Academic Writing - Central library VSB-TUO

Academic writing is an integral part of the scientific communication cycle. Adherence to the principles of creating a professional text affects the successful acceptance of the text for publication and can also help to obtain the appropriate scientific impact.

Principles of Academic Writing

A professional text should meet these basic characteristics:

to answer the questions and demonstrate understanding of the subject of investigation,
to be structured, logically divided, group related topics and findings into a whole and a relationship,
statements, opinions, and arguments should be supported by facts, data, and evidence,
properly cite all sources used,
have a formal, clear, balanced, consistent, and terminologically accurate writing style.

Text Structure

The structure of the professional text depends on the type and scope of the work.

It is possible to use the IMRAD method in scientific professional articles.

Good preparation of a scientific text includes careful study of the instructions for authors, in which the publisher of scientific journal defines the basic formal requirements of the text, including its structure.

Instruction for Authors

Online Course on Academic Writing

The e-learning course focuses on research methods and searching in various databases. It was developed as part of the project TL01000274 (Publish and Flourish: Publication Activity Support for PhD Students and Their Supervisors) supported by Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, the ÉTA Programme.

The complete course consists of 4 parts:

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Prevention

Academic employees and students are obliged to adhere to the Code of Ethics of VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, which defines integrity and honesty as the basic principle of academic, scientific, educational, and study work.

The field of academic writing requires the adherence to the basic principles of professional text writing and the conscious approach in writing so that it carries no signs of plagiarism.

Free tool to check originality of the text: Unicheck Plagiarism Checker

Useful Information Resources

Reference Management Tools
Proofreading Tools
The proofreading process may be time-consuming. There are useful tools that can help you avoid spelling and grammar mistakes. Because these programs operate with limited rules, they cannot detect all errors and often make mistakes. They also do not provide a detailed explanation to help you understand why a sentence should be revised.
- Writefull
  Advanced proofreading for academic writing. You can check your text online, or download widgets for MS Word or Overleaf.

Collaborative Writing Tools
Collaborative writing tools are online platforms for group writing, editing, reviewing, and approving content before it’s published. These allow multiple people to work on a single piece of content at once.
- Overleaf
  An online LaTeX editor for collaborative writing and publishing.

