Course Overview

Most graduate courses refer to theoretical or laboratory “contents” to be taught to students. Our proposal is not only to offer a general course on scientific methodology but to share with the students certain practical aspects of scientific work that are not found in textbooks and/or formal courses. From a constructivist perspective, we emphasize the importance of oral and written communication skills in all aspects of scientific career.

Learning Achievement

To offer an updated view on scientific research, both in its methodological and theoretical aspects as in its daily practice.

Competence

Course prerequisites

Grading Philosophy

EVALUATION CRITERIA: Seminars given by students (S) and reports (R) on seminars given by invited speakers. Final grade: (S +?)/2 where?is the mean of the reports’ grades.

Course schedule

1. What is science? Introduction to the history and philosophy of science. 2. Why the scientific method is not used by scientists? Feyrabend, Goldstein and knowledge ethics. 3. The first year in a graduate course. a. How to generate ideas: views from scientists of the past and the present. b. The choice of a research theme. The roles of the supervisor and the student. c. How to write a research project to the funding agencies. d. Efficient bibliographic searches. e. Efficient study techniques. 4. The intermediate years in a graduate course. a. Heuristic techniques commonly used in scientific research. b. What to do if your research project seems to be failing. c. How to elaborate the qualification exam work: what the examiners expect from you. d. How to write reports to funding agencies. 5. The last semester in a graduate course. a. How to write a masters dissertation or a doctorate thesis: norms, organization and style. b. How to prepare for the masters dissertation or doctorate thesis defense: what the examiners expect from you. 6. Promoting your research. a. How to promote your work: from preprint servers to scientific meetings. b. How to elaborate a good poster. c. How to give a good seminar. d. How to write well your scientific papers: formal and aesthetic criteria. e. How to submit papers to indexed journals. f. How to respond to reviewers who criticize your work and what to do if your paper is rejected. 7. Special topics on scientific publishing. a. Peer review: pros, cons and alternatives. b. Indexed journals. ISI Web of Science. Impact indices. c. Productivity indices. Brazilian science statistics. d. The science publishing market and the open access movement. 8. The researcher/professor professional career. a. CV preparation. b. Perspectives for a recently formed doctor: postdoctorate and special programs from funding agencies. c. The researcher/professor in universities and public schools. d. The researcher/professor in private universities. e. The researcher in research and technology innovation institutions. f. The researcher-entrepreneur.

Course type

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

Antonio Carlos Roque da Silva Filho, Osame Kinouchi Filho

Other information

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