lagged for many, many years, and meanwhile, the pace of development of scientific thought and the volume of scientific materials coming out are such that it is simply impossible to ignore the inability to present, present and convey their scientific ideas to the world community.

It is quite natural that Fiztech, as a leading technical university in Russia, is extremely interested in the promotion and development of this topic. At the Coursera, MIPT launched the first in Russia and, perhaps, the world specialization in writing academic texts in English for non-native speakers on Coursera by the teams of the Center for Innovative Educational Technologies and the Center for Language Training and Testing.

Separately, it is necessary to say about the director of the center for language training and testing Elena Bazanova, because it was her own strength and knowledge that created specialization. Elena is a Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, a member of the editorial board of the Scientific Editor and Publisher scientific journal, a member of the International Association of Writing Centers , a member of the Managing Board of the Consortium of Russian Writing Centers, an authoritative international expert, a person involved and enthusiastic, supporting his work.

It is Elena who is the main teacher of this specialization. You can learn more about her on her LinkedIn page .

The second teacher involved in the development of this specialization is Varvara Sosedova, a candidate of philological sciences. Her profile is available on Facebook.

So, let's analyze a new unique specialization - English for Research Publication Purposes.

The specialization consists of 5 courses : Academic Literacy, Scholarly Communication, Grant Proposal, Technical Writing, Capstone Project. Each course lasts 4 weeks and includes both lecture materials and practical tasks.

Academic Literacy. The first course of specialization. The purpose of the course is to acquaint the listener with the concept of “scientific discourse”. After studying the course materials, you will gain important reading skills of a scientific letter that will help you become a successful scientific writer who is capable of an objective assessment of your work. A distinctive feature of the course is to review the necessary tools and effective strategies to improve your academic literacy.

Scholarly Communication. The second course of specialization . The course presents the unwritten rules of scientific writing, which are often the stumbling block for most non-Anglo-Saxon scientists. After successfully completing the course, you will receive scientific writing skills aimed at self-editing and checking the manuscript of your scientific article. You will also get a complete picture of academic integrity and the ethics of scientific writing. The final work of the course - writing a scientific article, ready for publication in major scientific journals.

Grant Proposal. The third course of specialization. This course is a guide to creating a grant application that will allow reviewers to better assess the merits of your work. After studying the course materials, you will learn how to most accurately express your ideas in writing, create structured and concise text, and conduct market research to find potential sponsors. You will also learn how to correctly use negative feedback from reviewers and re-submit your application. The course examines useful project management tools and possible pitfalls in budgeting. By the way, this course can be useful in itself, as an instruction, for example, for startups.

Technical Writing. The fourth course of specialization. The course is devoted to the development of the technical writing skill necessary to describe the results of technical or experimental work. The focus is on studying the basic features and concepts of a technical language. You will learn how to write various types of technical reports: laboratory, research, design, etc. The course also covers language, structure, style, and report content issues that you may encounter when creating a report of your research.

Capstone Project. The final work , during which you test the knowledge gained in four courses of specialization in creating an original research article for publication.

In the process of learning, emphasis is placed on practical tasks, and each course contains clear objectives and a clear algorithm for achieving them.

Each course individually costs just over 3,800 rubles, but if you pay for all the specialization at once, you will receive a 10% discount. And after passing the specialization, you, as always, get a certificate. We remind you that any student has the opportunity to receive financial assistance for training; you just need to submit an application for Coursera. MIPT students can pass the specialization for free by sending an application to mooc@phystech.edu.