European Science Editing (Feb 2021)

Online course in conjunction with face-to-face workshops to improve writing skills leading towards more publications in peer reviewed journals

  • Amon P Shoko,
  • Ismael A Kimirei,
  • Baraka C Sekadende,
  • Mary A Kishe,
  • Innocent E Sailale

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3897/ese.2021.e54417
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 47
pp. 1 – 6

Abstract

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Background: Researchers in the developing countries often have inadequate scientific writing skills to publish their research in international peer reviewed journals.Objectives: To improve the research-and proposal-writing skills of researchers and to evaluate the impact of this intervention.Methods: An off-the-shelf online course (AuthorAID, developed by INASP) was embedded in the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute’s (TAFIRI) website and offered to the institute researchers in Tanzania. The 8-week course was followed by a 2-day face- to-face workshop that used the course material contextualized to local conditions, and the combination was repeated one more time.Results: A total of 47 participants completed the course and attended the workshop: 21 (54%) completed the course in 2016 and 26 (67%) in 2017. The number of papers published annually by TAFIRI staff more than tripled between 2016 and 2019 after the AuthorAID intervention, most of them (114, or 91%) by researchers who had undergone the training.Conclusion: Embedding and contextualizing proven learning materials, such as the AuthorAID online course, can be an economical and effective approach to improving the writing skills of scientists in developing countries.

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