CDC/TEPHINET Scientific Writing course

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Research and writing go hand in hand. Scientists trained to be skilled researchers are often expected to disseminate their findings in peer-reviewed journals, which requires them to also be skilled writers. However, they typically are not formally trained in the essential skill of scientific writing and are thus unaware of the unique rules, tools, and techniques that govern it. Consequently they may struggle to communicate their findings clearly and publish their research in a timely manner.

A new Scientific Writing e-learning course was created to help scientists bridge the gap between research and publishing. The free course is now available on TEPHINET’s website. The course is based on classroom content developed by staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Paul Z. Siegel, MD, MPH, John K. Iskander, MD, MPH, and Pascale Krumm, PhD, MA, MSTPC. The project was led by CDC Qaiser Mukhtar, PhD, and Bethany Hall, MPH, in collaboration with TEPHINET and Wisewire, Inc.

The self-guided course contains eight interactive modules that cover the process of writing and submitting a scientific research manuscript. The topics include basic writing principles, how to write the Introduction, Methods and Materials, Results, and Discussion sections, better known as IMRAD,  of a manuscript, and how to write an abstract.

The course was designed for CDC’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) residents. The e-learning course, that aims to expand reach and increase convenience for learners, includes infectious and non-communicable disease examples.

“I want to thank you and your team. I just concluded the modules now and I must say that it was very enlightening and was easy to comprehend. Please send me more of such whenever there is one,” commented Nigeria resident, Ezeonyejiaku Nonye Juliana.

The course is also a useful tool for all scientists and epidemiologists who write descriptive or analytic studies.