ECTS credits ECTS credits: 4.5
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Total: 0
Use languages Spanish, Galician, English
Type: Training complements PhD RD99/2011
Departments: Plant Production and Engineering Projects, Departamento del Área del Profesional de la USC 991
Areas: Plant Production, Área del Profesional e la USC
Center Higher Polytechnic Engineering School
Call: Annual
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
• Learn the scientific method and its historical evolution
• Recognize and use the sources of information and in particular the Bibliographic Database.
• Understand the structure of different types of scientific publications.
• Know the process for publication in scientific journals
• Know the process of writing research proposals
• Understand the mechanisms for reviewing research projects
A. Lectures
Unit I. Introduction to Science
1. What is science?
2. Acquiring knowledge
3. Researcher qualities
4. The Scientific Method : Deduction, Induction, Hypothetical-deductive method.
Advantages and limitations of hypothetical-deductive thinking
6. Doing Science: Observations, problems, hypotheses, models, theories, predictions ...
7. Logical and practical aspects of testing hypotheses
8. Science and Technology
Classroom hours: 3, individual work: 4
Block II: Scientific Communication
- Scientific communication
- Access to primary literature
- Open Access Journals
- Subscription journals
- Support services: databases, search engines. impact factor rankings
- Professional and scientific networks
Classroom hours: 7, individual work: 5
Block III. Basis for writing a research proposal
- Academic Proposals: TFM, PhD
Basic Structure and Models
- Proposals for Research Projects
Basic structure and specific sections of a call for proposals
Advises to successfully develop a proposal
Frequent Errors
Classroom hours: 7, individual work: 8
Block IV. Criteria to review proposal
- Interest of the proposal
- Methodology
- Feasibility
- PI qualifications
- Group qualifications
Classroom hours: 1, individual work: 1
B. INTERACTIVE CLASSES
Lab 1: Working hypothesis
Lab 2: The structure of knowledge
Lab 3. Where to publish?
Lab 4. Drafting and reviewing research proposals
Block I
ELLIOTT, L. P.; BROOK, B. W. 2007. Revisiting Chamberlin: multiple working hypotheses for the 21st century. Bioscience 57: 608-614.
FORSCHER, B.K. 1963. Chaos in the brickyard. Science 142: 339
GIERE, R.N. 1981. Justifying Scientific Theories. Pages 96-136 (Chapter 6) in Understanding Scientific Reasoning, 2ed. Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. New York.
KOHN, A. 1988. Falsos Profetas, Pirámide: Madrid.
LEWIS, R.W. 1994. Organizing the rules of nature. From a talk delivered at the First North Central Research Workshop of the North Central Forest Experiment Station , USDA Forest Service at Delavan WI, USA. March 29-31, 1993.
LOEHLE, C. 1987. Hypothesis testing in ecology: psychological aspects and the importance of theory maturation. Quart. Rev. Biol. 62:397:409.
LOEHLE, C. 1990. A guide to increased creativity in research: inspiration or perspiration? BioScience 40:123-129.
PIRSIG, R.M. 1974. Zen and the Art Motorcycle Maintenance, pp. 92-96. Bantam Books, Toronto.
POPPER, K.R. 1967. La Lógica de la Investigación Científica, Tecnos: Madrid.
SCHMITZ, O.U.J. 2001. From interesting details to dynamical relevance: toward more effective use of empirical insights in theory construction. Oikos 94(1): 39-50.
TURCHIN, P. 2001. Does population ecology have general rules? Oikos 94 (1): 17-26.
UNDERWOOD, A.J. 1990. Experiments in ecology and management: their logics, functions and interpretations. Aust. J. Ecol. 15:365-389.
ZIMAN, J. 1988. What is Science? Pages 28-33 in E. D. Klemke, R. Hollinger, and A. D. Kline, editors. Introductory Readings in the Philosophy of Science. Prometheus Books, New York.
Bloque II:
ALONSO, J.; SUBIRATS, I.; MARTÍNEZ-CONDE, M.L. 2008. Informe APEI sobre acceso abierto. Asociación professional de Especialistas en Información
MADEIRA, A.C.; ABREU, M.M.2004. Comunicar em Ciência, como redigir e apresentar traballos científicos. Escolar Editora Lisboa.
NAS-USA 1994. On Being A Scientist. Responsible Conduct in Research, National Academy of Sciences: Washington.
PETERS, D.P.; CECI, S.J. 1982. Peer-review practices of psychological journals: The fate of published articles, submitted again. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 5, 187-195.
ROOT-BERNSTEIN, R.S. 1989. How scientists really think. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 32:472-488.
SAND-JENSEN, K. 2007. How to write consistently boring scientific literature. Oikos 116: 723-727.
Bloque III:
http://www.affectivesciences.org/system/files/page/2492/How+to+Write+a+…
http://www.agro.unalmed.edu.co/departamentos/iagricola/docs/errores_com…
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2563103/How-to-write-a-research-proposal
http://www.hacienda.go.cr/centro/datos/Articulo/Investigaci%C3%B3n%20de…
http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/art_how_to_write_P_Wong.htm
http://www.monografias.com/trabajos-pdf/proyecto-investigacion/proyecto…
http://www.ram-wan.net/restrepo/documentos/elaboracion-proyecto.pdf
http://www.sc.edu/our/doc/Proposaltipshints.pdf
http://www.washington.edu/research/guide/content.html
http://www2.smumn.edu/deptpages/~tcwritingcenter/Forms_of_Writing/Resea…
Bloque IV:
FERNANDEZ DE LA BASTIDA, J.M. 2008. La evaluación de los planes nacionales I+D+I. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. V foro de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación Superior y de la Investigación.
CB15 - Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their knowledge in the languages and uses commonly used in their international scientific community.
CA01 - Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
CA02 - Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
CA03 - Design, create, develop and undertake innovative and innovative projects in their field of knowledge.
CA04 - Work both as a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
OC10 - The activity of research with social responsibility and science
Teaching is based on lectures and interactive sessions. The lectures introduce basic concepts and rise to discussions. The interactive classes are support for the lectures including other reading materials. The course is also taught through web class of the USC. Students can view grades, lower class material (i.e. further reading, class notes, open scripts and links to other web pages). The web site also provide forums where students can leave their comments and opinions and interact with their classmates.
For cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the "Regulations for evaluating the academic performance of students and reviewing grades" will apply.
The grading will be as follows:
Attendance and participation in class discussions (20%). Competences: CB15, CA02, OC10
Knowledge of theoretical and operational concepts (30%). Based on an ongoing assessment of the participation of the students in the class activities. Competences: CB15, CA01, CA02, CA03, CA04, OC10
Knowledge of practical concepts (50%). Assesment of the student presentation. Competences: CB15, CA01, CA02, CA03, CA04, OC10
Lectures: 18 horas
Iteractive class: 18 h
Small group tutorials: 2 h
Exam: 3 h
Readings and Lecture preparation: 32 h
Classroom activities 20 h
Class attendance is essential. The course is structured to actively learn as you go and you can not participate in discussions if you are not present. The student must complete the information contrasting it with the additional readings and with his own research. It is recommended to attend tutorials with any specific questions either personally with the instructors, or trough the resources of the on-line class.
Santiago Pereira Lorenzo
- Department
- Plant Production and Engineering Projects
- Area
- Plant Production
- santiago.pereira.lorenzo [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
María Rosa Mosquera Losada
Coordinador/a- Department
- Plant Production and Engineering Projects
- Area
- Plant Production
- mrosa.mosquera.losada [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Ana Maria Ramos Cabrer
- Department
- Departamento del Área del Profesional de la USC 991
- Area
- Área del Profesional e la USC
- Phone
- 982823110
- ana.ramos [at] usc.es
- Category
- Profesional de la USC