Two (2) representatives from RHRDC XI were sent to Cebu City on January 19-20, 2012 to attend the National Medical Writing and Review Workshop. The consortium was represented by Ms. Ludivina M. Porticos, Chairman of the Human Resource Development Committee and Dr. Melinda C. Tagle, Convenor of the Traditional Medicine Research Program of RHRDC XI.
The writing and review workshop was organized by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) in collaboration with Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE) and Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME). The speakers of the training were both local and international.
In his introduction, Prof. Jose F. Lapeña, Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and President of the Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE) stressed that one of the reasons why scientific journal publishing is weak in the country is because the quality of the articles being submitted for publication does not meet the editorial standards of medical journals. The Nationa Medical Writing and Review Workshop was designed to help and guide health researchers in writing articles for medical journals.
Among the topics that were discussed during the workshop were basics of writing scientific articles, its principles and guidelines, effective presentation of statistical results, tables and illustrations, writing a case report and technical note. Participants were also taught on the roles and responsibilities of editors and reviewers, editorial office workflow, dealing with editor's and reviewer's comments, peer review processes, journal requirements, ethical guidelines in scientific writing and reporting and the criteria of case reports for medical journal publications.
