Analysing the Level of Academic Writing Literacy of TUSUR Graduate Students

The intensification of research at Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR) leads to the increase of publication activity of graduate students. However, numerous language and style problems in their research articles in English indicate the lack of academic writing literacy, which impedes the effective publication process. Up to date, there has been no specialized course for teaching English for Academic Purposes in TUSUR. The aim of this study is to analyze the current level of paper writing skills of TUSUR first-year graduate students and their motivation for studying EAP introduced into the curriculum according to the new educational standard. The authors conducted a questionnaire survey covering most common grammar, vocabulary, punctuation and genre mistakes from students' writings. The questionnaire analysis described in the paper outlines the extent of the problem and allows defining the range and profile of didactic units for an elective EAP course. We expect that the introduction of such course will lead to the increase of publication activity of young scientists.