Guest Post: An Evaluation of AuthorAID (Part 2)

[Note: Recently consultant Teresa Hanley evaluated the first 3 years of AuthorAID. In a guest post last week, Teresa presented some highlights of the evaluation. Below she presents additional highlights. Thank you again, Teresa! –Barbara]

Mentoring is the newest aspect of AuthorAID to develop. Most mentees were emphatic that mentoring improves their manuscripts, increases their potential for success in publication, and promotes the wider communication of their research.

However, more mentors are needed, making matches easier to find. Also, mentors and mentees need clearer guidance in how to establish mentoring relationships. The AuthorAID team is already working on this.

People are using AuthorAID to connect with other researchers for a variety of reasons. Sometimes rather than seeking formal mentoring, they want a little advice or are seeking colleagues interested in the same subject. The website could be adapted to support these connections.

The AuthorAID team has established a successful model to support developing-country researchers in communicating their research effectively. This model should influence policy and practice nationally and internationally.

The advantages of the AuthorAID model for women researchers were noted, as the AuthorAID approach opens up opportunities that some women might not have otherwise.

The evaluation identified a number of options for the future, particularly using new developments in information and communication technology. A key idea is that AuthorAID act as a hub, providing links and technical resources to other initiatives, which could be run by universities, publishers, or other organizations.

Establishing ways to ensure the sustainability of AuthorAID and its benefits is a key priority for its next phase. This will not be easy in the current financial climate. However, evidence of AuthorAID’s effectiveness, opportunities provided by new technology, and the goodwill the project has generated will help in finding the way ahead. 

[Note: We look forward to your comments on ideas in this blog post. We also hope to receive comments on last week’s blog post.]