Title: Academic Writing for Research students: Common concerns

Speaker: Prof. Radhika Jaidev, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore

Date, time and Venue: 11 Dec 2023, 6:30-8:00 pm, Online

Abstract:  There is often a misconception that if one is able to write fluently in English, she should be able to write a good academic text. While a strong sense of grammaticality and general proficiency in English are useful tools for writing any text, academic writing, specifically for research papers, requires a special skillset. A research paper, be it for a journal or a thesis for a Masters or PhD, is basically an argument. It aims to convince reviewers or examiners that your contribution to your chosen area of research is significant. Therefore, it is a cogent, persuasive document that derives its support from carefully selected and synthesized primary and secondary data that has depth, breadth, is critically evaluated and written with clarity. This webinar will cover some significant aspects of how to develop an argument, synthesize information from multiple sources in the literature review section, how to present data analytically in the results and discussion section as well as some common mistakes.

About Speaker:  Radhika Jaidev served as the Director, Centre for Communication Skills (CCS) at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) from 2020-2023. During this time, she managed the centre and revamped the curriculum to infuse critical thinking into academic writing and scientific presentation. The new university core module which is compulsory for all SIT undergraduates is entitled Critical Thinking and Communicating (CTC). She also ramped up the delivery of Communicating Across the Curriculum (CAC), the university’s effort to embed discipline-specific writing and presentation instruction in content modules to facilitate the transfer of critical thinking in writing and presenting in communicating across undergraduate programmes. Currently, she serves as the university coordinator of CTC and helps to drive CAC. She also continues to teach academic writing and scientific presentation skills. Her research interests include writing transfer across disciplines and to the workplace through embedding. Her publications include the following:

1. Jaidev, R.(2023), How to conduct elicitation interviews with clients. In Teaching Science Students to Communicate: A Practical Guide, 100-104 ISBN is 978-3-030-91627-5 for the paper version, and ISBN 978-3-030-91628-2 for the e-book. The DOI 10.1007/978-3-030- 91628-2
    
2. Jaidev, R. (2021). Transforming the Teaching of Writing from a Skills-Based Approach to a Knowledge Construction Approach in a University in Singapore. Composition Studies, 49.3, 145-149 ISSN: ISSN-1534-9322
    
3. Jaidev, R. & Tan S.H. (2019). In Friberg, J. C., McKinney, K.. Making a Graduate English course an organic and integrated learning process., Applying the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning beyond One Classroom.
    
4. Jaidev, R ., J & C ha n, P.P.K. (2016) "Embedding communication in the disciplines: a tale of two faculties". Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 12:3, 199- 211, DOI: 10.1080/17501229.2016.1156685
    
5. Jaidev, R. (2014). “How pedagogical blogging helps prepare students for intercultural communication in the global workplace". Language and Intercultural Communication , 14, no.  1, 132-139, DOI: 10.1080/14708477.2013.866129 (United Kingdom).