Scientific research writing presents significant challenges for postgraduate STEM students, requiring the integration of linguistic, rhetorical, analytical and disciplinary skills. However, limited research has examined the perceived scientific research-writing challenges of both Saudi and international postgraduate STEM students at research-intensive universities in Saudi Arabia. This study investigated these challenges and students’ preferred forms of writing support. A questionnaire incorporating quantitative and qualitative elements was completed by 40 postgraduate STEM students, with equal numbers of Saudi and international participants and Master’s and PhD students. The greatest perceived challenges were synthesising literature, identifying and articulating a research gap, writing the Discussion section and developing a coherent scientific argument. Master’s students generally reported greater difficulty than PhD students in these higher-order areas, while Saudi and international students showed broadly similar patterns. Participants expressed strong demand for targeted writing support and individual consultations and 72.5% reported using generative AI tools. The findings highlight the need for developmental, research-focused provision addressing higher-order scientific-writing practices alongside linguistic support.
Keywords: Saudi Arabia, academic writing challenges, postgraduate STEM students, research gap, scientific research writing, scientific writing support
