Scientific Writing and Ethics

Intructor:

Markus Flury
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Washington State University
Johnson Hall 243

Course Description:

To publish a scientific paper, one needs both good science and good writing. This course will introduce the concepts of scientific writing and the procedures to publish a scientific paper. Participants can also bring their own writing, and we will discuss good and bad writing. The course does not focus on English per se, but rather emphasizes the scientific writing aspect. The course will also discuss authorship and ethical issues involved in the publication process. Topics include:

Introduction
The Scientific Publication
Approach to Writing a Paper
Title, List of Authors, Abstract
Introduction, Materials and Methods, References
Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgments
Tables, Figures, Photographs
Scientific Style and English
Scientific Typesetting
Scientific Misconduct and Ethics

Syllabus:

Syllabus (Syllabus.pdf)

Course Outline and Delivery:

The course is targeted for graduate students, post-graduate scientists, and scientists involved in writing scientific manuscripts. To provide enough opportunity for discussion, the number of course participants is limited to a maximum of 25. The course is offered as a 1-credit course (US system), as a 15-hour lecture series. In the short course format, the course will consist of 4 days of 4 hour lectures. However, alternative formats can be discussed to suit specific needs. Please contact me for details on time and course charges.

Course Taught at the Following Institutions:

Research Center Julich, Germany, 2010
University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, 2010
Brandenburg Technical University, Cottbus, Germany, 2009
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, 2008
Institute of Soil Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Nanjing, China, 2007
Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China, 2007
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland, 2006

Markus Flury

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