Academic Writing for Doctoral Students
10 ECTS
Academic Writing for Doctoral Students
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Module Description
As part of a doctoral journey, the doctoral student will be expected to design, carry out, and write up a research project in the format of a thesis and defend this in a Viva; to write academic papers for doctoral and post-graduate seminars, symposia, presentations, and conferences; and to disseminate knowledge gained through research by publications in reviews, academic journals, and as book publications.
The module introduces participants to doctoral-level issues such as originality, authenticity, novelty, and plagiarism, as well as to the principles and realities of producing and presenting post-graduate and doctoral research for publication.
Participants will be exposed to the writing and editing skills required for this level of advanced knowledge and research allowing them to gain the necessary competence to design and carry out an independent and original study at a doctoral level. A holistic hands-on approach to training and instruction will be taken to assist students in the acquisition of the skills necessary to write a thesis, articles, academic papers and reviews with the ultimate aim to generate research of a publishable standard.
The design and structuring of research for publication in the form of academic papers for doctoral and post-graduate seminars, symposia, presentations, and conferences, and for dissemination as journal, review and book publications is the ultimate objective of every post-graduate, doctoral scholar and academic. Hence, once exposed to the principles of academic publishing, participants will have the opportunity to produce conference and seminar presentations of their research, and to produce journal articles and research for publication as part of this module.
Entry Requirements
Candidates who apply for this course will require to be:
- Professionals whose academic studies include 1st cycle (undergraduate and Bachelor’s levels) and 2nd cycle (Graduate and Masters level) qualifications totalling not less than 240 ECTS in areas related to healthcare and management. Any other professional who meets the Level requirements (L7 + L6 to a total of 240 ECTS) coming from a different area, but has 7 years of experience in a managerial position will also be considered.
OR
- A Level 7 Master’s Qualification (90 ECTS) related to healthcare and management, together with a Level 5 Higher Diploma equivalent to 120 ECTS and a minimum of 5 years working experience in Management within a specialised sector/area which is directly related to and relevant to the subject being researched in the Doctoral Programme.
RPL will be considered for applicants with other high-level qualifications (e.g. OTHM L8 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice). The maximum number of credits that may be gained through RPL will not exceed 50%. For more information regarding IDEA College’s RPL Policy and Process, please refer to: https://mt.ideaeducation.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Doc_007_24-Recognition-of-Prior-Learning-Policy-and-Process.pdf
Students whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate English language capability at IELTS level 6.5 or equivalent by presenting evidence (formal certificate) of an achieved pass at that level.
Target Audience
The target group for this doctorate programme consists of experienced professionals and senior practitioners working in, or aspiring to work in, advanced leadership, policy, and management roles in the health and social care sectors. Participants are expected to be mid-career or senior-level professionals with substantial practical experience, holding a relevant Master’s degree (MQF Level 7 or equivalent), and seeking to progress to doctoral-level study (MQF Level 8).
Specifically, the programme is designed for:
- Health professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses, allied health practitioners) who have moved into leadership, governance, or policy-making roles.
- Senior managers and executives in hospitals, health systems, public health agencies, and NGOs.
- Policy advisors, regulators, and government officials engaged in health strategy, workforce planning, and global health governance.
- Academics, researchers, and consultants seeking to deepen their expertise in health policy or workforce sustainability.
- International learners, including those from low- and middle-income countries, who wish to strengthen their capacity to respond to global health and workforce challenges.
This diverse learner group will bring interdisciplinary and international perspectives, fostering a community of interprofessional practice aligned with IDEA College’s teaching philosophy.
Career Paths
This programme is not designed to prepare students for a specific warranted profession or regulated occupation. Instead, it develops the advanced knowledge, skills, and competences outlined in the curriculum, equipping participants for senior leadership, management, policy, and consultancy roles across the health and social care sectors.
The programme is targeted at:
- Health and social care professionals (including doctors, nurses, allied health practitioners, social workers) who have moved or wish to move into leadership and policy-making positions.
