Writing for publication: a workshop to prepare faculty as medical writers

Abstract

Background and objectives: A 2 1/2-day Writing for Publication Workshop was presented to faculty and fellows for 5 successive years, 1991-1995. This paper describes the workshop curriculum and reports evaluation results.

Methods: A three-part evaluation plan incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods. First, a nine-item questionnaire was administered to the 1992-1995 participants immediately prior to and after the workshop to identify perceived change in knowledge and skills. Second, a follow-up qualitative interview was administered to the 1991 and 1992 participants to identify their perceptions of the workshop's usefulness. Third, pre- and postworkshop publications of the 1991 and 1992 participants were analyzed to identify types of publications and significant differences in rates of publication.

Results: Eighty individuals participated in the five workshops given during the 1991-1995 period. Pre/post self-assessment data indicated significant increases in perceived knowledge and skill in all nine areas of assessment. The follow-up interview data showed that participants felt that the workshop motivated them to begin and sustain writing projects, gave them skills that made their writing more effective, and demystified the submission and publication processes. Analysis of the difference between pre- and postworkshop rates of publication showed a significant increase in the rate of publication.

Conclusions: The evaluation findings indicate that the Writing for Publication Workshop met its educational objectives. Future curricula to prepare faculty as medical writers need to be tested using quasi-experimental designs to determine their impact on publication productivity and quality.