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About the course

鈥淚nnovative Companies Get Their Best Ideas from Academic Research 鈥� Here鈥檚 How They Do It?鈥� (Source: HBR).

Research papers are vital vehicles for expanding knowledge in diverse fields. Research plays a significant role in creating a significant impact in all fields of enquiry, study and innovation, such as healthcare, agriculture, technology, sociology, renewable energy etc.

Have you ever thought of how research is done with critical rigour?

The Research Writing course seeks to transform your everyday curiosity into a set of formal skills required to do academic research and develop a solid foundation in academic research methodologies. You will get to explore the research process from initial theme identification to the final presentation of findings and write a research script that contributes to the existing discourse on the subject. This course will help you learn research fundamentals, such as identifying a problem, raising a question, identifying and validating sources of information, reviewing past literature, and constructing a persuasive argument.

While some sessions will focus on helping you build an understanding of the key concepts that comprise the fundamentals of research, the course format is designed to help you learn with practice through a capstone project focused on getting a research script ready. By undergoing this thorough process of research writing, you will be equipped with three critical skills necessary to execute the research project – thinking, reading, and writing skills.

Inquiry once triggered can be applied to create impact 鈥� with this being the crux of the course, the skills sharpened in this course can be applied not only for academic or scientific research but also for information-seeking in all other domains of life. So get ready to empower yourself to develop your voice and contribute towards making an impact in the world with your research!

What鈥檚 more? Every student will get a chance to submit their research script in a competition organized by Ashoka Horizons and Springer Nature. The top 3 research papers will win exciting prizes and certificates.

“This course exposed me to essential academic tools and practices that will definitely help my future research endeavors significantly. One of the key takeaways from the session was learning how to effectively structure a research paper 鈥� from formulating a research question to conducting a literature review and presenting a coherent argument. I also learned how to identify reliable sources, cite them correctly, and compile my research in a meaningful way.”

– Devansh, Grade 12, VidyaGyan Leadership Academy

Eligibility

• High school students from India and across the world are eligible to apply.
• Students should be entering or in grades 9-12 as in summer 2025.
• Students should be comfortable with written & spoken English, which will be the medium of instruction for the courses.
• Students should have consistent access to the Internet and a computer that aligns with the
• Students should have a good and consistent academic record.

Who is this course for?

The scope of this course goes beyond learning about research fundamentals. It is also intended to encourage the youth to think about the impact they want to create with their voice and work. This course is for any such student who is explorative, inquisitive and curious about diverse fields and is interested in applying this curiosity to create an impact through research.

Prerequisites: High proficiency in written & spoken English. You will be required to submit your latest mark sheet in the application form.

What do I take away?

By the end of the programme, you will:

1. Identify a research theme and a problem worthy of academic investigation.
2. Do library search and discover the academic vocabulary [thematic] and related concepts within a disciplinary discourse.
3. Articulate a research question by mapping the field of inquiry.
4. Identify and explain the kind of methodology required in order to conduct the research.
5. Demonstrate the skills involved in reading academic texts.
6. Critically reflect on key issues and concerns underlying research philosophy, processes, and outcomes.
7. Write out a complete research script.

