Course Topics
- Characteristics of Academic Writing - The purpose of Academic Writing - Academic Writing: “where” - The main sections of an academic paper - The Title - The Abstract section - Different types of Abstract - The “Introduction” section - Defining the scope - The CARS models - Middle sections: “methods”, “results” and “discussion” - The use of headings in middle sections - The “Methods” section: writing details - The “Results” section: writing details - The “Discussion” section: writing details - How to use illustrations, tables and attachments - The endings sections - The “Conclusions” - Conclusions’ structure - The “References” section: the different citation styles - In-text citations and respective formatting styles - Documenting the various academic references - The academic writing process - Challenges of writing in British vs American English - Punctuation - Components of academic writing: clause, phrase, sentence - Organising paragrahps - Synonyms and verbs in academic writing - Adverbs in academic writing - Plagiarism: what is and how to avoid it - Degrees of plagiarism - Plagiarism: summarizing vs paraphrasing - Making and organizing notes - Rewriting and proofreading

Propaedeutic courses
None

Teaching format
frontal teaching, in-class exercises and writing simulations

Educational objectives
ILO (Intended Learning Outcomes) ILO 1 Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: ILO 1.1 Ability to produce texts on topics of scientific interest; ILO 2 Communication skills: ILO 2.1 Proficiency (oral and written) in Italian, German and English, including translation between these languages. Intercultural competence. Conceptual awareness, synthesis and written expression, in particular in the drafting of scientific or science-based documents

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
- preparation for Bachelor's thesis writing

Assessment
A written examination designed to simulate the drafting of sections of an academic paper based on one or more assigned texts, with exercises in rephrasing and summarizing. This will verify ILO 1.1 - Ability to produce texts on topics of scientific interest and ILO 2.1 - Proficiency in English

Evaluation criteria
Written: the individual student’s paper or written exam will be evaluated according to the correspondence to the contents explained during the course. Therefore, marking criteria will be: a) appropriateness of the content, b) structure’s coherence and coordination of the different parts of the paper, c) grammar accuracy, d) vocabulary accuracy (including specialized language and register), e) correct referencing, f) appropriate format respect to the chosen template

Required readings

• materials available on platform OLE

Supplementary readings

-      S. Bailey, Academic Writing. A Handbook for International Students, 5th edition (Routledge, 2018)

-      M. Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing, Third Edition, Springer-Verlag, 1996 (http://writing.eng.vt.edu)

Further information
- none