Books on Citation Styles
- BEINS, Bernard. APA style simplified: writing in psychology, education, nursing, and sociology. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. ISBN 978-0-470-67123-8. In the CL collection
- The Chicago manual of style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. ISBN 0-226-10403-6. In the CL collection
- COGHILL, Anne M., and GARSON, Lorrin R., ed. The ACS style guide: effective communication of scientific information. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8412-3999-1. In the CL collection
- LIPSON, Charles. Cite right: a quick guide to citation styles - MLA, APA, Chicago, the sciences, professions, and more. Third edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, c2018. ISBN 978-0-226-43110-9. In the CL collection
- MLA handbook for writers of research papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60329-024-1. In the CL collection
- New Oxford style manual. [2nd ed.]. Oxford: Oxford University Press, c2012. ISBN 978-0-19-965722-3. In the CL collection
- Scientific style and format: the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers. 7th ed. Reston: Council of Science Editors in cooperation with the Rockefeller University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-9779665-0-X. In the CL collection
- TURABIAN, Kate L. A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations: Chicago style for students and researchers. 8th ed. / revised by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, and University of Chicago Press editorial staff. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, c2013. ISBN 978-0-226-81638-8. In the CL collection
Books on Academic Writing
- BELCHER, Wendy Laura. Writing your journal article in 12 weeks: a guide to academic publishing success. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, c2009. ISBN 978-1-4129-5701-4. In the CL collection
- BLACKWELL, John, and MARTIN, Janice Amanda. A scientific approach to scientific writing. New York: Springer, c2011. ISBN 978-1-4419-9787-6. In the CL collection
- CARGILL, Margaret, and O'CONNOR, Patrick. Writing scientific research articles: strategy and steps. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4051-8619-3. In the CL collection
- EBEL, Hans F., Claus BLIEFERT, and RUSSEY, William E.. The art of scientific writing: from student reports to professional publications in chemistry and related fields. 2nd, completely rev. ed. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, 2004. ISBN 3-527-29829-0. In the CL collection
- FORD, Nigel. The essential guide to using the Web for research. London: Sage Publications, 2012. ISBN 978-0-85702-365-0. In the CL collection
- GILMORE, Barry. Plagiarism: a how-not-to guide for students. Portsmouth: Heinemann, c2009. ISBN 978-0-325-02643-5. In the CL collection
- GILMORE, Barry. Plagiarism: why it happens, how to prevent it. Portsmouth: Heinemann, c2008. ISBN 978-0-325-02250-5. In the CL collection
- GLASMAN-DEAL, Hilary. Science research writing for non-native speakers of English. London: Imperial College Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-84816-310-2. In the CL collection
- KATZ, Michael Jay. From research to manuscript: a guide to scientific writing. 2nd ed. New York: Springer, c2009. ISBN 978-1-4020-9466-8. In the CL collection
- LINDSAY, D. R. Scientific writing = thinking in words. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing, c2011. ISBN 978-0-643-10046-6. In the CL collection
- MACGILCHRIST, Felicitas. Academic writing. Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh, 2014. ISBN 978-3-8252-4087-5. In the CL collection
- PEARS, Richard, and SHIELDS, Graham J.. Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. Eleventh revised and expanded edition. London: Red Globe Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-352-00513-4. In the CL collection
- ROSEN, Leonard J. The academic writer's handbook. 3rd ed. Boston: Longman, c2012. ISBN 978-0-205-71761-3. In the collection
- STERN, Linda. What every student should know about avoiding plagiarism. New York: Pearson Longman, c2007. ISBN 978-0-321-44689-3. In the CL collection
- WEBER-WULFF, Debora. False feathers: a perspective on academic plagiarism. Berlin: Springer, 2014. ISBN 978-3-642-39961-9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39961-9
- WIPO intellectual property handbook: policy, law and use. 2nd ed. Geneva: WIPO, 2004. ISBN 978-92-805-1291-5. Available at: http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/iprm/
Books on Preparing Lecture, Presentation, Speech, and Contribution to the Conference
- GRUSSENDORF, Marion, and HOVORKOVÁ, Martina. English for presentations: B2. Plzeň: Fraus, 2008. ISBN 978-80-7238-611-6. In the CL collection
- CHILCUTT, Alexa S., and BROOKS, Adam J.. Engineered to speak: helping you create and deliver engaging technical presentations. Hoboken: Wiley, [2019]. IEEE PCS professional engineering communication series. ISBN 978-1-119-47496-8. In the CL collection
- ROSEN, Leonard J. The academic writer's handbook. 3rd ed. Boston: Longman, c2012. ISBN 978-0-205-71761-3. In the CL collection
Websites, Blogs, Articles
- 30 tips for successful academic research and writing
- American Journal Experts. Scholar
- BBC Learning English - Go the Distance: Academic Writing
- CAREY, Maureen A., Kevin L. STEINER, William A. PETRI, and MARKEL, Scott. Ten simple rules for reading a scientific paper. PLOS Computational Biology [online]. 2020, 16(7) [cit. 2020-08-06]. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008032. ISSN 1553-7358. Available at: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008032
- MÉNDEZ, Marcos a Fran LEWITTER. Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during graduate school and beyond. PLOS Computational Biology [online]. 2018, 14(10) [cit. 2020-08-06]. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006467. ISSN 1553-7358. Available at: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006467
- Northern Michigan University - Writing Center
- Purdue Online Writing Lab
- UCD Library. Academic Integrity - Referencing, Citation & Avoiding Plagiarism
- University of Leeds, Library - Academic Writing
- University of Manchester - Academic Phrasebank
- University of Toronto - Writing Advice