8-10 January 2025

The course offers a practical introduction to writing scientific publications.

The general structure of scientific publications is explained and a template for writing first drafts is provided. After organizing the results and formulating the core message and the first, provisional title and abstract, and the main parts of all sections of the manuscript are produced.

The course will include short lectures, exercises, and several “speed-writing sprints”.
Participants will review each other's texts. The course includes recommendations for useful literature on scientific writing as well as practical advice on how to organize and improve writing.
The instructor offers to make comments if participants compete a full draft of an article within two weeks after the course.

The course is for doctoral students from natural and life sciences. Results that could be the basis of a publication should exist.

In preparation for the course, attendees have to:

•    Select 1-3 publications from your field of research, which are similar to your own planned publication. We will scan these model papers for key sentences and elements, which can then be used as a starting point for writing new texts.  
•    Think about possible »key messages« of your planned article and compile figures and tables summarizing your current results or outline what these results should look like.

The course will be a mixture of short lectures and exercises (15-60 minutes) where participants work on their own manuscripts and then read and discuss, in the group, some of these texts. The exercises will include so-called “speed-writings”. Each day there will one long and two shorter breaks.

Day 1: 2-7 PM Berlin time

Introduction of instructor and participants, introduction to aims and structure of the course
Rationale of scientific publications, story telling
Start from a combination of the list of figure and table that you would present in a corresponding presentation and your key message(s) (also calle take-home messages)

Draft one or more titles of your work

Lecture on the “The Science of Scientific Writing” by Gopen and Swan 1990, American Scientist.
Draft the Abstract of your paper.

Day 2: 2-7 PM Berlin time

How to organize your writing schedule.
On speed writing.
Read and analyze an Introduction of one of your model papers.
Draft the first pararaphs of your own Introduction.
Read and comment the Intro of another participant
Revise your Intro accordingly.
Try to finalize the Intro.
Outline the Materials and Methods section.
Outline the Results section, by listing, again, the figures and tables.

Day 3: 2-7 PM Berlin time

Read and analyze a Discussion from one of your model papers.
Draft a bullet point outline of your Discussion.
Write a draft of the first sections of your Discussion (60 minutes speed writing).
Produce a clean version of you manuscript. Add to-do lists to each section.
How to use AI tools.
Thinks to consider to avoid conflicts with co-authors.
Final discussion of open questions.
How to proceed – keeping the momentum.

A link to a repository with relevant literature and hints will be provided.