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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Writing in the Sciences by Stanford University

4.9
stars
8,321 ratings

About the Course

This course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics include: principles of good writing, tricks for writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, peer review, grant writing, ethical issues in scientific publication, and writing for general audiences....

Top reviews

SD

Feb 25, 2020

Respected Dr.kristiani sainani madam and coursera.

I thank you for the wonderful classes and presentations, it really didn't made me feel that i was learning online course but as in class learning.

AL

Jun 3, 2019

This was an amazing course that really helped me with my medical writing skills and understanding how making things clear for all audiences can help in spreading scientific knowledge across the world.

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176 - 200 of 2,766 Reviews for Writing in the Sciences

By Andrew M

•

Oct 25, 2017

I have always struggled to right scientific papers. They often suffer from redundancy and poor organization. Not to mention the long time it takes me to complete one.

This course was transformative. It provided me with a game plan to efficiently structure my writing time. Unlike other courses it went into detail about how different sections should be written and what language should be used. In addition the breadth of the course also includes other types of writing which all researchers will inevitably have to tackle.

By Louis P

•

Jun 29, 2021

The course overall is very organized and well structure. It was very informative and helpful for students who do not have experience in writing scientific manuscripts. The only suggestion I have is to omit the peer-reviewed assignments of the course. I had a negative experience with this particular section of the course. Students made very inappropriate comments, which can be very discouraging for the students trying to learn. Otherwise, Dr. Sainani did a great job teaching the course and providing great examples.

By Cristina S

•

Apr 24, 2021

I thought this course was so amazing and insightful. I am 40 years old but I wish I had taken this course in undergrad or even high school! I think every human being should take this. I have recommended it already to so many friends and colleagues. The way you speak is so engaging and the platform was very easy to use. My only critique is that one of the last speakers you had (I forgot her name) said "um" a lot. She was the only speaker that I did not follow as well, only because her "ums" really distracted me.

By Beyza D

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Aug 16, 2020

Thank you, Dr. Kristin Sainani, for this fantastic course. I will strongly recommend this course to those who pursue an academic career. Besides its benefits, I enjoyed attending classes. Some editing exercises are a little bit difficult since they are mostly about medical sciences, but overall the content was great. I completed my thesis and published an article before taking the course, but after finishing, I can't stop thinking about how much I could make them better with the tricks I learned from this course.

By Shaymaa A

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Oct 7, 2020

Thanks so much Dr. Kristin Sainani for such a great course . This is really what I need to move forward in my career as a researcher. Despite my research area is not biology and medicine, the content was useful, wealth of information and writing principles. I will consider your tips when I write my first research paper. Writing is such a challenging task especially for non-native English speakers, this course make it easier. I will express my gratitude by encouraging my friends and workmates to join the course.

By Brian W M

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Nov 3, 2023

What an exciting course it has been! I enjoyed it from the first video to the last video. Picking an important phrase from one of the modules, this course "shows" rather than just "telling" you how to write in sciences. You get everything that will push you ahead in your scientific/medical writing career. I was able to relate to the course because I have a background in life sciences, and I was transitioning into medical and scientific writing, as it used scientific examples from life sciences. Thank you.

By Arundhathi Y

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Jun 2, 2022

Superior in quality!!! Prof Kristin made learning as engaging as can be with the resources at hand. ...Loved the way she made it an enriching experience with interviews with experts. Thoroughly enjoyed the course, made notes from a class lecture, for the first time in years....and I even downloaded the book by Mimi Zeiger that she recommended ..However, I still regret rushing through it in order to see my certificate...

Thank you Professor! I wish I could the honours assignment too, but tied up for now!!

By Mayan G

•

Oct 26, 2022

I already have some experience in writing and have even already published a few articles, yet I never received formal instruction regarding writing and as in many things in medicine I was expected to "see one, do one, teach one". After completing this course I found out how much my knowledge was lacking and how by just receiving some direction and pointers my writing could improve vastly. Thank you very much for this great course, I will be sure to recommend it to my friends, colleagues, and students.

By Karla M

•

Jul 13, 2020

This course has been incredibly helpful in advancing my writing skills. The course covers a wide range of topics, from writing scientific articles to writing for the media and lay audiences. Professor Sainani is an amazing writer and her tips and lessons have been very useful; I can already see improvements in my writing. This course is useful for non-native English speakers as well. I loved the real-life examples and stories. Overall, one of the best courses I have taken for professional development.

By Mohamed A

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Feb 5, 2023

This course is very (and I mean very) condensed in my opinion. Not only does it prepare you to write your next manuscript at the level of sentences then paragraphs to whole sections of the manuscript, but it also ensures you have the necessary skills you'll need someday in the future as a researcher. Along with its rich content, it's really efficient and moves from one module to the other seamlessly.

Thank you, Dr. Kristin, for this course, whose notes will be a valuable asset to me for a long time.

By Vy N

•

Jun 15, 2022

A friend introduced me to this course after I told him I was struggling to write essays in my master's degree. English is not my native language, so I was not confident and always worried I would make mistakes. This course is brilliant since the process of writing is broken down into small, managable pieces so I got to understand, practice and gradually build up my confidence. I really like the instructor's way of explaining things, simple yet detailed, and really motivating. Thank you so much!

