Scientific Writing (online or face-to-face)

This course is offered in collaboration with Wageningen Graduate Schools (WGS).

Course description

Scientific Writing is a hands-on course that teaches you to tackle these problems and to write a structured and coherent academic text through lectures, in-class exercises, class discussion and detailed instructor feedback on your texts. 

Target group

PhD candidates, WUR employees and writers from outside the university with little writing experience who are currently writing or about to start writing an article or their dissertation. Scientific Writing is not suitable for PhD candidates in the first 18 months of their PhD programme or for those who have no results and/or are not in the process of writing since you will submit sections of your academic text every week during this course. The course is also not appropriate for PhD candidates who are writing their proposal. The maximum number of participants per group is 14.

Course objectives

• Learn how to write a coherent article
• Develop good sentence and paragraph structure
• Identify and correct the most common and stylistic errors
• Learn to use powerful language and to write more succinctly
• Improve grammar and punctuation
• Edit your work more independently 

Practical information and credits

• Face-to-face course or online course
• Six 2.5 hours sessions
• 36 hours of self-study
• 2.0 ECTS

Admission requirements

If you are a PhD candidate, you must fulfil one of the following requirements to participate in the course:

1. You must have completed the first 18 months of your PhD.
   or

2. You must have completed the first 12 months of your PhD AND fulfil one of the following:

   • have enough analyzed results to write a paper or
   • be in the process of writing a paper on your experimental results or
   • be in the process of writing your dissertation.

Important: Students may not write a review during the course. 

If no. 2 applies to you, you must email Wageningen in’to Languages (into@wur.nl) and request to be admitted to the course. Wageningen in’to Languages will check your eligibility with your Graduate School.

If you are a WUR employee or someone outside the university, you must also have enough analyzed results or be in the process of writing a paper to follow this course. If you have questions about the requirements, please email us.

All participants need to score at least 70 on the Oxford Online Placement Test (click here to read more about the OOPT) or to have an equivalent score on one of the following international tests:

• At least 6.5 in the IELTS exam
• At least an A grade on the Cambridge First exam
• At least an C grade on the Cambridge Advanced exam
• At least 87 on the TOEFL exam (internet-based)
• RATEr certificate with a "pass" for all 4 components
• A diploma from any English-taught Master’s programme.

Dates and times

Scientific Writing is offered 12 times per year, 6 times in the first semester and 6 in the second semester. Please click below for the course schedule.

Schedule PhD and Postdoc courses 2024

If you would like to take this course but it is either full or does not list a starting date that suits you, please subscribe to our notification list by filling in the registration form. You will then be kept updated on new sign-up opportunities and dates.

Course materials

The course materials will be distributed online. The costs are included in the course fee.

Certificate

To receive a certificate, participants must meet the following 4 requirements: (1) attend the first class, (2) attend at least 4 of the 5 remaining classes, (3) attend each session in its entirety and (4) submit all assignments on time.

Course fee

The fee includes study and training material.

Reduced fee*

• PhD candidates of Wageningen University with an approved Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) who are registered at one of the WU graduate schools (EPS, PE&RC, VLAG, WASS, WIAS, WIMEK).
• Postdocs of Wageningen University who are registered at one of the WU graduate schools.

University fee**

• All other PhD candidates / Wageningen University postdocs and staff.

Cancellation conditions

You may cancel free of charge up to four weeks before the start of the course. After this date you will be charged the incurring course fee. Unless:

• You can find someone to replace you in the course and supply the course coordinator with the name and contact information of your replacement. In this case you will only be charged a €50 cancellation fee.
• You (PhDs and postdocs of Wageningen University) have a valid reason to cancel (illness or death in the family 1st or 2nd degree). In this case you will be charged the reduced fee and your supervisor/PI must send a mail indicating the reason for cancellation.