Abstract
Research-focused higher education institutions can achieve scientific visibility, research performance, and excellence in teaching and research that is validated by internationally relevant publications by improving and maintaining the academic writing competencies of their researchers. Our case study presents the dynamics of trends and initiatives regarding academic writing at Babeş-Bolyai University over the last 5 years. It focuses on the developments that have led to the launch of the present training program aimed at developing the research competencies needed to publish relevant research findings, output, or data in English and German academic publications. The research methods used in this chapter include document analysis, project design and results analysis, direct observation, and interviews. Our results offer an insight into the organizational variables and mechanisms that could lead to the development of specific academic writing programs as part of a comprehensive institutional research strategy.
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Notes
- 1.
As defined by Teddlie and Tashakkori (2010) based on previous definitions of Greene and Caracelli (2003) and Greene (2007), a “dialectic stance” is defined as the researchers’ mental model that can encompass different paradigms in one single explanatory framework of the studied phenomenon.
- 2.
OPEN RES—Open School for Academic Self-improvement. Research, Academic Writing, and Career Management (PN-II-PCCA-2011-3.1-0682 212/2.07.2012 grant funded by UEFISCDI [www.uefiscdi.gov.ro] project website: http://econ.ubbcluj.ro/~rodica.lung/openres/ http://academic-writing.ro)
- 3.
Paul şerban Agachi was BBU’s vice-rector for research from 2001 to 2008 and the President of the Academic Council from 2008 to 2012.
- 4.
Luminişa Silaghi Dumitrescu was BBU’s vice-rector for research from 2008 to 2012.
- 5.
Rudolf Gräf was BBU’s vice-rector for doctoral studies from 2008 until now.
- 6.
The perspectives of the project managers are the results of direct observation and direct participation in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the above-mentioned projects between 2008 and 2013. The managers of the projects cited were Crişan, G, 2008–2013; Kelemen, A. 2010–2013; Moraru, C., 2008–2011; and Aluaş, M., 2010–2012.
- 7.
As identified during the enrollment process of several generations of PhD students.
- 8.
The partners involved in several doctoral trainings were Lucas Zinner, Markus Rheindorf, Birgit Huemmer, Christian Kolowrat, Alisson O’Reilly, and Martin Buxbaum from the Center for Doctoral Studies, University of Vienna. The trainers from BBU were Romana Cramarenco and Rodica Lung.
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Moraru, C. et al. (2018). Academic Writing at Babeş-Bolyai University. A Case Study. In: Chitez, M., Doroholschi, C., Kruse, O., Salski, Ł., Tucan, D. (eds) University Writing in Central and Eastern Europe: Tradition, Transition, and Innovation. Multilingual Education, vol 29. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95198-0_4
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