2021/2022

Writing a research paper in English: a module for novice writers

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Mago-Lego

Delivered by: Department of Foreign Languages

When: 3, 4 module

Open to: students of all HSE University campuses

Instructors: Natalia V. Smirnova

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 32

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The online module aims at guiding master students in writing a research paper in English for an international high-ranking journal. Participants will develop a critical eye on different cultural and rhetorical conventions and norms in target journals and learn effective writing tools and strategies for becoming more independent in their research writing. You will learn 1) how/why join conversations in academic journals, 2) why/how to build an individual project-related linguistic corpus in your discipline for independent writing, 3) to use the corpus to produce a clear, coherent/cohesive, argument-driven, and rhetorically/linguistically appropriate English-medium paper to meet expectations of leading journals. The key learning outcome is a research paper produced by each participant. Key entry requirements are: B2 CEFR, motivation letter, draft paper (of any length).

Learning Objectives

• – The research writing module seeks to support master’s degree students since research writing skills are rarely developed naturally
• – Writing is a social practice (Lillis & Curry, 2010) but not transparent
• – Academic conventions and norms are invisible, so an ability to ‘notice’ them is essential
• – Learning to write should be evidence-based. Linguistic corpora tools help students learn a) why/how to build a corpus for your research project, b) what means a clear, coherent, argument-driven, and rhetorically strong text which meets expectations of journals, c) to ‘notice’ professional discourse by working with corpus data. As a result, you write more effectively and become a more independent writer

Expected Learning Outcomes

• develop a corpus for your research project to identify core linguistic/rhetorical/discourse conventions of the target journals
• develop a research paper draft which meets the identified linguistic/rhetorical/discourse conventions of the target journals
• develop your research paper to present at an international conference
• peer review research article drafts for the identified linguistic/rhetorical/discourse conventions of the target journals
• understand how corpora can help you in preparing a research paper draft
• understand the big picture of writing for publication practices globally

Course Contents

• The nature of writing for publication in the globalized world
• Empirical paper: rhetorical structure, IMRAD
• Meeting target journal requirements
• Developing a linguistic corpus: why
• Developing a linguistic corpus: how
• Citing research: why/ how
• Developing a strong argument
• Editing a research paper: high and low order writing concerns
• Presenting a paper at an international conference: from written text towards spoken interaction

Assessment Elements

• Exam
  Conference paper presentation = 10 points max. The paper presentation should not exceed 10 minutes.
• Work in progress assignments
  The written paper should not exceed 5000 words. 1.Abstract draft = 10 points max 2. Introduction draft = 10 points max 3. LR draft = 10 points max 4. Methods/ Results = 10 points max 5. Discussion/ Conclusion draft = 10 points max

Interim Assessment

• 2021/2022 4th module
  0.6 * Exam + 0.4 * Work in progress assignments

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Abstracts and the writing of abstracts, Swales, J. M., 2009
• Abstracts and the writing of abstracts, Swales, J.M., 2009
• Academic discourse : English in a global context, Hyland, K., 2009
• Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2001). Academic Communications and the Graduate Student. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.3E2EACE3
• Telling a research story : writing a literature review, Feak, C. B., 2009
• Telling a research story. Writing a literarure review, Feak, C.B., 2009

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• WILLIAM STRUNK, J. (2017). The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition (Vol. FOURTH EDITION). [S.l.]: William Strunk Jr. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2181327