Scientific Article Writing
Andrés G. Marrugo, Ph.D.
Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar
August, 2025
Course description
The “Scientific Article Writing” course is designed to equip students with the skills necessary to write and publish scientific papers effectively. The course covers the structure of scientific papers, including sections such as the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Students will learn the importance of ethical considerations, proper citation, and the peer review process.
A special focus will be given to modern writing tools, including generative AI, and their role in scientific writing. The course also provides guidance on selecting the right journal and navigating the submission process. A unique feature of this course is the inclusion of guest lecturers from around the world, offering students a global perspective on scientific writing. Towards the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to write a review paper and participate in a peer review workshop. The course concludes with the submission of a final paper. This course is aimed at graduate students looking to enhance their scientific writing skills and understanding of the publication process.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, one would be able to:
- RA3: Develop scientific material that contributes knowledge to their area of research.
- RA4: Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively within their academic community at the regional, national, and international level.
Useful Resources
We will be using the LaTeX typesetting language along with other tools like BibTEX or Zotero for reference managament and citations. It is best if you get accquainted with these tools before hand.
- Learn LaTeX in 30 minutes
- Overleaf - the LaTeX editor
- Free Ebook - How to write a good scientific paper by Chris Mack
- Introduction to Inkscape to finalise figures
- Scientific figure design
- Data analysis with Pandas
- Visualisation with matplotlib
Outline
This will be updated throughout the course.
Lecture 1: Introduction to Scientific Writing
Recommended Readings
Lecture 2: On Writing Well
Recommended Readings
- Chapter 3 - Chris Mack
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
- 10 Simple Steps to Writing a Scientific Paper
Lecture 3: Compelling Titles and Killer Abstracts
Recommended Readings
- Chapter Title - Writing and Publishing a Scientific Research Paper
- Chapter Abstracts - Writing and Publishing a Scientific Research Paper
- The 10 most common mistakes when choosing a title for your paper
Lecture 4: Crafting an Introduction
Invited Lecture: Planning your article
-
Invited lecture by Fernando Quintero, Journal Manager TESEA.
- Lecture slides - planning
- Lecture slides - designing
Mini Writing seminar:
Invited lecture: On Scientific Illustrations
- Invited lecture by Dr. Stefan Heist from the Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Optics at Jenna.
Invited lecture: Planning your article
- Invited lecture by Prof. Giovanni Volpe from the University of Gothenburg.
Lecture 5: The Methods section
Lecture 6: The Results section
Lecture 7: Modern Writing Tools and Generative AI
Invited Lecture: Drafting and illustrating your article
- Prof. Giovanni Volpe