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  • BIO4600

BIO4600 - Science Writing

Course content

Writing is an essential part of scientific work. Scientists are required to write dissertations, reports, essays, articles and grant applications. In addition, the communication of scientific ideas to a non-scientific audience is an important skill often neglected by scientists. Much scientific writing is verbose and incorrect, and we, as scientists, often take it for granted that difficult ideas must be expressed in obscure and complicated language. However, the best scientists are able to express complicated ideas in crystal-clear language. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the principles of good writing in general, with a focus on science writing. While the course will be taught in English, and the texts and exercises will be in English, the emphasis will be on good writing habits, which apply to any language. The course is not a course on technical writing, but rather will aim to develop good writing, editing, and journalistic skills.
The course will be in the form of 2-hour workshops. The following topics will be covered: Drafts, revisions, the structure of specific types of writing (scientific articles, essays, summaries) and writing for non-scientist readers. The course will discuss general points of style, sentence construction, voice and tense.

Learning outcomes

By means of workshops, writing exercises, and mutual feedback, students will practice different types of science writing. Students will learn to edit and shorten long texts without losing content, to write a brief article on any given scientific topic, to write scientific pieces for a non-scientific readership, and to express scientific ideas clearly and concisely.

Admission

PhD-students must register for BIO9600 - Science Writing Please contact the student administration office.
Priority is given to PhD-students.

Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

Prerequisites

No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.

Overlap

5 credits against BIO9600 - Science Writing.

Teaching

The course will be taught in the form of 2-hour workshops at 2-week intervals. The first hour will consist of a lecture and discussion of a topic, while the second hour will be devoted to discussion of the students’ own writing. Each week the students will mark and discuss the work of two or three other students, so at the end of the course each student will have substantial feedback from their peers for his/her work. The short exercises will be done during the course, and the final assignment of 1500-2000 words after the completion of the course.

Exam information

The assessment will be based on the completion of 3 short pieces (500 words) during the course, and one longer, final, assignment (1500-2000 words).

Students will be expected to complete ALL writing assignments on time, and a minimum of 75% attendance will be required.

Assessment and grading

Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system .

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes

This subject offer new examination in the beginning of the
subsequent term for candidates who withdraw during an ordinary
examination or fail an ordinary examination. For general information
about new examination, see reglement for utsatt og ny eksamen ved MN-fakultetet
and the english version of the examination rules.

We also offer postponed examination after legitimate absence.

Exam options for students with special needs

Students may apply for access to alternative exam resources or exam forms on the basis of chronic illness and/or special needs that create a marked disadvantage to other students in the exam situation. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

Evaluation of this course

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. As a student at the University of Oslo you will therefore be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses, facilities and services. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, in-depth evaluation of this course, a so called "periodic evaluation".

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