Scientific Writing for Beginners in the Life Sciences

Designing, performing and analyzing experiments are at the core of scientific research but contribute little to science in the absence of permanent recordkeeping in the form of scientific writing and publication.
This course is designed for graduate students who are reaching the stage of needing to convert their results into peer-reviewed publications.

Topics to be covered include:

• The art of scientific writing: how to engage the reader (and editor, and reviewers).
• Ethical and legal aspects of scientific publication
• Authorship
• Types of journals and publications models
• Peer review
• Journal and author metrics
• The publishing process (how journals work)

These topics will be covered with the aid of lectures, discussions and short exercises. In addition, students may present their own scientific writing for discussion and analysis.