Mihaela Aluas - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Mihaela Aluas
Waste Management
Plastic production and worldwide use of plastic materials have continued to rise due to their con... more Plastic production and worldwide use of plastic materials have continued to rise due to their convenience and excellent marketing advantages. This is generating an environmental crisis and global scale pollution which is one of the greatest threats to our planet. One of the best responses could be accomplished by improving recycling and waste management strategies. In this paper we conducted Raman analyses of representative stock of plastics aged in terrestrial or aquatic environments spanning in age up to 15 years. We aimed to establish any potential influence of the aging conditions on the Raman signature of specific plastics. This information is further used to build up a Raman logic gate for automatic sorting of plastic waste recovered from environment. Pigments and aging introduced indeed small changes in the Raman signature of the respective plastics. However, we were able to identify unique spectral ranges characteristic for the main plastic types and intensity threshold of fingerprint bands sufficiently strong for building robust Raman barcodes for sorting. Waste plastics Raman data handling and the proposed methodology for sorting complies with the FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) principles of scientific data, being useful for researchers, policymakers and stakeholders. Our spectral characterization of solid plastic waste comes in support of improved waste plastic management and could have economic and environmental positive impact.
ACS Omega, 2021
Due to their chemical composition, richness in calcium carbonate, chitin, proteins, and pigments,... more Due to their chemical composition, richness in calcium carbonate, chitin, proteins, and pigments, and nanoporous structure, crustacean shell waste shows great potential for a wide variety of applications. Large quantities of waste shells are produced annually, meaning that they can be considered a renewable source of ecofriendly biogenic materials, which can be turned into value-added byproducts. In this paper, an IR-based technique is developed to differentiate various biogenic powders originated from crude or food-processed crustacean shells. The validity of the method is supported by cross-checking with XRD, NMR, and SEM−EDX analyses. Our goal was to determine changes in properties of waste crab shells after the two most common treatments, deproteinization and milling. We discovered that deproteinization with NaOH could be tracked from the IR absorbance intensity ratio of the υ(CH 2,3) and υ asym (CO 3 2−) bands while milling time less influenced this ratio but induced changes in powder particle size distribution and morphology. The relative organic/inorganic ratio was different for different colored shells. Unexpectedly, waste shells stored for an average of 6 months or more were found to contain hydrated calcium carbonate (monohydrocalcite), which was absent in equivalent fresh shell composition. Deproteinization caused changes in mechanical properties of shells, making them more brittle, which resulted in a larger fraction of fine particles after powdering.
Scientific Reports, 2021
In this study we aimed to compare the mineralogical, thermal, physicochemical, and biological cha... more In this study we aimed to compare the mineralogical, thermal, physicochemical, and biological characteristics of recent organic carbon-rich sediments (‘sapropels’) from three geographically distant Romanian lakes (Tekirghiol and Amara, SE Romania, and Ursu, Central Romania) with distinct hydrogeochemical origins, presently used for pelotherapy. The investigated lakes were classified as inland brackish Na-Cl-sulfated type (Amara), coastal moderately saline and inland hypersaline Na-Cl types (Tekirghiol and Ursu, respectively). The settled organic matter is largely composed of photosynthetic pigments derived from autochthonous phytoplankton. Kerogen was identified in the sapropel of coastal Tekirghiol Lake suggesting its incipient maturation stage. The mineral composition was fairly similar in all sapropels and mainly consisted of quartz, calcite, and aragonite. Smectite, illite, mixed layer smectite/illite appeared as major clay components. Potentially toxic elements were found in lo...
Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials, 2007
An 13 C Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (SS-NMR) procedure for extracting str... more An 13 C Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (SS-NMR) procedure for extracting structural and dynamical information in organic molecules is introduced. The method combines numerical simulations with two kinds of NMR experiments namely conventional CP-MAS (cross-polarisation magic angle spinning) and remote protons CP-MAS. The former is mostly sensitive to dipolar couplings between directly bonded 13 C- 1 H nuclei, whereas the latter prepares a state of non-uniform polarization, where these particular spin pairs are de-polarized prior to recording the CP buildup curve. This curve is then expected to quantify the polarization transfer from remote protons only. The method is demonstrated for the specific NH 3 group of L-alanine and it shows that the remote protons polarization transfer curve can be used in combination with the conventional CP/MAS curve to get additional structural and dynamical information in molecular systems with relevance for biology and advanced mate...
ABSTRACTImproving and maintaining researchers ' academic writing competencies is the central ... more ABSTRACTImproving and maintaining researchers ' academic writing competencies is the central goal of research focused higher education institutions in their endeavour to achieve scientific visibility and excellence in research. This article proposes an in- depth needs analysis validation that would be used as an instrument to fundament, improve and adapt academic writing programs. The project aims to develop academic writing skills based on enhanced interventions focused on identified needs of master and Ph.D. students (N = 33). The need analysis was conducted using an adapted version of the Duszak and Lewkowicz (2008) questionnaire. Results are suggesting that, the number of already published articles does not. function as an objective predictor for the development, of academic writing competencies, both categories (social and hard sciences) aiming in comparable percentage to increase their skills. Investigating students ' needs regarding academic writing process is an impo...
2019 E-Health and Bioengineering Conference (EHB), 2019
Recycle and reuse of plastic material largely involved in medical acts is the subject of strict r... more Recycle and reuse of plastic material largely involved in medical acts is the subject of strict regulations and ethical guidelines. Different categories and types of plastics are used to date in medical units, mainly polypropylene and polyethylene, transparent or colored of high or low density. Regardless if they are contaminated or not with harmful pathogens, their disposal is an increasing problem with high costs for proper management and therefore their recycling must involve special management of waste. Here we prospect the possibility to implement new laser-based Raman technology for innovative sorting of residual medical plastic. Currently, medical plastic waste disposal attached enormous attention in the frame of circular economy for avoiding costs and pollution produced by the incineration procedures. To explore any potential added-value by-product resulted from medical waste we need to understand their structure and properties after medical use. Since medical grade plastics...
![Research paper thumbnail of Structural investigation of the xV2O5(1-x)[Bi2O3B2O3] glasses by IR absorbtion, EPR and NMR](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/83688069/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials, 2006
The aim of structural characterization of the V 2 O 5 - Bi 2 O 3 - B 2 O 3 glassy system is to cl... more The aim of structural characterization of the V 2 O 5 - Bi 2 O 3 - B 2 O 3 glassy system is to clarify the role played by the Bi 2 O 3 as an unconventional network former in the structure of the investigated samples. FT-IR absorption spectra present the vibration frequencies characteristic to the both Bi 2 O 3 and B 2 O 3 , and, also, the influence of vanadium penthaoxide on the main IR absorption bands. The presence of the main structural units [BiO 3 ], [BiO 6 ], [BO 3 ] and [BO 4 ] and their dependence on the V 2 O 5 content is evidenced. The EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) spectra contain a single resonance line centered at g≈1.98 with a partially resolved 51 V (1=7/2) hyperfine structure for the samples with high V 2 O 5 content (x > 30 mol %). This fact reveals the existence of the isolated paramagnetic V 4+ ions, whose resonance line overlaps the broad line characteristic to the associated V 4+ ions (for 1≤ x ≤ 20 mol %). 11 B MAS-NMR (Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Ma...
The potential of high-resolution solid-state NMR to address the problem of establishing quantitat... more The potential of high-resolution solid-state NMR to address the problem of establishing quantitative relationships between macroscopic properties of soft solids and biomaterials and their structure and dynamics at the molecular level is investigated. An analysis of advanced proton recoupling pulse sequences to provide unique insights into the structure and dynamics of such materials at molecular level is given. In particular, the excitation of multiple-quantum coherences under rotational resonance conditions is analyzed with respect to quantifying the cross-peak intensities measured from the corresponding 2D 1H- 1 H correlation spectra in terms of the characteristic order parameter, which provides structural and dynamical information for the investigated materials.
