https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/AM_1159On successful completion of this course you will be a more confident writer in English in terms of producing an academic text which is coherent and linguistically correct. You will have insight into the most important stylistic aspects of academic texts in your discipline. You will also have insight into how specific linguistic structures contribute to text coherence, and will have the ability to identify and improve aspects of coherence in your own academic texts. Finally, you will have clear insight into your strengths and weaknesses of your academic English writing skills, and knowledge of how to further develop your strengths and reduce your weaknesses.The course will start off by ensuring that you are up to speed in terms of the macrostructural and discursive features of academic texts in general and the specific kind of text you are writing in particular – a report on quantitative research, a report on qualitative research, or a methods paper. Centre stage is then given to aspects of coherent text and to linguistic devices that English uses to express complex ideas: we introduce basic principles, give you practice in analysing and reformulating defective text segments, and give you a checklist that you can use when editing your own text. The idea underlying this approach is that writing essentially involves rewriting and rewriting. The treatment of linguistic accuracy (lexical, grammatical and punctuational features) takes a less central place in the group sessions of the course, but the detailed feedback given on your texts allows you to work on any individual problems you may have using the ELS-Online feedback site.The course consists of three plenary lectures, complemented by three seminars in groups of approx. 20-25 students per group.The final product comprises a research report [in the form of an article], usually a draft version of your internship article. A number of weeks into the course you submit the draft introduction and methods sections of your text, and you will receive feedback on these sections using a marking programme called Markin, which is linked to our feedback website ELS-Online. You will receive another round of feedback on a substantial part of the final version of the full text, following submission in June or July depending on whether you start the course in February or March. Assessment focuses on structure, academic style, clarity of expression, and linguistic accuracy. Your text will receive a pass/fail assessment. If you fail, you will be given a final extra round of feedback to help you prepare a reworked version.There is no obligatory reading for this course outside the course materials, but for language support you are advised to study the feedback categories in ELS-Online.This course is only open to students doing the MSc in Health Sciences.1. The course has two starting times, one at the beginning of February and one at the beginning of March. Your starting time will be agreed in consultation with the internship coordinator. 2. The materials for the course will be made available on the course’s Canvas site. You will also be asked to submit the first and final versions of your writing assignment via Canvas. Please organize your Canvas account so that you receive course announcements additionally via your e-mail.