Faculty of School of Education and Leadership at the Writing to Publish workshop held at the Basement of the Great hall of the University of Ghana.

The School of Education and Leadership held a workshop on “Writing to Publish”. The event, which took place at the Basement of the Great Hall, had in attendance members from all the three Departments from the School; namely, the Department of Teacher Education, the Department of Educational Studies and Leadership, and the Department of Physical Education and Sport Studies. In his opening address, the Acting Provost of the College of Education, Prof. Martin Oteng-Ababio informed faculty that the School of Education and Leadership is young but needs to grow in terms of faculty and students.

There is, therefore, the need for faculty members to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to enhance their publishing skills. He further advised faculty members to take the workshop seriously and commit to enhancing their publications. In his welcome remarks, Prof. Gordon S.K. Adika, the Acting Dean of the School of Education, was delighted that Faculty had embraced the idea of writing workshops at the School.  He indicated that this was going to be an integrated part of the School’s calendar.  Prof. Adika reiterated that the objective of the workshop was to enable participants to appreciate the requirements that they have to satisfy in order to produce publishable papers. It was also to encourage them to develop a good publishing culture for career advancement.

The resource person, Prof. Kwadwo Owusu from the Department of Geography and Resource Development, emphasised that the workshop intended to provide a mentorship platform for high quality publishing. During the session, Prof. Kwadwo educated faculty on the need and importance to write for publication.  He provided expert tips on publication review processes, research misconduct and ethical issues, why publications are rejected or accepted, how to promote one’s research, making publications discoverable, and explained issues related  to impact factor. The session also covered the peer review process, how to publish in internationally renowned peer reviewed journals, co-authorship, open access publishing and its relevance.

The workshop was followed by a three-day retreat at MacDic Hotel at Koforidua in the Eastern region. The Acting Dean of the School, in his welcome address, indicated that the primary objective of the workshop was for faculty members to move away from the hustle of the work environment and take time to write.  The retreat was chaired by the Acting Provost, College of Education, Prof. Martin Oteng-Ababio.  Prof. Akosua Keseboa Darkwah of the Department of Sociology and Acting Dean of School of Communication and Information Studies was the resource person for the workshop.  She was supported by the Acting Dean of the School of Education and Leadership and the Acting Provost of the College. The retreat provided the opportunity for participants to review their manuscripts under the guidance and advice of the resource persons.

Participants found the workshop and the retreat practical as well as relevant.  They commended the School for organising such an event, creating the platform for networking, learning, sharing, and discussing experiences. It is expected that the event would assist faculty to establish a successful career both within and outside academia and contribute to the university’s vision as a research-intensive university.

.