ABSTRACTThe role of different intervention strategies on improving academic writing (AW) competen... more ABSTRACTThe role of different intervention strategies on improving academic writing (AW) competencies of undergraduate and graduate students become one of the major focus in language, educational and psychological research in the last decade. This interest is supported by an extended corpus of research literature demonstrating the role of AW interventions in increasing publication rates at academic level and in developing writing competencies (McGrail, Rickard, & Jones, 2007). Our paper present a systematic review of the academic writing intervention published in ISI database between 2001 and 2013. Roles and effects of different types of interventions are discussed alongside with measured variables, data search and data analysis methodologies. Conclusions and recommendations for future research studies and academic writing programs design are formulated.KEYWORDS: meta-analysis, systematic review, intervention, academic writingINTRODUCTIONNowadays, academic writing in English is perc...
![Research paper thumbnail of Structural investigation of the xV2O5(1-x)[Bi 2O3.B2O3] glasses by IR absorbtion, EPR and NMR](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/83686201/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](OPTOELECTRONICS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS-RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
The aim of structural characterization of the V2O5-Bi2O3-B2O3 glassy system is to clarify the rol... more The aim of structural characterization of the V2O5-Bi2O3-B2O3 glassy system is to clarify the role played by the Bi2O3 as an unconventional network former in the structure of the investigated samples. FT-IR absorption spectra present the vibration frequencies characteristic to the both Bi2O3 and B2O3, and, also, the influence of vanadium penthaoxide on the main IR absorption bands. The presence of the main structural units [BiO3], [BiO6], [BO3] and [BO4] and their dependence on the V2O5 content is evidenced. The EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) spectra contain a single resonance line centered at g ≈ 1.98 with a partially resolved 51 V (I=7/2) hyperfine structure for the samples with high V2O5 content (x > 30 mol %). This fact reveals the existence of the isolated paramagnetic V 4+ ions, whose resonance line overlaps the broad line characteristic to the associated V 4+ ions (for 1≤ x ≤ 20 mol %). 11 B MAS-NMR (Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectra performed on the studied glass samples indicate the changes produced by the addition of vanadium penthaoxide on the coordination of boron atoms. The modification of the relative intensity and position of the resonance lines corresponding to the boron atoms suggests the influence of V2O5 on the local structure of the studied glasses.
Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 2013
A cultural heritage canvas from the early 19 th century, painted by the Vaccaro brothers for the ... more A cultural heritage canvas from the early 19 th century, painted by the Vaccaro brothers for the church of Niscemi, province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, was analyzed using Fourier transform (FT)-Raman, attenuated total reflectance-FT-infrared and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The painting, still used in religious rites related to the Easter mass ('la calata da tila'), depicts the scene of the Crucifixion and is executed in a scarce palette, with white, green and blue colors. Analysing vibrational data in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy and solid-state 13 C-NMR signals of the linen threads, we were able to offer valuable insight into the painting technique, unknown prior to this study. SERS is usually employed in artwork diagnosis for the identification of organic lakes and dyes. Due to its sensitivity, SERS has been successfully applied for the detection of either organic painting materials (indigo) that are usually not resolved by conventional Raman spectroscopy or of inorganic pigments difficult to observe in the presence of highly fluorescent aged organic supports or binders. To the best of our knowledge, this is also the first report on the SERS investigation of flax used in linen from cultural heritage objects using Ag colloidal nanoparticles.
Research-focused higher education institutions can achieve scientific visibility, research perfor... more 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 Babes-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 insti...
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Current Science
The development of academic writing skills is imperative for graduate students and young research... more The development of academic writing skills is imperative for graduate students and young researchers who intend to pursue research or a career in academia. However, currently, the curricula in Romanian universities seldom offer support in this area. In this context, we present a four-module programme for delivering academic writing courses that have been successfully implemented in a Romanian university and can be easily replicated. Furthermore, this study provides viable strategies and offers specific and general findings regarding doctoral students' learning needs, challenges and opportunities at the institutional level.