By Maria R

•

Mar 13, 2018

I really enjoyed the course. Although the subject can be tedious and boring, this course was neither. It corrected some of my misconceptions regarding scientific writing and hopefully will help me in becoming a better writer. I really like that there are a lot of examples and opportunities to try things out and then compare with the instructor. I also liked that there is a section about the paper review process and what do editors and reviewers look for when they reviewing papers. Thank you!

By Aigerim Z

•

Apr 18, 2020

This is the best course I've ever studied on Coursera! The content is very practical with tons of tips, examples and exercises. The teacher Dr. Kristin Sainani is very engaging - the speed and the tone of speech make listening and watching video enjoyable (not like many other teachers in here which just read loud out the text), her comments during the video are really important and sometimes funny (I used to skip video lectures at other courses due to monotonous tone of speakers). Thanks!

By Ghadir A

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Apr 4, 2023

This course presents a brief, holistic, and valuable overview of the academic environment. I have learned many new things about academic writing, research, grants, and interviewing scientists. The instructors are highly qualified and have extensive experience to convey the lessons in concise, comprehensive, and applicable ways.

Thank you for your efforts! I have gained essential skills in academic writing, and I would like to recommend this course to every beginner in the academic field.

By Ruijia W

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Jan 28, 2019

I've taken this course before it is redirected to coursera (1-2 years ago) and I'm coming back to it. I still enjoy the powerful, simple tips and recommend this course to many colleagues in my field - geophysics. You definitely don't need to be in the medical school to take this course.

A bit personal story: I finished my PhD thesis since the last time I took the course - I'm no longer waiting for inspiration. Thank you for reading this far and thank you for offering this great course.

By Khadija I T

•

Jun 11, 2022

This course was beyond expectation. I never thought scientific writing could be interesting. I can't express enough how much I loved Kristin's way of teaching -  her dash of humor (helped a lot to connect with her) . Last but not least, Coursera financial aid was the cherry on the top for me. Thank you so much for encouraging learners across the globe with such an extraordinary platform.

I learned so many things from you, Kristin. Thank you!!!Love & gratitude from one of your students.

By Aditi S S

•

Jun 20, 2020

The course, as well as the course instructor, has greatly helped me in distinguishing the various formats of writing. Now, I am confident to communicate my interests and research in the form of grants, papers, interviews, and reviews. Earlier, it was always a task to explain my study to the common people. After taking this course, it has become much easier for me to keep aside the scientific mind and communicate with the layman. Thank you, Kristin. You're a great instructor.

By Joseline S

•

Dec 7, 2020

I liked this course because it cover most of the things I needed to practice to improve my writing skills. One thing I will add is that I was hoping to download all of the notes I took. I need those notes for when I write in the future and unfortunately I can't have them in a word or text document in my computer. Not always one has an internet connection so that I can go back and look for them here. Please consider making an option to download just the notes. Thank you!

By Nam N

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Oct 2, 2019

I recommend this course to all people who have engaged, or will engage, to write their own thesis. I wish I learned the course before I wrote my works, so it would be easier for me to do a good job. There are a lot of new interesting but surprising things that I realize when entering the course. It specifically impresses me with sections about how to write a manuscript and a personal statement as well as a letter of recommendation and its ethical issue. Thank you very much!

By Vikrant J

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Aug 26, 2020

Writing has always terrified me, and it's far from being my strength. But this course really made me explore the concepts that I mostly did know already in a more organized and clear way. It also gave me great insights into the publication process which has been a mystery to me. I also loved the inclusion of writing for general audiences, personal statement writing, conducting interviews, and social media bits. I hope I can communicate my findings better in the future now!

By María L G

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May 19, 2020

Going through the principles of good writing, I have learned different tricks to write more clearly, concisely and faster and, most important, to render a text easy and attractive for those who will read it. In addition, it wasn’t only the online lessons that I found really interesting and helpful but the exercises on writting and peer reviewing we were assesed. Working together with others participants have really contribute to make this course a great experience. THANKS!

By Khadim H C

•

Jun 7, 2018

Happy to complete WRITING IN THE SCIENCES which is my third course on coursera in 2018. I have really enjoyed this course, as it is my passion to write in science. I am so thankful to Dr Kristine Sainani and other professors and mentors associated with this program directly or indirectly. I am also so impressed and thus so thankful to senior professors who got interviewed by Dr Kristine Sainani where we were provided opportunity to get inspired.

Thank you

Khadim Chaudhary

By Diana G R A

•

Jul 26, 2019

As a very beginner writer, with no clue how or where to start, it is really useful and helpful take this course. I have much more confidence now to start writing (pre-writing) my first article. Thank you so much to Stanford University, especially Dr. Kristin Sainani for making the effort and drive this course for world wide scientific population. Also thank to my peers for taking the time to check on my texts. I really enjoyed sharing "virtual classroom" with all of you.

By Reem B

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Jun 29, 2020

I enjoyed and benefited from this course a lot. For someone still in their preliminary stages of writing in science and looking to be published, this course provided formidable guidance. It also gave me new faith in how scientific writing should be in spite of the quality of what we sometimes see out there. Thank you so much Dr. Kristin, especially for your engaging manner of presenting the content and your belief in upholding ethical standards so essential to science,

By Sruthi R

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Jun 14, 2020

This course was a wonderful journey through writing! Dr.Kristen has taught us the techniques and intricacies involved in writing professional scientific documents like reviews, research articles, grants and Letter of recommendations. Through step by step teaching and number of examples given, its a golden opportunity to sharpen your writing skills! Thank you Ma'am for the 8 week journey helping us realize the fun of professional writing! I surely recommend this course!