Academic literacy development among law students: preparation of a research report

In modern society, the problem of developing academic literacy of young researchers for their successful integration into the international scientific community is becoming increasingly important. Students’ participation in university research work provides opportunities for the development of academic writing skills, which is the basis of academic literacy. The purpose of this article is to analyze the gradual development of academic literacy of law students in the process of conducting research on a professional topic and preparing a scientific report in English. The peculiarities and characteristics of scientific report preparation are presented in the article. Preparatory, formative, basic and conscious participation stages are substantiated by the author. Each of these stages develops certain competencies. At the first stage, students learn to identify genres of texts, analyze and structure information. The second stage is devoted to developing critical reading skills. The students learn how to analyze and interpret information, correlate, summarize facts and draw conclusions. At the third stage, students master academic discourse in the context of legal science, study methodology of research, learn to process comparative data, structure and organize their research in a logical manner, and properly design the list of references. At the stage of conscious participation students generate ideas, defend their position, create and transmit new knowledge, take responsibility for the results achieved and show readiness for new challenges. These skills are indicators of the development of academic literacy, a competence that enables the realization of scientific communication at further stages of education.