Date: 2nd August 2023, 02:30 - 4:00pm
Venue: To Be Confirmed

Moderator: 
Prof Emilia Noormahomed
University of Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), Maputo, Mozambique

Speakers/Facilitators: 
Prof. Jean B. Nachega, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAS
Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA

Prof. Peter Nyasulu, PhD
Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

TOPIC 
The workshop will focus on scientific writing for publication in health sciences/medicine journals of high quality and high impact factor. 

RATIONALE
This workshop will build insights and skills to apply some of the fundamental ideas and concepts on scientific writing focusing on scholarship, methodology, preparing for peer review and attending to peer review comments. Publication from Africa in high impact factor journal has been perpetually low owing to challenges with skills on how to draft a bullet proof manuscript, that is submitted to a journal that fits with the topic or message contained in the paper. 

OVERALL OBJECTIVE
The overall goal is bringing to light critical pitfalls in the process of scientific publication which would have the potential to minimize the rate of rejection and increase success in publishing work from the African continent on high impact factor journals that are internationally competitive.

SPECIFIC AIMS
• To engage with scientists in the early stages of their scientific career to unravel critical skills required to sustain good through but also publish in high impact 
factor accredited journals.
• To build on existing/draft manuscript from selected registered participants for improvement while serving as learning for others as well
• To highlight the criteria for authorship, choosing the correct journal, attending to peer review comments and resubmission of manuscript
• To help workshop participants to shift their own model of publishing and practice around the designing and delivering of an effective and well thought out manuscript that will stand the eyes of a peer reviewer. 

DESCRIPTION
The workshop will be conducted within a 120-minute time. It will be highly interactive and participatory, designed to create experientially based insights into the process and approaches to successful publication. We hope by the end of the workshop we will have achieved our goals in such a way that those who will have been working on manuscripts could have just a few more sessions and then submit their work.

AGENDA

Stage	Tasks	Time
1	Introductions	5 min
2	Experience the activities and methodology. Using sample existing draft manuscripts of selected attendees, the audience will be invited to actively participate in and experience a range of interactive activities which in and around scientific writing on topics that they are working on. The workshop will benefit all, but specifically those who already have drafts in progress, so they can advance on their writing	45 min
3	Choosing the right journal  Summary of how to scan for journal in one’s field	10 min
4	Key Concepts underpinning scientific writing.  Some building blocks include 1, writing and reviewing written work, 2 critical appraisals of published work, 3. correct referencing, 4. using referencing software.	30 min
5	Peer review process Attending to peer review comments, and how to revise a manuscript accordingly	10 min
6	Final Questions and Closing	10 min
	TOTAL	120 min