English for Thesis Writing

By Prof. Seema Singh | IIT Kharagpur

Learners enrolled: 3988 | Exam registration: 1243

ABOUT THE COURSE:

English is the language of the academic community for Scientific and professional communication. Keeping in view the special requirements of non-native speakers writing their thesis (and research articles) in English, this course aims to unlock the secret formulas of writing a strong Thesis, step by step, including guidance regarding the grammar, usage, and style of Academic English. The Course begins with the very basics of English Grammar (using samples of student writing to give you tips on what to avoid while simultaneously explaining why). The Course moves on to sentence and paragraph breakdown for every chapter of your thesis; to sentence starters (academic words and / scientific phrases); to avoiding common pitfalls that can negatively affect your credibility; finally giving you that kick start to direct your thoughts. Apart from guiding you on how to improve your writing, the Course considers various components that will make your Academic Writing stand out for all the right reasons, including paragraphing, style, tone, paraphrasing, and punctuation.

This Course should also prove beneficial to those who edit or proofread research papers

Given the wide range of variations in Academic Writing between the Arts, Sciences, and the Engineering faculties, the Course will be enriched by Guest Lecturers who will dwell further on their area specific domains, while adding value to the Course.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: PhD Research Scholars, MPhil students, UG & PG students required to submit BTech / MTech Projects, Academic writers, as well as professionals, can enroll for the proposed NPTEL Course

PREREQUISITES: A Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: The proposed Course is essential to Academia, which well recognizes and acknowledges the importance of English for communicating Research and or allied information.

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	8 weeks
Category :	Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit Points :	2
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	16 Feb 2026
End Date :	10 Apr 2026
Enrollment Ends :	16 Feb 2026
Exam Registration Ends :	27 Feb 2026
Exam Date :	26 Apr 2026 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1:
1. Course Introduction
2. Thesis Writing in English as a Second Language
3. Vocabulary for Academic Scientific Writing
4. Basic Grammar Rules for Academic Writing
5. Sample Passages for Study - I

Week 2:
1.Basic Methodology I: Process writing
2.Basic Methodology II: Passive vs. Active Voice
3.Basic Methodology III: The end-focus technique
4.Spelling: rules, US versus GB, typical typos
5.Guest Lecture - I

Week 3:
1.Reference Words and Phrases
2.Substitution and Ellipsis
3.Conjunctions / Sentence Connectors
4.Lexical Cohesion
5.Sample Passages for Study - II

Week 4:
1.Sentence length, conciseness, clarity, and ambiguity
2.Describing visual information: graphs, bar charts, pie charts, and tables
3.Measurements: abbreviations, symbols, use of articles
4.Numbers: Handling numerals, words versus numerals, plurals, use of articles, dates, numbers, and other small items
5.Guest Lecture - II

Week 5:
1.Information Flow & Formality levels
2.Paragraph Transitions & Methods for editing
3.Punctuation & Tense-choice
4.Verbs for academic scientific writing
5.Sample Passages for Study - III

Week 6:
1.Bibliography and citations
2.Avoiding Plagiarism: Turnitin and other software
3.Figures, graphs, & tables: referring to, writing captions
4.Proofreading and formatting the final draft
5.Guest Lecture - III

Week 7:
1.General advice for non-native writers: Journal articles, Impact factors, Scientific papers, Book Reviews etc.
2.The Thesis and Article Abstract
3.Permission and Citations in Theses and Articles
4.Handling Reviewers/Referees, and Journal Publishers
5.Sample Passages for Study - IV

Week 8:
1.Writing the Introduction & Literature Review chapters
2.Writing the Methodology chapter
3.Writing the Conclusion chapter: Analyses,Discussions, and Results
4.Writing the Abstract, Reference List / Bibliography, and Acknowledgements section
5.Course Conclusion

Books and references

1.English for Academic Research - Writing Exercises: Adrian Wallwork, Springer, 2024.

2.English for Academic Research - Grammar, Usage and Style: Adrian Wallwork, Springer, 2013.

3.Academic Writing Skills: Patricia Wiliamson, The University of Queensland, 2021.

4.A Practical Guide to Dissertation and Thesis Writing: Mark Stephan Felix & Ian Smith, Cambridge Scholars Pub., 2019.

5.Grammar for Academic Writing: Tony Lynch & Kenneth Anderson, Univ. of Edinburgh, 2013.

6.Academic Writing: UTS Lib., 2013.

7.Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: A Handbook for Supervisors: Brian Paltridge & Sue Starfield, RKP, 2007.

8.English for Academic Purposes - Approaches and Implications: Eds. Paul Thompson & Giuliana Diani, Cambridge Scholars Pub., 2015.
9.https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
10.https://academic-englishuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Academic-Writing-Workbook-EXAMPLE-AEUK-1.pdf

Instructor bio

Prof. Seema Singh

IIT Kharagpur

Dr. Seema Singh is currently Associate Professor of English and Soft Skills Trainer in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. The highlights of her academic career include a Gold Medal at the BA (English Honors) from the University of Burdwan and a University Fifth rank at the MA (Jadavpur University). This was rounded up with a Gold Medal at the M.Phil. (English) and a Ph.D. in Contemporary African American Fiction from the Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi).

Dr. Singh began her teaching career in 1996 with a seven-year Foreign Service stint at the Royal University of Bhutan. Prior to joining the IIT Kharagpur in December 2003, she had been Visiting Faculty for a semester at the Lucknow Regional Center of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad. In her long teaching career, she has published several scholarly articles in International Refereed Journals as well as in National (Indian) Refereed Journals. Apart from a couple of book chapters, she has two books to her credit as sole author while two more books are in the offing. Her NPTEL-MOOC courses on Employment Communication as well as Mastering Speaking and Presentations are quite popular and have gone in for several re-runs. She has to her credit a GIAN course on Positive effects of Meditation on Young people and Adults (with Professor Rosalind Pearmain, UK) as well as a SGRIP Course on Time Management (with Professor Anthony Cullen, UK).

Currently, Dr. Singh teaches Courses (under the broad domains of Soft Skills, English Literature, and Yoga) at the IIT Kharagpur. Among other areas of her research interest are Managerial Communication, Contemporary Indian Women’s Fiction in English, Feminist Narratology, and Subaltern Literature. As a Soft Skills communication trainer, she has successfully conducted more than 60 MDPs & FDPs. With a number of quality publications in reputed International and national-level refereed Journals, Dr. Singh aspires to further excellence in Academics and Research.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: April 26, 2026 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 6 assignments out of the total 8 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Kharagpur .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

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