Why Open Science Matters: Perspectives from an African Scholarly Communication Expert
Link to the full episode: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room | Listen on Anchor FM
For many years, African libraries have been struggling to keep up with the rest of the world in terms of access to scientific information and resources. This has led to a situation where valuable research findings are often shelved and not shared with the wider scientific community, and libraries are forced to operate with limited resources, hindering their ability to provide quality services to their users. In this episode, we (more…)
24 January, Nairobi, London-We are excited to announce that Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) has entered into a partnership with Scholarcy, an AI-powered reading and document analysis tool that converts research papers and other academic texts into interactive summary flashcards. . This collaboration will allow the TCC Africa community and African early career and published researchers to understand how technology like Scholarcy’s can be used to screen and analyse hundreds of articles more efficiently, making the often daunting task of writing a literature review more manageable. (more…)
We are is excited to announce that our Founding Director Prof. Gabor Lovei has published a book on the elements of #academicwriting. Please download it here https://openbookpublishers.com
AfricArXiv, Eider Africa, eLife, PREreview, and TCC Africa have collaborated to develop a peer-review training workshop, Open Peer Reviewers in Africa, tailored to the region-specific context of African researchers. They co-created tools and strategies for scholarly literature evaluation, and are now ready to pilot the new workshop series with researchers who would be interested in sharing their knowledge by training others, and helping co-develop the resources further.
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Originated and established in a western context over decades, research assessment and quality assurance are commonly achieved through a practice called “peer review”. Typically, one to three scholars of a research discipline similar to the one described in a manuscript submitted to a journal for publication assess research rigor based on their personal experience and informed by the standards established in their research field.
“My Belief in PanAfricanism got me to Kenya and a Scholarship for my PhD”
Iddrisu Barihim is a doctoral finalist at Kenyatta University with a PhD in Social Studies education. His research focus is on the preparedness of secondary schools in their application of online learning in teaching and learning of social studies in the northern region of Ghana.
“I decided to come to Kenya instead of pursuing my education in Ghana because I’m a Pan Africanist who believes we need to network.” He says and adds, “ I believe that we can do it with a strong collaboration among ourselves, and I needed to learn from a different perspective ,culture and context in a new environment and I don’t regret it.” “I actually learned a lot!” “ My capacity has been built so much in Kenya.”
(more…)Former 2020 TCC Africa Trainee, Dr. Zephania Birech is a physicist from the School of Physical Sciences at the University of Nairobi, who was at first curious on how to work at a multidisciplinary research level, then later took the plunge and started collaborating with health scientists in his research projects. The result is that, he came up with innovations that have created innovative rapid prediction techniques of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
Elsevier’s latest global analysis reveals progress toward gender parity, but women still trail men in number of publications and citations
Our Director Ms Joy Owango receives the certificate of award at the Invest2Impact Africa ceremony, held in #Kigali #Rwanda.
Out of 800 companies in 5 countries, Training Centre in Communication was recognised for its business sustainable approach in supporting #researchers, research institutes and governments ,in improving their research output & visibility through training. #MyTccexperience#TCCat10#Thepowerof100
Train.Support.Empower.
Our Director Ms Joy Owango receives the certificate of award at the Invest2Impact Africa ceremony, held in #Kigali #Rwanda.
Out of 800 companies in 5 countries, Training Centre in Communication was recognised for its business sustainable approach in supporting #researchers, research institutes and governments ,in improving their research output & visibility through training. #MyTccexperience#TCCat10#Thepowerof100
Train.Support.Empower.
Recently I walked past my colleague’s office and noticed he was laughing. I asked him what was so funny.“I am reading about an authorship story of ‘Stronzo Bestiale’,” he chuckled. “Apparently, a US physicist (William Hoover) was struggling to publish his research in the 1980s. He overheard two Italian women refer to someone as ‘Stronzo Bestiale’. Hoover decided to resubmit his papers to the same journals that rejected them. On resubmission, he changed the title and added a fake co-author named ‘Stronzo Bestiale’. It seems his intention was to insult the editors, but instead, they missed his insult and his two papers were published. If you search for ‘Stronzo Bestiale’ on Scopus, two articles co-authored with Hoover come up.” (more…)
Authors wishing to publish their research aim to publish in journals with the highest ratings. Publishing in a prestigious journal not only looks good on your CV, but may also give you better career and funding opportunities. Researchers commonly use the journal impact factor (JIF) to assess overall journal quality. However, the JIF has its advantages and disadvantages. Here we describe other factors that you should consider while assessing a journal.
