2023/2024
Writing a Research Paper in English: a Module for Novice Writers
Type:
Mago-Lego
Delivered by:
Department of Foreign Languages
When:
3 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
- Research writing skills are rarely developed naturally and academic language is nobody’s natural language. 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
- Understand the big picture of writing for publication practices globally
- Understand how corpora can help you in preparing a research paper draft and 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
- Peer review research article drafts for the identified linguistic/rhetorical/discourse conventions of the target journals
- Develop your research paper to present at an international conference
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
- ExamConference paper presentation (poster format) = 10 points max. All assignments meet the HSE 10-point scale.
- Work in progress assignments1. Abstract draft = 10 points max 2. Introduction draft = 10 points max 3. LR draft = 10 points max
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Abstracts and the writing of abstracts, Swales, J.M., 2009
- Academic discourse : English in a global context, Hyland, K., 2009
- Telling a research story. Writing a literarure review, Feak, C.B., 2009
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Elements of style, Strunk, W., 2000
- Writing your master's thesis : from A to Zen, Nygaard, L. P., 2017