Writing reports and scientific papers

by Thomas Mejtoft, PhD

Please go to this page for more resources and material.

Writing reports and academic papers is a core part of university studies, and it’s a skill that will follow you throughout your career. Being able to structure ideas clearly, present research effectively, and communicate with confidence is just as important as the technical work itself.

This lecture series is here to support you in that process. While it was created for MSc students in engineering at Umeå University, the content is valuable for anyone who wants to strengthen their academic writing. The lectures cover everything from setting objectives and creating a clear structure, to using references, working responsibly with AI, and presenting your research.

By following along, you’ll gain practical tools and strategies that make writing less overwhelming and help you share your work in a way that others can both understand and appreciate.

Here you can find the full lecture series: Writing reports and scientific papers

Introduction to the lecture serie

  1. Understanding the research paper
  2. Crafting objectives
  3. Creating an understandable structure
  4. AI and the writing process
  5. Writing your method
  6. Informed consent when working with human subjects
  7. Using references in your writings
  8. Master quotes in writing
  9. Presenting your research

References

Here is a list of references used in the lectures. This is not a complete list and sources for examples and quotes has been deliberately omitted.

Some of these books are available at the University Library (for students at Umeå University) and most of the papers can be downloaded through the databases. For those of you not enrolled at Umeå University, please refer to your local library or online databases.

Chandler, A. F. (1982). What is this thing called Science? Second edition. Open University Press.

Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. New York, NY: David McKay Company.

Day, R. A. (1989). The Origins of the Scientific Paper: The IMRAD Format. American Medical Writers Association Journal, 4(2), 16-18.

Ehrenborg J., & Mattock, J. (2001). Powerful presentations: Great ideas for making a real impact (3rd ed.). Kogan Page.

Donovan, J. (2014). How to deliver a TED talk. McGraw Hill.

Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35-36.

Gillham, B. (2000). Case study research methods. London: Continuum.

Lazar, J., Feng, J. H., & Hochheiser, H. (2017). Research methods in human-computer-interaction, second edition. Cambridge, MA: Morgan Kaufmann.

Mollick, E., & Mollick, L. (2023, September 25). Student Use Cases for AI. Harvard Business Publishing. Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/student-use-cases-for-ai

Regulation 2016/679. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679

Säfsten, K., & Gustavsson, M. (2020). Research Methodology for engineers and other problem-solvers. Lund, Sverige: Studentlitteratur.

World Intellectual Property Organization. (2024). Generative AI: Navigating intellectual property. Retrieved from https://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/about-ip/en/frontier_technologies/pdf/generative-ai-factsheet.pdf

Some of the books may have newer editions, which work just as well.

(image created with support of Dall-E 3)

(First published by Thomas Mejtoft: 2025-09-05; Last updated: 2025-09-06)