Development of Research Writing at Postgraduate Level

Abstract

In the encounter of postgraduate students with writing linked to research, their general mastery of language comes into play, such as the use of spelling and grammatical conventions, and the discursive-textual knowledge of the scientific texts, together with specific styles of an academic community for posing questions, criticizing ideas, arguing, even reviewing and presenting background texts. However, it is generally assumed that those who reach this educational level already “know how to write”, as if this were a single linguistic-communicative process learned in schooling. This limited vision means that research writing is not considered in the pedagogical and didactic criteria of most master’s and doctoral programs. This essay reviews the characteristics of research writing as a composition aimed at transforming knowledge, and critically analyzes the effectiveness of different strategies to accompany the development of this writing, based on the revision and commentary of drafts, from the traditional thesis direction to collaboration among peers in writing circles.