Admission requirements
This course is obligatory for all MSc students Chemistry and all MSc students Life Science & Technology.
The course Academic Writing is taught three times in the academic year 2024-25.
Description
A good scientist will never be a great scientist without the ability to explain their work to other scientists. Therefore, it is vital that students learn to report on their work with easy to read manuscripts in proper academic English, with a clear and logical structure.
In this course, students learn the essential writing skills for communicating scientific results. The principles are covered in lectures and put into practice with exercises during lectures and in homework assignments. To test the skills acquired in this course, a writing assignment is presented in class. This assignment is an introduction to a research paper. Students improve their texts based on feedback from the lecturer and peer-review sessions.
Course objectives
At the end of the course students
can critically read scientific literature
know the structure of a scientific paper and the function of each section
can use logical structure to build their narrative
can write a piece of scientific text using proper academic English
apply the correct ways to source, use and cite scientific literature
can review and edit their own and their peers’ work
Timetable
Schedule information can be found on the website of the programmes.
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
AWR consists of a single module of lectures with associated assignments and is assessed through participation in a peer review presentation.
Assessment method
Attendance at lectures/workshops, completion of homework and participation in presentation and peer review is mandatory. Grade is a pass/fail.
Reading list
All literature will be made available on Brightspace:
Papers from the literature
Slides presented during the lectures
Background reading materials
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Important: There are only 30 places available per block
Contact
Remarks
Assignment deadlines are communicated via Brightspace.
According to OER article 4.8, students are entitled to view their marked examination for a period of 30 days following the publication of the results of a written examination. Students should contact the lecturer to make an appointment for such an inspection session.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.