Waste Management
Plastic production and worldwide use of plastic materials have continued to rise due to their con... more Plastic production and worldwide use of plastic materials have continued to rise due to their convenience and excellent marketing advantages. This is generating an environmental crisis and global scale pollution which is one of the greatest threats to our planet. One of the best responses could be accomplished by improving recycling and waste management strategies. In this paper we conducted Raman analyses of representative stock of plastics aged in terrestrial or aquatic environments spanning in age up to 15 years. We aimed to establish any potential influence of the aging conditions on the Raman signature of specific plastics. This information is further used to build up a Raman logic gate for automatic sorting of plastic waste recovered from environment. Pigments and aging introduced indeed small changes in the Raman signature of the respective plastics. However, we were able to identify unique spectral ranges characteristic for the main plastic types and intensity threshold of fingerprint bands sufficiently strong for building robust Raman barcodes for sorting. Waste plastics Raman data handling and the proposed methodology for sorting complies with the FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) principles of scientific data, being useful for researchers, policymakers and stakeholders. Our spectral characterization of solid plastic waste comes in support of improved waste plastic management and could have economic and environmental positive impact.
ACS Omega, 2021
Due to their chemical composition, richness in calcium carbonate, chitin, proteins, and pigments,... more Due to their chemical composition, richness in calcium carbonate, chitin, proteins, and pigments, and nanoporous structure, crustacean shell waste shows great potential for a wide variety of applications. Large quantities of waste shells are produced annually, meaning that they can be considered a renewable source of ecofriendly biogenic materials, which can be turned into value-added byproducts. In this paper, an IR-based technique is developed to differentiate various biogenic powders originated from crude or food-processed crustacean shells. The validity of the method is supported by cross-checking with XRD, NMR, and SEM−EDX analyses. Our goal was to determine changes in properties of waste crab shells after the two most common treatments, deproteinization and milling. We discovered that deproteinization with NaOH could be tracked from the IR absorbance intensity ratio of the υ(CH 2,3) and υ asym (CO 3 2−) bands while milling time less influenced this ratio but induced changes in powder particle size distribution and morphology. The relative organic/inorganic ratio was different for different colored shells. Unexpectedly, waste shells stored for an average of 6 months or more were found to contain hydrated calcium carbonate (monohydrocalcite), which was absent in equivalent fresh shell composition. Deproteinization caused changes in mechanical properties of shells, making them more brittle, which resulted in a larger fraction of fine particles after powdering.
Scientific Reports, 2021
In this study we aimed to compare the mineralogical, thermal, physicochemical, and biological cha... more In this study we aimed to compare the mineralogical, thermal, physicochemical, and biological characteristics of recent organic carbon-rich sediments (‘sapropels’) from three geographically distant Romanian lakes (Tekirghiol and Amara, SE Romania, and Ursu, Central Romania) with distinct hydrogeochemical origins, presently used for pelotherapy. The investigated lakes were classified as inland brackish Na-Cl-sulfated type (Amara), coastal moderately saline and inland hypersaline Na-Cl types (Tekirghiol and Ursu, respectively). The settled organic matter is largely composed of photosynthetic pigments derived from autochthonous phytoplankton. Kerogen was identified in the sapropel of coastal Tekirghiol Lake suggesting its incipient maturation stage. The mineral composition was fairly similar in all sapropels and mainly consisted of quartz, calcite, and aragonite. Smectite, illite, mixed layer smectite/illite appeared as major clay components. Potentially toxic elements were found in lo...
Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials, 2007
An 13 C Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (SS-NMR) procedure for extracting str... more An 13 C Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (SS-NMR) procedure for extracting structural and dynamical information in organic molecules is introduced. The method combines numerical simulations with two kinds of NMR experiments namely conventional CP-MAS (cross-polarisation magic angle spinning) and remote protons CP-MAS. The former is mostly sensitive to dipolar couplings between directly bonded 13 C- 1 H nuclei, whereas the latter prepares a state of non-uniform polarization, where these particular spin pairs are de-polarized prior to recording the CP buildup curve. This curve is then expected to quantify the polarization transfer from remote protons only. The method is demonstrated for the specific NH 3 group of L-alanine and it shows that the remote protons polarization transfer curve can be used in combination with the conventional CP/MAS curve to get additional structural and dynamical information in molecular systems with relevance for biology and advanced mate...
ABSTRACTImproving and maintaining researchers ' academic writing competencies is the central ... more ABSTRACTImproving and maintaining researchers ' academic writing competencies is the central goal of research focused higher education institutions in their endeavour to achieve scientific visibility and excellence in research. This article proposes an in- depth needs analysis validation that would be used as an instrument to fundament, improve and adapt academic writing programs. The project aims to develop academic writing skills based on enhanced interventions focused on identified needs of master and Ph.D. students (N = 33). The need analysis was conducted using an adapted version of the Duszak and Lewkowicz (2008) questionnaire. Results are suggesting that, the number of already published articles does not. function as an objective predictor for the development, of academic writing competencies, both categories (social and hard sciences) aiming in comparable percentage to increase their skills. Investigating students ' needs regarding academic writing process is an impo...
2019 E-Health and Bioengineering Conference (EHB), 2019
Recycle and reuse of plastic material largely involved in medical acts is the subject of strict r... more Recycle and reuse of plastic material largely involved in medical acts is the subject of strict regulations and ethical guidelines. Different categories and types of plastics are used to date in medical units, mainly polypropylene and polyethylene, transparent or colored of high or low density. Regardless if they are contaminated or not with harmful pathogens, their disposal is an increasing problem with high costs for proper management and therefore their recycling must involve special management of waste. Here we prospect the possibility to implement new laser-based Raman technology for innovative sorting of residual medical plastic. Currently, medical plastic waste disposal attached enormous attention in the frame of circular economy for avoiding costs and pollution produced by the incineration procedures. To explore any potential added-value by-product resulted from medical waste we need to understand their structure and properties after medical use. Since medical grade plastics...
Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials, 2006
The aim of structural characterization of the V 2 O 5 - Bi 2 O 3 - B 2 O 3 glassy system is to cl... more The aim of structural characterization of the V 2 O 5 - Bi 2 O 3 - B 2 O 3 glassy system is to clarify the role played by the Bi 2 O 3 as an unconventional network former in the structure of the investigated samples. FT-IR absorption spectra present the vibration frequencies characteristic to the both Bi 2 O 3 and B 2 O 3 , and, also, the influence of vanadium penthaoxide on the main IR absorption bands. The presence of the main structural units [BiO 3 ], [BiO 6 ], [BO 3 ] and [BO 4 ] and their dependence on the V 2 O 5 content is evidenced. The EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) spectra contain a single resonance line centered at g≈1.98 with a partially resolved 51 V (1=7/2) hyperfine structure for the samples with high V 2 O 5 content (x > 30 mol %). This fact reveals the existence of the isolated paramagnetic V 4+ ions, whose resonance line overlaps the broad line characteristic to the associated V 4+ ions (for 1≤ x ≤ 20 mol %). 11 B MAS-NMR (Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Ma...
The potential of high-resolution solid-state NMR to address the problem of establishing quantitat... more The potential of high-resolution solid-state NMR to address the problem of establishing quantitative relationships between macroscopic properties of soft solids and biomaterials and their structure and dynamics at the molecular level is investigated. An analysis of advanced proton recoupling pulse sequences to provide unique insights into the structure and dynamics of such materials at molecular level is given. In particular, the excitation of multiple-quantum coherences under rotational resonance conditions is analyzed with respect to quantifying the cross-peak intensities measured from the corresponding 2D 1H- 1 H correlation spectra in terms of the characteristic order parameter, which provides structural and dynamical information for the investigated materials.
