Institut Polytechnique de Paris

Please see the English version of the course description (flag to change language in the top-right of the window)

on their quality of "scientific writing".

This course introduces you to the art of scientific writing. This includes to:

• Illustrate the difference between scientific writing and other forms of litterature
• Describe and practice how to properly construct valid scientific arguments
• Master the usage of "related work" - not just as "filler" in a documnt, but to strengthen your arguments and amplify the novelty of your work.
  
  

This course also covers:

• The pitfalls of (intentional or accdential) academic misconduct so that you will be able to identify, and avoid them, in your work.
• How to present your work, orally - both when the audience has already read your accompanying paper/report, or when you're trying to present so as to make them want to do so.
  
  

This course will consist of a set activities, organised through "learning flows". These activities fall within two categories:

• Ungraded Activities:
  • Video Capsules, which introduce key technological concepts for conceiving network systems.
  • Discussion Seminars, where the professor will be challenging you on various topics - and where you'll be challenging each other.
• Graded activities:
  • Writing assignments, where you will be asked to write an essay on some topic while applying a specific "scientific writing concept".
  • Reviewing assignments, where you will be given a text and asked to evaluate it - according to some scientific writing criteria
  • Peer-Reviewing, of your classmates work, where you will be required to think about what advice - given your background and what has been studied throughout the course - you will give them to improve. 
  • Oral Presentations, where you will practice how to present a topic in a "convincing way" to a scientifically critical audience.
  • Case-studies, where you will be presented with a situation and asked to provide a scientifically critical evaluation of it.

Thus part of your grade will be the evaluation that your classmates give of your (written, oral) work - and you will also be graded on the quality and constructiveness of the reviews that you give your classmates. 

Course Grading:

• The different activities allows earning a max of 200 pt
• > 100 pt required for getting a C (validation)
• ≤ 100 pt will result in an F
  
  

Language:

• All course materials are in English
• All instructors speak English and French (and often also Danish and Spanish)

Prerequisites:

• A STEM Undergraduate degree
• Being a registered student in the MScT-IoT programme at Ecole Polytechnique
• Otherwise having received explicit autorisation to participate by the professor.