Critical reading and academic writing 2500-EN-COG-OB2Z-2
In light of the current ‘replication crisis’ in social and life sciences there is more pressure than ever on scientists to hone their research skills, including critical analysis and an eye for good and bad research practices. These should then be continuously applied to the evaluation of published research by others as well as one’s own. This course aims to meet this demand.
In this course students practice deep reading of scientific articles, form good habits and an eye for crucial methodological details. They learn to avoid typical pitfalls in various types of research methodologies (e.g., case study, correlational, experimental, both behavioural and neuroimaging).
They then learn to convincingly present and discuss their opinions both in a spoken and written form: in class debates and by writing article reviews
and a discursive essay. This is particularly useful for preparing future dissertations, presentations and scientific publications.
Students also become familiar with a variety of current topics in cognitive neuroscience as most articles are selected from the recent literature.
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course the students should:
1) be able to critically evaluate an academic article (K_W01, K_W07, K_U01)
2) be able to critically evaluate state of the art research on a current topic in cognitive neuroscience (K_W01, K_W02, K_W06, K_W08, K_K02)
3) be able to gain a deep understanding of a chosen article (K_W07, K_W08)
4) be able to clearly express their opinions, both orally and in writing (K_U06, K_U08, K_U09)
5) be able to constructively discuss their own and other’s opinions
6) be able to write an article review (K_U06, K_U09)
7) be able to write a discursive, academic essay (K_U06, K_U08, K_U09)
8) have raised their confidence in approaching and analysing academic literature (K_K01, K_K02)
Assessment criteria
The final grade is composed of:
2 x article review: 40%
1 x essay: 50%
In class participation: 10%
Attendance is a necessary condition to pass the course. Three absencesare allowed. Any additional one requires a note from a doctor or an exceptional personal circumstance. No more than 5 absences are permitted.
Students must respect the principles of academic integrity. Cheating and plagiarism (including copying work from other students, internet or other
sources) are serious violations that are punishable and instructors are required to report all cases to the administration.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: