EFFECTIVE SCIENTIFIC WRITING, PUBLISHING AND COMMUNICATION COURSE Rationale  The cornerstone of the philosophy of science is based on the fundamental assumption that original research must be published  Scientists have an unwritten contract with their contemporaries and those whose work will follow, to provide observations honestly obtained, recorded and published  Science is a fundamentally social activity, which implies that it depends on good communication Course Logistics Venue: University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB) Date: June, 2010 Time: 9.00am Daily Organizers: AAU Food Developer Initiative, NIFST, UNAAB Application Requirements: CV & Motivation letter Application Deadline: Friday 4 June, 2010 Course Contacts: Prof. L. O. Sanni ( ) Dr. (Mrs.) Moji Edema Amoo-Onidundu ‘Lanre Course Objective The goal of the course is to provide hands-on training for scientists and researchers in the academia, research institutes and relevant government agencies in scientific writing and science communication Modules Module 1. Writing scientific manuscripts for publishing a) Title preparationb) Author listing c) Abstract preparationd) Effective presentation of results e) Stating acknowledgments f) Citing references Module 2. Other forms of science communication a) Reviewsb) Book chapters c) Thesisd) Grant proposals e) Opinions (editorials, book reviews, letter to the editor) f) Conference communication (oral, poster, report) Module 3. Writing policy publications a) Policy processesb) Policy research c) Writing policy briefs and reportsd) Agricultural policy in Africa e) Working with media Module 4. Ethics in scientific publishing a) Submitting manuscripts for publication (where to submit and how) b) Review processes (dealing with editors, peer review, correcting proofs) c) Rights and permissions d) Other ethical issues (plagiarism, fabrication, conflict of interest etc) Module 5. Project Management Module 5. Social competence and personal branding a) Preparation of recommendation letters b) Professional Bio and Curriculum Vitae c) Writing across cultures (including how and when to use abbreviations) d) Elements of public speaking (use and misuse of English etc) e) Social etiquette Resource Persons  Prof. Olusola Oyewole, African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  Dr. Linley Chiwona-Karltun, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden  Dr. Yona Baguma, National Agricultural Research Organization, Uganda  Dr. Moji Edema, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria  Prof. M. O. Iwe, Editor in Chief, Nigerian Food Journal  Prof. O. Osinowo, Director, IFSERA, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria Course Outcomes Insight into leading and conducting innovative research Acquisition of skills to actively communicate research findings especially for policy development Better attitude to motivate team work for multi-disciplinary and trans- disciplinary research Social competence necessary to cope with cultural diversities Justification o Less than 2% of scientific publications in the world come from Africa o Africa lags behind in development partly due to poor science communication o African scientists lack nurturing and training in scientific writing skills o African research institutions hardly provide training in science communication Without publication, science is dead – Gerard Piel Cost: N30,000 for NIFST Members & N40,000 for Non Members Expected Participants o Postgraduate Students o Young Scientists/Lecturers o Professionals working in Industries, Parastatals & Research Institutes o NGOs