Technical writing and editing

Who would benefit?

PhD candidates and other academics who are at the point at which they have to write papers or reports. Your current level of English should be approximately CEF C1 to derive the full benefit of this course. Applicants can take the dialang test to check their CEF level:

www.utwente.nl/so/tcp/dialangandcef/Dialanginstructions.doc

If your level is not C1 you can first take an other course at the TCP Language Centre.

Date

You can choose to participate in either the morning (9.00 am - 12.00 noon) or afternoon (13.00 pm – 16.00 pm) course sessions.

Course dates 2012:

Block I: 10, 11, 12, 13 September 2012

Block II: 15, 16, 17, 18 October 2012

Block I: 5, 6, 7, 8 November 2012

Block II: 10, 11, 12, 13 December 2012

Course fee

Participation is free.

Group size

Maximum 12 persons.

Application

Application form September, October (morning)

Application form September, October (afternoon)

Application form November,

December (morning)

Application form November, December (afternoon)

Results

On this course, you learn how to write high-quality scientific papers and reports, with an emphasis not just on language, but also on how best to structure your documents. This course is particularly beneficial for the target group identified above, but may also be helpful to those who already have experience of writing papers and reports, but would like to improve their skills.

Subjects

• structure

• Summaries & Abstracts

• defining audience

• motivating readers

• style, form & meaning

• developing arguments

• page layout & typography

• presentation of text, data & graphics

• writing & editing processes

• measuring & improving readability

• revising and editing work

• using computer tools

• twenty rules for effective writing

• grammar - a survival guide

• punctuation tactics

• sixty pitfalls to avoid

Duration and time investment

2 times 4 half-days in two block weeks, with typically 3 or 4 weeks between.

Between the two block weeks, you are expected to e-mail the trainer a draft paper or report for detailed evaluation and comment so as to obtain the maximum benefit from the course. Therefore, you should ideally arrange to participate in the course in parallel with writing an important paper or report.

Once you have committed to particular dates, changing to a later second block will only be agreed in special circumstances.

Trainer

The course is taught by Paul Bakker, who has taught these courses for many years at both Eindhoven and Twente. Although he is Dutch and still speaks Dutch, he has lived in England since he was five.

Information

Marjolein Rietman

Career Development Centre HR

Telefoon: 053-489 8010

E-mail: m.j.h.rietman@utwente.nl