Online Workshop: Getting Published & Mastering Peer Review

For Postdocs and senior doctoral candidates!

Learning to write and respond to reviewers' comments are vital skills for earlycareer researchers to master if they wish to become established scientists. However, these skills are often neglected, forcing researchers to learn them by trial and error. By learning to address reviewers' comments, young researchers not only increase their chances of getting their work published but also learn to think critically about their own research. Equally, by becoming better reviewers, researchers can raise their profiles with journal editors and enhance their academic reputation.

This workshop guides you through the peer review process using a practical approach that explores the roles of the author, the reviewer and the editor. Following the workshop, as an author you will be able to engage the interest of
the journal editor with a cover letter. You will also be skilled in responding comprehensively and courteously to reviewers' comments. As a future reviewer, you will know how to critically evaluate a research article and to phrase criticism in a constructive review that benefits the scientific process.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the workshop will be held online. So it's important to mention some organisational issues related to the move online:

Date: June 8-9, 2020
The live sessions will be offered over the course of 2 days in 6 online classes (Zoom sessions lasting approx. 1 hour). Most recorded content will be available to view in advance of the live workshop sessions. You will view some recorded
content in the time between online classes.

Printed materials: All workshop participants will receive a printed workshop manual by post. This manual serves as a permanent reference book and is a hard-copy of the slides presented in the videos. You will also receive a printed exercise book.

Editor involvement: The workshop now features contributions from Dr Anke Sparmann (Senior Editor at Nature Structural & Molecular Biology) and Dr Andrew Hufton (Chief Editor at the Nature-Springer journal Scientific Data). Interviews with Dr Sparmann and Dr Hufton will allow them to share editors' perspectives on peer review as well as practical advice for authors and reviewers. These recorded interviews will complement and enhance the core workshop content.

Extended exercise on cover letter writing: Cover letter writing is an essential skill for authors. The cover letter writing exercise has previously been a real eye-opener for participants in getting the balance right when selling their science. The synchronous and asynchronous parts of the online workshop give us a great opportunity to spend more time on this essential exercise and to do full justice to this topic.

Preparation:  Before the workshop, participants will receive a manuscript of a short research article (approx. 1000 words). The manuscript describes a fictional research project of general interest and exemplifies many of the common and more subtle errors found in first submissions. As pre-workshop preparation, you are asked to write a short review of the manuscript (approx. preparation time 90 minutes). There will also be overnight homework after the first day of the workshop (approx. preparation time 45 minutes).

The workshop will be offered together with SFB 1063 by Dr. Brian Cusack of Science Craft.

Registration: The workshop is open to CeNS associates (postdocs and senior PhD students). The number of slots is unfortunately very limited. Please register here by May 15.