Studying online
There are now 2 possible online modes for units:
Units with modes Online timetabled and Online flexible are available for any student to self-enrol and study online.
Click on an offering mode for more details.
Unit Overview
- Description
The goal of this unit is to learn the best practices for academic communication within the domains of physics and/or astrophysics, and assumes expert knowledge in one of those fields, at the level of a doctoral student. The unit has a strong emphasis on the principles of scientific writing and critical thinking, and will also explore other forms of communication that are important in academia. Learning how to effectively communicate your science will make you a stronger researcher: not only will you share your work with a wider community of colleagues and potential collaborators, it will also help you formulate and organise it better.
Topics covered include (i) macroscopic methods of reading and writing scientific texts (papers, theses, proposals, etc.); (ii) principles and advice for good style; (iii) how to write an (astro)physics journal paper, a PhD thesis, a job application, and a proposal for funding or time on a telescope / instrument / supercomputer; (iv) oral presentations at conferences and seminars; and (v) best practices for conveying information through figures, tables, and posters.
At the conclusion of this unit students will be able to recognise and implement good scientific writing practices, communicate information about physics effectively and engagingly, and write persuasive job applications and proposals.
To enrol in the unit, students must (a) already be enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy; (b) have at least one supervisor in either the Department of Physics, or the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR); and (c) have approval from a Graduate Research Coordinator in the School of Physics, Mathematics and Computing or ICRAR.
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
Availability Location Mode First year of offer Not available in 2024 UWA (Perth) Face to face - Outcomes
Students are able to (1) identify and apply effective scientific writing practices to produce writing that is concrete, clear, and concise; (2) compose texts that communicate information about physics effectively by telling a story; (3) produce examples of persuasive writing in the form of job applications, grant proposals, and/or telescope/instrument/supercomputing time proposals in the field of physics.; (4) generate clear, informative graphics that convey a scientific concept or data; and (5) prepare and deliver well-organised, engaging talks.
- Assessment
Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) short assignments; (2) writing assignments; and (3) oral presentation. Further information is available in the unit outline.
Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Associate Professor Elisabete Lima da Cunha
- Unit rules
- Prerequisites
- Enrolment is with approval of a PhD supervisor
- Co-requisites
- Enrolment inDoctor of Philosophy and students must have at least one PhD supervisor in either the Department of Physics and/or the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) at UWA.
- Incompatibility
- 53560 Master of Physics
- Contact hours
- Lectures: 2 hours per week
Workshop: 2 hours per week.
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.