Scientific writing: Advanced

You are confident in your ability to write an article, or perhaps you already have a publication. However, you would like to further improve your writing by developing your own voice and style. This course discusses stylistics in writing, looking at a range of techniques for communicating your message. It considers the use of metaphor in scientific writing, as well as developing your critical language awareness skills.

Learning goals:

• Develop a distinct voice and style in scientific writing
• Develop critical language awareness skills to evaluate the effectiveness of different stylistic choices in scientific writing. Analyze how language shapes meaning and audience perception, and learn to make informed decisions about linguistic expression to better communicate scientific ideas and engage readers effectively.
• Practice integrating these techniques into your writing to create compelling narratives and convey scientific information with creativity and precision.

Format:

The course consists of three 2.5-hour sessions. Please note that due to the Dutch public holidays and instructor absences the course might take longer than 3 weeks. The exact schedule is sent to you by the instructor prior to the start of the course.

Schedule 2025-2026

• Group 1: Oct 2, Oct 9, Oct 16 (9:30-12:00)
• Group 2: Spring 2026 (tba)
• Group 3: Spring 2026 (tba)

Please make sure to write down the course dates/time in your calendar after registering.

Prerequisites and workload

• C1 or C2 English level
• It is possible to take this course even if you have not attended other GSSE Scientific writing courses (Basics, Intermediate).
• Workload: 7.5 class hours, 7.5 self study hours