Scientific writing

All future Master's graduates, whether in the "Professional" or "Research" track, must master the tools and codes of effective written scientific communication. Improving one's scientific writing skills is essential for promoting one's work and communicating it to peers, colleagues, clients, etc.

The objective of this course unit is to improve scientific and technical writing skills. While part of the course focuses on writing a scientific article, the lessons are equally suited to students with a "professional" or "research" profile, as all will be required to write scientific or technical reports during their careers.

Students will learn how to present their scientific work in an effective, accurate, clear, and structured manner.  À la carte workshops will enable students to apply the concepts learned in class in a practical way. These workshops are organized in connection with work to be carried out as part of other courses in their master's program (Bibliography Project course, PIT Project course, etc.). The course sessions are designed to encourage students to reflect on their own practices and identify methods, tools, and tips for improvement.

Assessment takes the form of continuous evaluation with several exercises to be completed in connection with the various course sequences.

The module content is organized into different sections:

• Writing: general recommendations on the content and form of scientific and technical writing
• Problem-solving: identify the subject by analyzing it and answering eight basic questions (Why? What? Who? When? Where? How much? How? Consequences?). Be able to reproduce this analysis and use it to structure the document.
• Writing an article/report: the main elements of a scientific article or report: Creating "hooks": title, keywords, summary, key ideas.
• Illustrate: graphs and maps

Implementation: in the form of small group workshops (or individual meetings), several options are available depending on the course: preparation of a bibliographic summary (problem-solving) or improvement of an existing piece of writing, including self-criticism.