Academic Writing for International Publication, 7.5 ECTS

In order to pass the course, students are expected to be able to:

• strategically relate and adjust their texts to targeted journals/audiences
• effectively integrate reviewers’ comments and critique into their work

What has been most positive about the course?

• "Most positive: getting to know more about the writing and publication process, including shared personal experiences from the teacher. Getting text feedback from the teacher. Meeting others in a similar situation"
• "This course has been extremely valuable - especially becoming more conscious about the rhetorical moves and how to target specific journals. However, even though the course was targeted to the humanities, I felt that it still mostly covered quantitative methods and academic writing in social sciences. [...] Reading the chosen articles from the target journal helped with getting more of an understanding of what articles look like in my field more specifically, and complemented the teaching in the seminar, but I had to translate the seminars to my field quite a bit."
• "It motivates to hear the real-life experiences of the instructor and fellow students with scientific journals, the feedback they received and how they improved their works to finally get published."
• "The course was taught in a practical manner. The lecturer has a lot experience and so she could relate to many examples across different disciplines, journals, subjects etc"
• "As I delve deeper into my area of research, I need to articulate complex ideas, debates, and methodologies with precision and authority. In response to such needs, this course provides a structured environment and a systematic approach for students who want to improve their academic writing. [...] One of the most positive things about this course was to observe how students (including myself) grew more confident in their writing."
• "The teacher comments on every writing assignment. Individual feedback on this level is rare. I appreciate the time she spent."

Would you recommend the course?

• "An excellent and much needed course. Though geared slightly more toward the writing of compilation theses and production of articles, the contents and outline of the course provided many helpful insights about academic writing in general. I would recommend this course to every post-graduate writer who has not taken an equivalent."
• "Absolutely! Especially the part of the course that analysed articles in target journals, as well as specific advice and feedback on article writing and rhetorics was extremely helpful."
• "The course definitely helped me to improve my writing skills, and I would completely recommend it to all students who want to publish their work in scientific journals."
• "I would highly recommend the course, as it is necessary for competitive academic writing skills and success in article publishing."
• "This course is very valuable for PhD students, especially those who, like me, still hasn't got anything published yet. Of course, it should also be valuable for PhD's with published papers too since there's always more to learn. In fact, I often find that my professors are curious about courses like this one too!"
• "The course exhibits a well-organized structure and provides a wealth of valuable information. It has significantly enhanced my academic writing abilities and refined my approach to reading journal papers. I will wholeheartedly endorse this course to my colleagues and peers."

Last time the course was offered: Autumn 2024

Number of participants: 16

Mandatory elements

The course includes the following mandatory components: Completion of all tasks and assignments, including written tasks and questions before each seminar.

Examination

Participants must submit a short research paper of max 5000 words. This could be a manuscript the participant has already written but has revised during the course. This assignment should include an introductory analysis of the target journal.

Instruction

The course comprises a series of seminars, via Zoom, and links to each seminar is uploaded in Athena.

Throughout the course, participants work to develop their thesis or article manuscripts.

Language of instruction: English

NB. This is an online course.

Period: September -October 2025

Course dates (Wednesdays): 10, 17, 24 September and 1, 8 and 15 October 10:00-13:00

Course syllabus: Course Syllabus EN1AWFP pdf, 437.3 kB.

Application

Applications for courses starting in the autumn semester 2025 are received between May 15 and June 15, 2025. Notifications of acceptance are sent out as soon as possible after the final date.

All applications are sent by the supervisor to: doctoralschool@hum.su.se. Official transcript of records, or certificate of registration, verifying the applicant's status as doctoral student should be enclosed with the application.

All courses are free of charge, and they are open to all who are admitted to studies on PhD-level, regardless of faculty or university. Prerequisites and special admittance requirements may apply for some courses.

How do I apply?

The application form (document link below) is used to apply for a place in a course. The supervisor (or equivalent) must support the doctoral student’s application with a motivation as to why the doctoral student should participate in the course. The supervisor also submits the proposal to the following address: doctoralschool@hum.su.se.

Application form for place in a joint faculty course docx, 294.6 kB.

Who can apply?

The Faculty of Humanities’ doctoral students have priority for places, and external doctoral students (from Stockholm University or another university) can be admitted to a course subject to availability. External doctoral students will be registered in Ladok in order to enable the Board to monitor all participants in a course.