Learning essential skills in research communication

Sooner or later every young researcher has to face the challenge of writing for scientific journals and drafting funding applications. As part of a series of courses aimed at preparing young researchers for their career, yDiv organised a course “Research Communication” which took place from February 24^th to 26^th. Dr. Martin Husemann, lead teacher of the course, says: “Peer reviewing and applying for grants are two crucial tasks in the professional life of a researcher. Yet these tasks are rarely taught in classes. To make this process more transparent and ease the entry into this part of science communication, we discussed and practiced peer reviewing and writing short proposals.” As an extension of the course, yDiv invited all young scientists at iDiv the 27^th of February to participate in an open, interactive workshop where experienced editors of scientific journals shared their knowledge and tips for young authors. At the workshop, each of the five editors (Jon Chase, Tiffany Knight, Alex Weigelt, Thorsten Wiegand and Nicole van Dam) introduced the specific scope of their journals, and explained what the role of a journal editor entails. Workshop participants entered the role of a journal editor in choosing articles and titles to publish, and discussion touched on topics such as open-access publishing and scientific integrity. Jens Kattge covered the topic of data citations, which prompted active discussion about the rights and responsibilities of researchers on the data they collect and analyse. “The workshop was well received, participants confirmed the importance of workshops in science communication, and would recommend it to researchers at the start of their career,” concluded Dr Husemann. yDiv is very grateful for the contributions of our speakers, and due to the good participation from young scientists, we are planning to organise a similar event again next year!