Academic Writing Workshop for Medical School Faculty

Abstract Introduction For many faculty members in academic medicine, the daily demands of teaching, research, and patient care often leave little time for scholarly writing. Lack of confidence in writing abilities and few opportunities for feedback on drafts only make it more challenging to produce manuscripts suitable for publication. As a result, data collected on educational interventions and other projects may go unreported in the peer-reviewed literature. Responding to this need, we created a four-part workshop to provide medical faculty members with the structure and support to complete an academic manuscript. Methods Participants register for the workshop with a specific writing project in mind. Each 1-hour session includes an interactive discussion on a writing topic and a meeting with a writing team. Topics of the sessions are writing mechanics (Session 1), from data to argument (Session 2), editing and rewriting (Session 3), and publishing (Session 4). Together, the workshop facilitators and peer mentors ensure that writers receive the feedback and encouragement necessary to prepare manuscripts for submission. Results At the fourth session, participants in the workshop completed an evaluation form. Eleven of 14 respondents (79%) reported increased confidence in their ability to complete the writing project. The overwhelming majority of participants expressed satisfaction with the frequency and number of workshop meetings. Discussion As a result of the workshop, more findings from research projects will reach scholarly audiences. Individual participants will benefit by enhancing their publication records, a key consideration in promotion decisions.