Writing for Publication! Training, coaching, and peer-to-peer learning to write and publish a peer-reviewed article: Post-training report

CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform. 2025. Writing for Publication! Training, coaching, and peer-to-peer learning to write and publish a peer-reviewed article: Post-training report. Nairobi, Kenya: CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform.

From August to December 2024, 22 early- to mid-career CGIAR gender researchers participated in a novel training to improve their writing for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The training was organized by the Alliances Module of the GENDER Impact Platform under the coordination of Arwen Bailey of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and was delivered by a consultant, Dr Jeremy Cherfas. The training included three course sessions, peer-review in pairs of the papers that participants were developing, and three coaching sessions. The objective is for all 24 researchers to submit their paper by the end of March 2025.

A survey was conducted before and after the training to track self-perception of knowledge and skills in key areas of scientific writing for publication. The post-training survey also asked about the experience of the course and suggestions for improvement.

The survey results indicate that the training was overall successful. With some small improvements, the GENDER Impact Platform could consider re-running it in 2025. One indicator to keep an eye on to assess ultimate success will be how many of the 24 participants submit a paper and have a paper accepted for publication in the first quarter of 2025. An idea has been mooted to establish a mechanism for continued interaction and peer-support among participants following the training; this should be assessed for feasibility in 2025.