Scientific Writing Workshop

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

This one-day workshop is a condensed version of the four-day scientific writing workshop, originally developed for the 2013 Bi-regional TEPHINET conference. It does not include individual work towards a complete manuscript on a specific project, but rather provides an introduction to the methods used in the full workshop as well as some issues to be considered in the drafting process.  This workshop is designed to introduce participants to the steps involved in writing up the results of operational and epidemiological investigations for publication in peer reviewed journals. The course introduces students to a structured approach to writing scientific papers, by breaking up the writing process into a series of smaller steps. 

WORKSHOP FORMAT 

The workshop can be conducted by one facilitator and is classroom-based. The workshop is structured using a combination of: presentations by the facilitator, group activities and individual work by participants. The presentations are organized in the order in which scientific journal articles are usually written and are built around practical exercises that apply the ideas presented.  

Sample agenda (may also be split across two days):   

08.30 – 10.00 Presentation: Introduction to publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts. Group activity: Developing a manuscript outline  

10.00 – 10.30 Break  

10.30 – 12.00 Presentation and activities: Results & Methods  

12.00 – 13.00 Lunch 

13.00 – 15.00 Presentation and activities: Discussion - Introduction - Preparing your manuscript for submission

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

After the training, participants should be able to:  

1. Understand the components of a scientific journal article 

2. Use a manuscript outline to determine the contents of an article 

3. Learn some tips and tricks for writing successful articles 

4. Submit a manuscript to WPSAR or other peer-reviewed journal

FACILITATORS:

1. Ashley Arashiro is a Technical Officer at WPRO and has been coordinating editor of the WPSAR journal since November 2020. She holds an MPH from Johns Hopkins University and has been editing manuscripts in the health sciences since 2014.

2. Michelle McPherson is co-editor of the WPSAR journal, and has edited for the journal periodically since 2012. She is Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Tasmania. She is a graduate and previous staff member of the Australian FETP, and has worked with many FETPs across the Western Pacific Region. She has also attended previous TEPHINET conferences both as a participant and a workshop facilitator. (Participation TBC)

3. Depending on availability, a member of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at ANU (WHO-CC for health security workforce training and research) may also join as a facilitator.

PARTICIPANTS:

FETP fellows and other interested conference attendees

Maximum number: 30