Scientific Writing

Mission: Science has not only to be made, it has also to be transported. Even the most excellent work will not have any impact, if it is not properly written down and explained. But scientific writing is more than just propaganda and public relations. Together with experimental work it forms the core of science as a social searching process (heuristics) leading to a deeper understanding of reality. The workshop wants to shift the following points into attention:

  • how to define a clear scientific question?
  • how to describe the methods such that it is useful and reproducible?
  • how to make clear, what had been done, and for what purpose it had been done?
  • how to present scientific data in a way that they are clear and easy to understand?
  • how to separate facts (observations) from fiction (interpretations)?
  • how to write a discussion that is stimulating others to go on?

 

Procedure: There are six sessions offered. Each session lasts around one hour and will start with an impulse (around 20 min), where a specific aspect of scientific writing is explained. In the second half, we will use real-world case studies (for instance, from the work in the institute). Students are encouraged to bring in their own questions at any time, such that we can discuss them.

Exercise: Bachelor students have to apply the discussed points to their own work and they will have to deliver simple tasks. This is nothing else than a structured preparation of their thesis, for which they will get feedback.

 

Dates and topics

  • Time: Six sessions during the summer semester, We, 13-14
  • Location: Seminar room 506-507, Biotower.
  • Materials: Ilias - (Current Semester - Fakultät Chemie und Biowissenschaften - BIO_BA06_Scientific_Writing)
  • ZOOM: there is a ZOOM option for externals. Use this link: https://kit-lecture.zoom-x.de/j/68012776213?pwd=lLLbZ4hbOgHGmkgiKEkLcNYzuVorNy.1

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We 29.04.2026 - Why we need to do scientific writing and how this is shaping the structure of a paper

  • Task for Bachelor students: formulate your central question (as a question, clear, concise, elegant). Send this by e-mail to get feedback.

We 13.05.2026 - Getting started: how to structure the introduction, how to write the method part.

  • Task for Bachelor students: derive three objective from the central question of your thesis. Send this by e-mail to get feedback.

We 10.06.2026 - Your raw material A: how to process data for a thesis and publication.

  • Task for Bachelor students: choose a typical data set from your results and use them to create a figure for your theses. Send this by e-mail to get feedback.

We 24.06.2026 - Your raw material B: how to present data for a thesis and publication.

  • Task for Bachelor students: pick an experiment of your project, formulate the motivation, what you expected, and what you observed. Send this by e-mail to get feedback.

We 08.07.2026 - Getting completed: how to write a discussion that is worth reading.

  • Task for Bachelor students: pick a central conclusion of your thesis and try to visualise it. Send this by e-mail to get feedback.

We 22.07.2026 - Science, "Alternative Facts" and the use of AI: what is scientific ethics, and why is it needed?

  • Task for Bachelor students: think about different ways, how you can use AI for writing or editing your thesis. Discuss, where you see ethical issues and how to apply AI in an ethical way