Writing and publishing a scientific paper

THURSDAY 1 JUNE 2023 / 15 PM - 17:30 PM (GMT+2)
Alexandre Cabral, Université de Sherbrooke (CA)

Writing is an art. To communicate effectively, you need to write well. The publication of scientific articles is a cornerstone of a research career. The main objective of this webinar is to present to the attendees the main topics of the writing and publishing process. The formula adopted is unique and has helped Ph.D. students, postdocs fellows and young professors from several countries in developing a simple and effective writing method to structure their thinking, communicate research results, organize discussions with co-authors (including their supervisors), and instruct future students.

The actual course follows several formats, from semester-long to intensive two-week long. Over the course of the workshops, attendees learn how to deal with writer's block, how to write the main sections of an article and the letter to the editor, how to improve your English writing skills, and more. They also learn more about the peer review process. Together, these skills help them to write better scientific papers and increase the chances of having their papers published. The aim of this webinar is to present the main topics of the course, the idea behind the teaching methodology and the various formats this course can follow.


TOPICS THAT WILL BE COVERED:

• Understanding the importance of writing and publishing quality articles
• Developing a publishing strategy
• Clearly explaining the originality of your work
• Structuring your thinking and explain in clear writing the key messages
• Adopting a scientific style
• Understanding the particularities of the English language
• Developing the ability to recognize shifts in register
• Developing the ability to distinguish between function words and content words
• Preparing and writing the main sections of an article and the letter to the editor
• Providing appropriate figures and graphs
• Respecting ethical guidelines
• Understanding the submission and publication process

COMPLEMENTARY OBJECTIVES

• Structure the relationship between student and supervisor
• Improve the quality of meetings with supervisor

Alexandre Cabral received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Eng. in 1981 from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He worked for a major engineering firm in Rio until he moved to Montreal, Canada, in 1986. He graduated with a master’s degree from the École Polytechnique de Montreal in 1988 and completed his Ph.D. at McGill University in 1992. After a two-year stint in the private sector, he accepted a Faculty position with the Civil Eng. Dept, at Université de Sherbrooke. His main fields of expertise include the design of covers with capillary barrier effect and passive methane oxidation biosystems. He also acts as consultant for Canadian engineering companies. Professor Cabral has co-authored papers with researchers and industrial partners from Canada, Europe, United States, Australia, and Brazil. His papers have been published in geotechnical, environmental engineering and scientific journals. He has served as Associate Editor to major publications, was associate vice-president of the Canadian Geotechnical Society and is presently member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the International Waste Working Group (IWWG). He has been teaching Writing and publishing a scientific paper for nearly 15 years in several formats and in several countries.