Publishing is a key activity for academics anywhere in the world, and breaking into the publishing world can be a difficult and sometimes daunting prospect, especially for early career scholars. It is for this reason that the Centre for Social Research (CSR), in collaboration with the editorial board of the Journal of Southern African Studies (JSAS), organised a three-day workshop meant to assist budding writers from the region in the development of their articles. The workshop, which ran from 17th - 19th July, 2018, attracted young scholars from several countries in Southern Africa, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi.
During the opening ceremony of the function at the Little Theatre, the Principal of Chancellor College, Professor Richard Tambulasi offered a warm welcome to the participants. He observed that such training would help academics to write high quality articles for publication in journals of international repute. Taking his turn to talk, the Director of CSR, Professor Blessings Chinsinga pointed out that as hosts of the function, CSR had the opportunity to be recognised and to be linked to mainstream international scholarship.
The format of the workshop was such that it included veteran academics – who acted as mentors, and early career scholars – the mentees. One of the mentors, Diana Jeater, who also happens to be a JSAS editor, explained what had led to the development of the workshop. “JSAS is aware that there are high quality scholars in Southern Africa whose work is not published. We hope to help in nurturing scholarship within the region, so that more people can publish in high impact factor journals,” she pointed out.
Over the three days, the participants engaged in lectures, exercises, and discussions on how to develop their articles.
Source: Chancellor College Website