How to Write a Clear and Convincing Research Paper for Publication

Date & Time:
First Day: 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Thursday, September 10, 2015
Second Day: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday, September 11, 2015

Venue:
Library Hall, Central Library

Instructor
Paul Wai Ling Lai
Director, Mei-Writing / Associate Professor, Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Nagoya University

After receiving a DPhil in Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences from Sussex University, Dr. Lai has been devoting himself to the research on how to make logic education practical and indispensable to higher education. he develops the project of applying logical thinking education to research writing. In 2011, he founded the department of Academic Writing education (Mei-Writing) based on the logical thinking approach.

Outline:

This is a special two-day workshop primarily designed for junior researchers, which cover master and doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, assistant professors, and even associate professors. The content of the workshop is extracted from a highly popular graduate course at Nagoya University, "Logical Thinking Skills in Research Writing", which aims to help junior researchers publish their research by developing necessary logical thinking skills for writing clearly and convincingly.
If you have difficulty knowing how to present your research ideas clearly, or if you have difficulty convincing others about the significance of your research, or if you simply have no idea how to start writing a research paper, then this is the workshop for you!!
The workshop will be conducted in English, although participants can also ask questions in Japanese. There will be plenty of group discussions and exercises to facilitate an active learning process. And for this reason, participants are strongly encouraged to interact with the instructor throughout the workshop.

The following is the schedule and details of the two-day workshop.

(Day 1) Session 1     13:00 - 15:00
Why logical thinking skills are necessary for research writing

The two-day workshop will begin with an explanation why logical thinking skills are necessary for research writing. The main objective of this session is to clear a common misunderstanding that writing a paper in English is essentially about how to use English properly in the paper. The explanation will use some examples to demonstrate the inadequacy of treating the writing education as merely a language education.

(Day 1) Session 2     15:00 - 17:00
How to develop a clear thesis statement for your research

This session will begin with a one-hour lecture on what a thesis statement is, and why it is important for research writing. After the lecture, participants will be divided into groups (3-4 people per group) and will engage themselves in the actual process of developing a thesis statement. During the group work, a step-by-step recipe on how to develop a thesis statement will be provided. Selected thesis statements will be presented and commented.

(Day 2) Session 3     10:00 - 12:00
How to develop a convincing support for your thesis statement

The primary focus of this session is the practical application of logical thinking skills to research writing. The session will begin with a one-hour lecture on some basic concepts about logic and argumentation. After the lecture, participants will be given some logic exercises to do. They will be also asked to work as a group (3-4 people per group) to solve some logical puzzles. Selected exercises will be presented and commented.

(Day 2) Session 4     13:00 - 16:00
How to write a high-quality abstract

This session will last three hours, starting with a one-hour lecture on the necessary requirements for a high quality abstract. After the lecture, participants will be divided into groups (3-4 people per group) and will engage themselves in the actual process of developing an abstract. During the group work, a step-by-step recipe on how to develop a high quality abstract will be provided. Selected abstracts will be presented and commented.