Publication skills development in the sciences: decision support for effective program design

Abstract

In the face of expanding pressure for science researchers to write articles for refereed journals, research is needed on ways to design cost-effective training programs that respond to contextual variables including language backgrounds. Here we propose a matrix of four descriptor scales for classifying groups to be trained, based on detailed analysis of workshops taught by interdisciplinary teams in a wide range of institutional and linguistic contexts using a collaborative approach grounded in genre analysis and corpus linguistics. The resulting classification of participants and context enable optimisation of the training team and effective decision-making about program design.