Postgraduate Course: Writing in Surgery (SURG11013)

Course Outline
School	Deanery of Clinical Sciences	College	College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course type	Online Distance Learning	Availability	Available to all students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	The Writing in Surgery course will enable the student to construct a surgical paper and understand the fundamentals of publishing a surgical article.
Course description	This is a 10-week taught course divided in five 2-week blocks. Each block focuses on a particular topic as detailed below: Block A The process: Manuscript to Published Article Block B Writing Methods and Results; Probity and Conduct of Research Block C Writing Introduction and Discussion Block D Writing the Abstract and Title Construction Block E Editing and Submission A variety of learning activities are employed to suit different learning styles and to create an engaged, interactive, and collaborative community of learners. A blend of formative and summative assessment is used to help students better orient their efforts and come to understand what is expected of them throughout the course.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None
High Demand Course?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Flexible
Course Start Date	08/08/2022
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 15, Online Activities 25, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2, Formative Assessment Hours 20, Summative Assessment Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 35 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Discussion board engagement (30%) Preparation of a surgical paper and plain English abstract (70%)
Feedback	A blend of formative assessment (with early feedback) and summative assessment will be employed to help students better orient their efforts and come to understand what is expected of them as they progress through the course.
No Exam Information

Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: None
Course Start	MVM Online Learning Block 3
Course Start Date	10/04/2023
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 98 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Discussion board engagement (30%) Preparation of a surgical paper and plain English abstract (70%)
Feedback	A blend of formative assessment (with early feedback) and summative assessment will be employed to help students better orient their efforts and come to understand what is expected of them as they progress through the course.
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: (Characteristic 1: Knowledge and understanding) Demonstrate a critical understanding of the concepts underpinning surgical writing, editing and submission for publication (Characteristic 2: Applied knowledge and understanding) Apply academic writing and editing skills to develop a surgical paper (Characteristic 3: Cognitive skills) Critically appraise the fundamentals of publishing a surgical article, understanding its uncertainty and complexities (Characteristic 4: Communication, Information Communication Technology (ICT), numeracy)) Write a surgical paper and effectively communicate findings (Characteristic 5: Autonomy) Write a surgical paper with substantial autonomy

Reading List
Access to published academic journals in the University's DiscoverEd. A resource list will be provided within the course in Learn.

Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills	During this course students will have to demonstrate the ability to work independently and integrate information gained as they progress through each block of the course. They will acquire a critical understanding of how to construct a surgical paper and understand the fundamentals of publishing a surgical article. Effective participation and engagement with course materials and assessments will develop students' capacity to reflect effectively and critically, to communicate actively with tutors and other students, and to direct their learning so that their own self-identified learning needs are addressed.
Keywords	Evidence based surgery,academic writing,critical appraisal,data analysis,editing,publishing

Contacts
Course organiser	Dr Susan Morrow Tel: Email: Susan.Morrow@ed.ac.uk	Course secretary	Mr Adam Chalmers Tel: (0131 6)51 3900 Email: adam.chalmers@ed.ac.uk