UWA Handbook 2025

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
(see Timetable)

Availability	Location	Mode
Semester 1	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 in

Doctor 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.