“I was very impressed that academic writing in English is so different from the Russian one.”

That is feedback from one of the participants’ of the course "Basics of Writing an Empirical Research Article in English." And what about you? Are you aware of the differences between the English and Russian academic writing traditions? 

If you realize that you can’t answer “yes” with complete certainty, enrolling for this course is a good idea. This program was developed for the Academic Writing Center by the trainer Natalia Smirnova and is updated every year to meet HSE researchers’ needs. The course is focused not only on article structure and specific vocabulary, but also on developing essential research writing skills: argumentation, formulating the research question, and explaining the paper’s contribution to the field. But even that’s not all: the most valuable feature of the course is its focus on writing practice. The main takeaway for participants is the paper draft each of them writes by the end of the course:

• “I wrote 100% of my draft and I can send it to the target journal.”
• “I've produced 70% of my paper. However, not only the quantity, but also the quality of text matters here. I completely rewrote some parts and met my own targets.”
• “The most relevant and useful is the emphasis on writing. Practical orientation of the course is its cornerstone. Besides, the engaging delivery of the course is also very important and supportive for its practical nature.”

Would you like to boost your writing skills and prepare a paper draft with the help of a research writing expert? We have some good news for you: as this is one of the most popular and highly evaluated AWC courses, it will definitely appear on our program again next year. Check out our upcoming events at the beginning of each semester and make your own professional development track!