UKZN Academics Benefit From Peer Review Workshop

BY: .

A group of UKZN researchers attended the recent inaugural Peer Review for Publications and Proposals Workshop hosted by the University Teaching and Learning Office and aimed at introducing participants to the concept of peer review for academic publishing and grant proposals.

Facilitated by Professor Sarojini Nadar of UKZN’s School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, the workshop provided engaging and practical sessions to academics from various disciplines within UKZN interested in the peer review and publishing process. Topics such as what is a peer review, why the peer review process is necessary, how to engage with peer reviews and how to write up a peer review report were discussed. 

Nadar said it was important for academics to familiarise themselves with the peer review process for their academic growth.  She said the objective of the review process was to ensure a high quality of published science, adding that peer reviewers do not make the decision to accept or reject papers but simply recommend, and gave participants suggestions on what to do when receiving feedback.

The workshop also provided a practical session for participants to review abstracts, where they reviewed and critiqued abstracts, Nadar said the aim of this session was to show participants what goes through the minds of reviewers when they are reviewing academic work.  

A workshop participant Miss Pryah Mahabeer of the School of Education said: ‘The workshop gave me an idea on what to do when submitting for review, and also gave me a deeper understanding of the review process.’

Dr Christina Kgari-Masondo said ‘Professor Nadar has elevated my confidence to start publishing, and this workshop has given me the necessary practical skills to approach the peer review process.’ 

Nadar, who received the Distinguished Teachers’ Award (DTA) for 2013, was appointed Dean of Research for the College of Humanities in 2012. A prolific researcher, she has researched and published widely in the field of feminist biblical hermeneutics with a special focus on HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, masculinity and sexuality.

In 2012, she received the Distinguished Young Women in Science Award (human and social sciences) from the Department of Science and Technology.

She is considered one of UKZN’s top-published researchers and has a C2 rating from the National Research Foundation.

In 2010 she received the Top Published Woman Researcher at UKZN award, and also achieved the position of top published researcher in the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences and secured the second position among all UKZN researchers. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011 and Full Professor in 2014.

Mongezi Mhlongo