- Managers and executives in hospitals, primary care systems, elderly care organisations, and NGOs.
- Policy advisors and strategists in health ministries, regulatory agencies, and international organisations.
- Consultants and researchers specialising in health policy, global health governance, or workforce planning.
Graduates will be well-prepared for:
- Senior management and leadership positions within hospitals, elderly care organisations, and wider health systems.
- Roles such as policy analysts, health system planners, or workforce strategists in government or international agencies.
- Consultancy and advisory roles within think tanks, NGOs, and intergovernmental organisations.
- Academic or applied research roles in universities, research institutes, and policy bodies.
Assessment
This unit will be assessed through writing assignments. The students will be expected to produce academic texts of different genre to meet scope, context and audience as indicated by the lecturer. Such texts may include (papers, articles, academic posters etc.) The students may also be expected to present their work in seminars or for publishing.
Marks shall be 100% assignment based.
Library and online search engines to access peer-reviewed/scholarly papers are necessary to complete this assignment.
Learning Outcomes
Competences:
At the end of the module/unit, the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:
- Consider intercultural and/or interdisciplinary differences in academic writing.
- Argue effectively through a selected position and through a specific perspective while remaining in focus of the study undertaken.
- Source, analyse, and synthesise relevant and appropriate scholarly texts expertly, whilst correctly using references and citations without plagiarism.
- Write effectively appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre to communicate own expertise.
- Apply the conventions, language, and principles of academic writing in one’s own field with the expected standards of linguistic ability such as correct punctuation, spelling, grammar, syntax, referencing, and citation conventions.
- Produce new insights and original work contributing to the field of study with scope for dissemination of new knowledge and further research.
Knowledge
By the end of the module/unit, the students will be able to:
- Consider intercultural and/or interdisciplinary differences in academic writing.
- Argue effectively through a selected position and through a specific perspective while remaining in focus of the study undertaken.
- Source, analyse, and synthesise relevant and appropriate scholarly texts expertly whilst correctly using references and citations without plagiarism.
- Write effectively appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre to communicate own expertise.
- Apply the conventions, language, and principles of academic writing in one’s own field with the expected standards of linguistic ability such as correct punctuation, spelling, grammar, syntax, referencing and citation conventions that meet the standards of a doctoral thesis.
- Produce new insights and original work contributing to the field of study with scope for dissemination of new knowledge and further research.
- Write a variety of clear, well-structured, extended academic texts for publishing in the field of Health Science.
Skills
At the end of the module/unit, the learner will have acquired the following skills:
- Produce logical and coherent arguments and evidence to support the claims.
- Use credible and diverse evidence and incorporate sources from others appropriately using advised referencing style.
- Use electronic environments to draft, revise, edit, and share or publish texts.
- Distinguish voices and viewpoints, whilst discriminating between examples/illustrations and main points.
- Assess an author’s thesis, purposes, audiences, contexts, bias, and credibility whilst drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of an author’s writing strategies.
- Paraphrase and summarise text to main ideas in logical, fluent paragraphs with transitional elements.
- Compose clear and appropriate texts according to genre, purpose and audience, whilst observing appropriate language mechanics expected in academic writing.
- Structure and format a doctoral thesis into parts, chapters and sub-chapters using headings correctly.
- Reference, cite, and quote correctly.
- Create original work and avoid plagiarising.
- Devise reporting surveys, interviews, and/or questionnaires.
- Engage in appropriate qualitative and quantitative discourse and dialectic making clear thrust and direction of studies.
- Outline academic and research papers for presentations, seminars, symposia and conferences.
- Produce publications for journals, reviews and dissemination in general.
Module-Specific Learner Skills
The learner will be able to:
- Evaluate their own work and the work of others.
- Communicate effectively through writing by making the right language choices adequate for context, genre, and audience.
Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences
The learner will be able to:
- Navigate through the online learning platform to find assignments, discussion boards, literature, tutorials, etc.