The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) and African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) have recently trained over 20 scientists on writing biomedical research manuscripts for publication.
The eight day workshop, which was held at the IHVN training hall in Abuja, mentored health researchers on the process of writing, data analysis and revising it for submission to international journals. Other topics covered at the workshop included methods, literature review, results, discussion, authorship and peer-review.
Former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Prof. Oni Emmanuel Idigbe, a workshop facilitator, said that the workshop would enable researchers to share important findings with the public. “It is a common practice by most organisations to shelf relevant generated data which ought to be made public for the scientific and academic community for possible contribution towards improving strategies, policies and healthcare generally,” he said.
Participants at the workshop, Dr. Bashir Zubairu and Dr. Oluwakemi Akagwu, said it has simplified the scientific writing process and helped them to sharpen their writing skills in preparation for research publications.
IHVN Director of Laboratory Research, Dr. Nicaise Ndembi, and ASLM Senior Communications Officer, Mr. Corey White, facilitators of the training, said the workshop is also a way to expand the capacity of both IHVN and ASLM as collaborating partners. Dr. Ndembi added that the Institute has data generated from past research work that needs to be put out there in the public domain. He added that the participants who were chosen on the basis of authorship, possession of a complete draft manuscript and quality of data, are now better equipped for dissemination of quality scientific research abstracts in both national and international meetings.
Writers: Lorna Agwu (IHVN), Blessing Ukpabi (IHVN); Contributor: Corey White (ASLM)
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Originally published in the February 2014 issue of Lab Culture newsletter.