(more…)A good image or figure can go a long way in effectively communicating your results and explaining them through your manuscript. Fortunately, we have several tools that can help us effectively prepare or improvise them. Here we give you a summary of the top tools that can be used to create images and figures for scientific research publications. You can also access detailed information on some of these tools here.
(more…)Many graduate students are often concerned that academic writing is too difficult. This concern, however, can be eased. There are many tips a student can learn in order to become a better academic writer. This includes understanding how the writing process can help develop the necessary writing skills needed for academic and professional careers.
(more…)Plan S is an exciting development for the research community. So what exactly is Plan S?
The key goal of Plan S is that, by 2020, publications from research funded by public grants must be published in open access journals or platforms. Plan S also has ten principles. These cover factors such as copyright, funding and timelines. (more…)
Journal rejection is something that every researcher faces at some point in their research career. As a researcher, rejection of your manuscript by a journal can be very discouraging after spending years planning your research, securing funding, compiling and analyzing data, etc. In this episode of Enago Academy’s podcast, we will share 5 top tips that will help you avoid journal rejection and have a successful publication journey. (more…)
Important research findings with ground-breaking results need to be published at the earliest. These findings are usually a part of the entire research but are often published as short or brief communications. Brief communications usually have a strict length, word count, and figure limits. Here, we provide essential tips when drafting brief communications. Are you looking to publish your research as a short/brief communication? Then don’t forget to keep the below tips in mind. (more…)
“There is no reason why we should do research, get findings on socio-political and economic issues and fail to disseminate that information to the society.” Hesbon Hansen Owilla, a lecturer and a DAAD PhD Scholar.
Science carries an anachronistic burden: a dull and under-developed communication culture. This is a general problem as science needs to be communicated widely and effectively to help solving the challenges of the future. Olle Bergman, engineer-come-communicator, suggests an more progressive mindset, based on “the two Ps”: • Inject more Passion • Learn from the Professionals. With a hands-on approach, Olle Bergman demonstrates some examples from the toolbox of professional communication and points out that a movement is emerging which is breaking the conventions of the traditional scientific culture. Olle Bergman – swedish communications consultant, public speaker & professional writer with a passion for science, language, history & people. Project leader for Crastina – a network of influencers who believe science and tech can be communicated in a more engaged and professional way. Proud Polonium Foundation Ambassador.
(more…)Many first-time authors use the research conducted as part of their PhD or even Master’s thesis as a basis for a journal article. While that’s a logical step, the requirements for a thesis differ from those of a paper in a peer reviewed academic journal in very significant ways. Ensuring that you are familiar with these can prove the difference between acceptance and rejection… (more…)
My name is Dr. Siham Elnour Elimam , I am a lecturer at the University of Gezira, Sudan.
The training on Scientific Writing organized by Training Centre of Communication was very beneficial and worth attending. I, together with my colleague, Dr. Abdelaziz benefitted a lot from it. The training was packaged and delivered to match our expectations and I can confidently say that my Scientific Writing skills and expertise improved tremendously. (more…)
African languages will have a formal role in the scientific research community with the launch of a repository that encourages and accepts research in indigenous languages including Swahili, Akan, Zulu, Igbo and more.
AfricArXiv is an online platform that publishes preprints submitted exclusively from African scientists or those whose research is relevant to the continent. It is the latest to join a small, but growing roster of science publications trying to make sure African scientists don’t get left out of research publishing cycles. Preprints are drafts or complete articles that have not been peer-reviewed. They are especially useful because it allows scientists to receive quick and early feedback on projects they are working on. (more…)
TCC trained 65 participants from various research programmes in Scientific Communication and Publishing and Science Communication and Communicating to Non Scientists.
TCC trained researchers from University of Nairobi, Gertrude Gardens Children Hospital, Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization, AGRA Alliance Research Fellows, Maasai Mara University. The training sessions were held in Kenya and we had participants from Burkina Faso, Togo, Rwanda, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin and Senegal. (more…)
TCC trained 230 participants from various research programmes in Scientific Communication and Publishing, in the 4th quarter of 2017.
TCC trained researchers from University of Nairobi, Gertrude Gardens Children Hospital, AGRA Alliance, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), New Kenya Cooperative Creameries and Strathmore University . (more…)
I am a DAAD scholar pursuing a PhD programme in Chemistry at Makerere University, with interest in medicinal plants. I am currently working on plant species believed to have oxytocic properties.