ABSTRACTThe role of different intervention strategies on improving academic writing (AW) competen... more ABSTRACTThe role of different intervention strategies on improving academic writing (AW) competencies of undergraduate and graduate students become one of the major focus in language, educational and psychological research in the last decade. This interest is supported by an extended corpus of research literature demonstrating the role of AW interventions in increasing publication rates at academic level and in developing writing competencies (McGrail, Rickard, & Jones, 2007). Our paper present a systematic review of the academic writing intervention published in ISI database between 2001 and 2013. Roles and effects of different types of interventions are discussed alongside with measured variables, data search and data analysis methodologies. Conclusions and recommendations for future research studies and academic writing programs design are formulated.KEYWORDS: meta-analysis, systematic review, intervention, academic writingINTRODUCTIONNowadays, academic writing in English is perc...
OPTOELECTRONICS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS-RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
The aim of structural characterization of the V2O5-Bi2O3-B2O3 glassy system is to clarify the rol... more The aim of structural characterization of the V2O5-Bi2O3-B2O3 glassy system is to clarify the role played by the Bi2O3 as an unconventional network former in the structure of the investigated samples. FT-IR absorption spectra present the vibration frequencies characteristic to the both Bi2O3 and B2O3, and, also, the influence of vanadium penthaoxide on the main IR absorption bands. The presence of the main structural units [BiO3], [BiO6], [BO3] and [BO4] and their dependence on the V2O5 content is evidenced. The EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) spectra contain a single resonance line centered at g ≈ 1.98 with a partially resolved 51 V (I=7/2) hyperfine structure for the samples with high V2O5 content (x > 30 mol %). This fact reveals the existence of the isolated paramagnetic V 4+ ions, whose resonance line overlaps the broad line characteristic to the associated V 4+ ions (for 1≤ x ≤ 20 mol %). 11 B MAS-NMR (Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectra performed on the studied glass samples indicate the changes produced by the addition of vanadium penthaoxide on the coordination of boron atoms. The modification of the relative intensity and position of the resonance lines corresponding to the boron atoms suggests the influence of V2O5 on the local structure of the studied glasses.
Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 2013
A cultural heritage canvas from the early 19 th century, painted by the Vaccaro brothers for the ... more A cultural heritage canvas from the early 19 th century, painted by the Vaccaro brothers for the church of Niscemi, province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, was analyzed using Fourier transform (FT)-Raman, attenuated total reflectance-FT-infrared and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The painting, still used in religious rites related to the Easter mass ('la calata da tila'), depicts the scene of the Crucifixion and is executed in a scarce palette, with white, green and blue colors. Analysing vibrational data in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy and solid-state 13 C-NMR signals of the linen threads, we were able to offer valuable insight into the painting technique, unknown prior to this study. SERS is usually employed in artwork diagnosis for the identification of organic lakes and dyes. Due to its sensitivity, SERS has been successfully applied for the detection of either organic painting materials (indigo) that are usually not resolved by conventional Raman spectroscopy or of inorganic pigments difficult to observe in the presence of highly fluorescent aged organic supports or binders. To the best of our knowledge, this is also the first report on the SERS investigation of flax used in linen from cultural heritage objects using Ag colloidal nanoparticles.
Research-focused higher education institutions can achieve scientific visibility, research perfor... more 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 Babes-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 insti...
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Current Science
The development of academic writing skills is imperative for graduate students and young research... more The development of academic writing skills is imperative for graduate students and young researchers who intend to pursue research or a career in academia. However, currently, the curricula in Romanian universities seldom offer support in this area. In this context, we present a four-module programme for delivering academic writing courses that have been successfully implemented in a Romanian university and can be easily replicated. Furthermore, this study provides viable strategies and offers specific and general findings regarding doctoral students' learning needs, challenges and opportunities at the institutional level.