Programme Details

Week	Lecture Module	Project Module
Week 1	Defining research: What聽 is research? Identify a research theme and a聽 problem worthy of research聽 Thematic identification through library search Cursory reading聽 Integrity and plagiarism	Research thematic: Themes & inquiry Arrive at the research thematic within a particular discipline and discourse Brainstorming themes Academic tools: Sources and citations聽 Citation tool: Zotero聽 Curate bibliography
Week 2	Literature review: Reading & questioning Analyze existing literature, identify gaps in research, and develop questions that drive your own investigations.聽 Committed reading聽 Contemporary academic debate聽 Finding the gap and raising a critical research question	Research question: Debate and finding the gap Articulate a clear and focussed research question that is specific, analytical and arguable. Committed reading of the key texts to find the contemporary debate around thematic Annotate texts of both schools of thought in the debate Find the gap and articulate it as a research question
Week 3	Data and argumentation: Analysis & reasoning Articulate claim and assertion and write out your research argument Collection and analysis data for evidencing the claim聽 Reason (warrant): How to reason with evidence to support your claim	Research argument: Hypothesis, evidence and reasoning Curate facts, data and evidence to support your research argument Hypothesis with a clear claim and assertion Collection and analysis of data as evidence Reasoning with evidence to support the claim
Week 4	Bring out the research: Writing and scripting Communicate your voice and develop a personal writing style Research paper structure Mechanics of academic writing	Research Script: Final draft preparation and submission Prepare the final draft of the research script according to the provided structure Review of draft Research presentation
Week 5	颁辞耻苍蝉别濒濒颈苍驳:听 Get a chance to ask questions to the faculty and the mentor and get their answers and perspective.聽 You are encouraged to ask questions to the faculty around the following aspects: What are some related fields that can be explored based on this course topic? What are the future trends in the related fields? How can the course learning help the student enhance their college applications?	Mentoring: You are encouraged to ask questions to the mentor around the following aspects: What are some sub-topics to learn/practice beyond the course? What is the scope of the course topic if the student wants to pursue/study it further? What are some personal projects that can be taken up outside of the course based on the knowledge gained in the course?

Capstone Project

As your capstone project, you will prepare a structured research script for this course. This will include coming up with the thematic, articulating the question, writing the argument and finally scripting. The goal would be to get a research script ready for publishing.

Faculty

Dr. Brainerd Prince is the Associate Professor and the Director of the Center for Thinking, Language and Communication at Plaksha University. He teaches courses such as Reimagining Technology and Society, Ethics of Technological Innovation, and Art of Thinking for BTech UG students and Research Design for PhD scholars. He has completed his PhD on Sri Aurobindo鈥檚 Integral Philosophy from OCMS, Oxford 鈥� Middlesex University, London. He was formerly a Research Tutor at OCMS, Oxford, and formerly a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, a Recognized Independent Centre of Oxford University. He is also the Founding Director of Samvada International Research Institute which offers consultancy services to institutions of research and higher education around the world on designing research tracks, research teaching and research projects.

His first book The Integral Philosophy of Aurobindo: Hermeneutics and the Study of Religion was published by Routledge, Oxon in 2017. His educational background includes B. Com. (Business and Commerce, Delhi University), B.D. (Theology and Religions, UBS, Senate of Serampore) and PhD (Religious Studies and Hermeneutics, OCMS, Oxford). He is presently writing his second book on Samvada Hermeneutics: The Dialogue of Traditions for Routledge (Forthcoming, 2024).

 

Grading, assessments, certification and much more

Grading, Assessments, Certification and much more

Ashoka Horizons Achievers Programme offers a certificate on satisfactory completion of the course.聽

• Submission 1 鈥� A paragraph聽 on Research Problem and聽 Theme of 300 words – 20%
• Submission 2 鈥� Literature聽 Review of 600 Words – 20%
• Submission 3 鈥� Data presentation, Analysis聽 and Research Argument of聽 600 words – 20%
• Submission 4 鈥� Final聽 Research Script of 2000 words – 40%

Class participation will be assessed based on your active engagement in live sessions, contributions to discussion forums, and involvement in Teaching Fellow-led activities.聽

Achieve More鈥�with Horizons:

• Successful Course Completion Certificate
• Letters of Academic Achievement to top 3 students based on exceptional performance
• Potential opportunity to get prizes in a competition co-organized by Springer Nature*

*For select students, subject to discretion of the faculty

IT Requirements

This programme聽 is administered through an online platform. Students are expected to have a foundational understanding of computer usage, including but not limited to sending emails and conducting Internet searches. Consistent access to the Internet and a computer that aligns with the are also requisite for participation in the programme.

Have a question about Ashoka Horizons Achievers Programme? Write to us on horizons@ashoka.edu.in