Communication, both written and oral, is crucial in most graduate jobs, whether in the commercial or the scientific sector. The successful presentation of oneŽs own work depends on well-developed communication skills. In the more specific context of international scientific conferences, many more papers and presentations would be accepted if the manner in which they were presented were improved. Through this course, the successful student should be on competitive level with native English speakers in planning and carrying out the presentation of research work. The student should learn to write concisely and with precision, avoiding the main pitfalls of English grammar: he or she should acquire the tools necessary to make his or her presentation effective and attractive, learn to use visuals well, master time limits in presentations, chair a meeting and handle questions.

The purpose of this course is to help students to communicate ideas better and to learn the skills of scientific communication. The main aims are: o to improve communication skills o to concentrate on scientific communication, both written and oral o to learn about how scientific communication is performed at workshops, conferences, and in journals. Further goals include training graduate and PhD students how to access information about different topics, such as research results, conferences, etc., in paper-based publications and on the WWW to write cv's, abstracts, extended abstracts, and articles for acceptance at international conferences and publications (both with regard to language and contents) to review and assess submissions to scientific conferences.

ECTS Breakdown: 3 ECTS = 75h

45.5h    Seminar
1.5h      Writing of CV
2h         Preparation of CV presentation
2h         Literature research
1h         Writing of Informative Abstract
6h         Writing of Extended Abstract
3h         Preparation of Extended Abstract presentation
9h         Writing of final paper
5h         Preparation of final presentation
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75h

mündlich und schriftlich

Lecture notes for this course are available.

This seminary is intended as preparation for the presentation of the own scientific work within master- or PhD thesis defense or on conferences and workshops. Therefore deeper knowledge of the area of study is expected.