I was very much privileged to have been invited as one of the participants to attend the 6-day training workshop in “Scientific Communication and Publishing” organized by DAAD and Training Centre in Communication (TCC) – Africa scheduled for 17-22nd September 2017 at Eureka Place Hotel, Kampala Uganda. I can confirm that learning took place with acquisition of new skills, knowledge and change of attitude. (more…)
This training is a “must attend” if one wishes to be a good researcher. These days it is no longer enough to know things but one has to be able to communicate/disseminate that knowledge in the best way possible and this is what the TCC coaches have helped me with for the four days of this training.
It was also a good occasion to meet professors from different universities in Kenya for those of us who are about to start studies in Kenyan universities. This opportunity was of paramount value especially to me. I have had time to interact and network with other students from all over Africa. I hope to get more trainings of this kind to be able to train others when I get back home. (more…)
During the four days of training, I am happy that I was able to enhance my skills and knowledge in different subjects related to science communication. Actually I consider this area as my weakness which needs to be improved as a research scientist.
The most interesting part was the data analysis where we learned the basics for using SPSS, some exercise and also introduction to other software like SAS and R. The second one was scientific writing and publishing; we went through TIMRAD-C in details and, oral communication and presentation. I was so impressed by the methodology used by experienced trainers. (more…)
TCC trained 65 participants from the Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) programme on Scientific Communication and Publishing. (more…)
SCIENCE journals have become a prime medium to expand scientific knowledge. They have been deployed since the early beginnings of scientific research. We cannot deny the fact that knowledge can only grow through the sharing of the fruits of research. Knowledge will have problem growing otherwise. And in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, journals perform an important function of curating and validating the findings generated by scientists. Over the years, journals have undeniably demonstrated their worth as effective platforms for the communication of science among peers. It is through such communication that new ideas are born. It is also through the writings in the science journals that scientific theories are enriched and improved to eventually develop into technologies which are consequently harnessed by societies for their betterment. (more…)
Science communication is defined by the aptly named journal, Scientific Communication, as “…the nature of expertise, the diffusion of knowledge, and the communication of science and technology among professionals and to the public.” (more…)
Bill Nye “The Science Guy” has simplified the complex world of chromosomes and terrestrial layers for students across America for decades. On April 21, Netflix introduced his triumphant return to the world of science education, “Bill Nye Saves the World.” (more…)
The role of social media in science has been hotly debated, with the most recent skirmish coming from a Guardian op-ed. Entitled “I’m a serious academic, not a professional Instagrammer,” the article has inspired both a “nonserious” response and ironically, its own set of hashtags: (more…)
Several years ago, actor Alan Alda led about 20 engineering students at the University of Southern California in an improv session. The students gave short talks about their research and then spent three hours trying the same exercises (more…)
The Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) brought together 14 national node Programme Managers to come up with a proposal that would be submitted to the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). This was done at the FANRPAN Common Vision Workshop, held in Nairobi from 26-27 March 2017. The focus areas of the proposal was on Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture and Climate Smart Agriculture. (more…)
The Training Centre in Communication facilitated two courses in Scientific Communication and Publishing and Communicating to Non-Scientists in January and February respectively. (more…)
It wasn’t until my fourth year of research in undergrad that I had a strange thought: Am I no longer part of the “general public?” It was an exciting thought — it felt great to be part of some exclusive club in which some of the smartest people were members. My mind was consumed by my research, so much so that I found myself analyzing data and working overtime in the lab instead of studying for my last few classes I needed to graduate. I wish that I had expressed this feeling to the primary investigator of my lab, as I think he would have put things in perspective and deflated my ego. (more…)
ew aspects of scientific work may be as crucial—and yet as easy to neglect—as reading the literature. Beginning a new research project or writing a grant application can be good opportunities for extensive literature searches, (more…)
In a bid to fully support postgraduate students in universities, the Training Centre in Communication has introduced two new courses , which, help them in improving their literature search and proper use of e-resources (more…)
Communicating about science is a noble profession, and one that’s becoming increasingly and ever more popular. Yet it isn’t the right fit for everyone. I got started in this field about five years ago, and was surprised by many of the things I needed that no one had ever mentioned. Here’s what no one ever tells you you’ll need. (more…)
