Publish or perish? Evaluation of a writing week.
BACKGROUND
To improve research publication output, a general practice department in Australia declared a department wide 'writing week'.


METHODS
Components included: pre-registration, an initial presentation followed by scheduled one-on-one sessions with an external facilitator, a progress 'running sheet', voucher incentives, and a concluding session for shared feedback and 'prize giving'.


RESULTS
Ninety percent (18/90) of potential staff participated, from novice to senior. In the subsequent 3 months eight papers were submitted and a further nine were nearing completion. Expressed benefits were having dedicated and structured time, collegial support and an external facilitator.


CONCLUSIONS
While effectiveness of writing week could not be precisely measured with respect to publication outputs, researchers, regardless of seniority, benefited from the provision of structural knowledge, quarantined time and/or support to write up research.
Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. m.temple-smith@unimelb.edu.au
Meredith
M
Temple-Smith
Felicity
F
Goodyear-Smith
Jane
J
Gunn
D001315:Australia; D035843:Biomedical Research; D006801:Humans; D017712:Peer Review, Research; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000592:standards; D011643:Publishing; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014956:Writing