301283 SE Essential Scientific Writing: Writing up your thesis (2023S)

The proposed course aims to improve students’ competence in scientific writing. The topics covered include: structure of a scientific argument, elements of scientific manuscripts and their function, storyline development, planning, drafting and revision, English usage, introduction to publishing process, scientific illustrations and essential presentation skills. The course will help students learn and apply the principles of efficient communication to writing project reports, Master- and PhD theses, project proposals and fellowship applications as well as provide practical tips for everyday writing and presentation tasks (writing protocols, lab notes, emails, preparing group meetings, journal clubs, etc). These skills are practiced through lectures, reading additional course materials, open discussions and simple, low-stake writing assignments. The course consists of a series of lectures with several short writing ("low-stakes writing assignments") and discussion and presentation phases, optional written assignments (submitted via Moodle) and the final written exam.
The course is primarily aimed at students in the area of basic biomedical research (biochemistry, molecular cell biology, structural biology, biophysics and the like; students of other natural sciences are welcome to attend) preparing their Master thesis. The course is strongly recommended for the students of MMB, MGE and MMEI programs starting their Master project in the labs outside of Vienna BioCenter campus.