SciLifeLab & AAAS/Science Publishing Workshop for Junior Researchers 2026
September 8, 2026 @ 08:30 – 16:00 CEST
Designed for PhD students and postdocs, this interactive workshop explores scientific publishing, peer review, AI in research communication, and strategies for publishing in leading journals. Hosted by SciLifeLab in collaboration with Science AAAS Magazine, the program combines expert sessions with practical discussions led by Science editors.
Workshop Leaders
Valda Vinson (Executive Editor, Science Magazine) and Sacha Vignieri (Deputy Editor, Research, Science Magazine) are traveling all the way from the USA to provide you with exclusive insider insights into the entire publishing process – from writing and structuring your paper to peer review and post-publication impact.
Workshop Program
View Curriculum
Morning session (hybrid)
The publishing landscape
- The publishing ecosystem
- The role of journals
- Integrity in publishing (include discussion on the impact of AI)
- Enhancing reproducibility (includes AI tools)
- Authorship
- Picking a journal
Preparing your paper
- Planning ahead
- Structure your paper
- Cover Letter
- Title/Abstract
- Data accessibility
- Use of AI
The Publication Process
- Process at Science
- Review process
- Post publication – optimising impact and correcting mistakes
- Steps to a great peer-review (includes a slide on our AI criteria)
Afternoon session (on-site)
This session includes an interactive paper tutorial (limited to 40 in-person participants). Participants will nominate preprints for discussion, which will be coordinated by SciLifeLab. The Editors will then select a subset of papers from the nominations. Participants will be assigned to groups and informed of their selected paper in advance.
Before the workshop, participants will answer guiding questions about their paper. During the session, groups will discuss their answers and develop collective responses, integrating insights from the morning lectures. Editors will circulate between groups to provide feedback and answer questions. The session concludes with short presentations, where each group shares their key conclusions.
Please note: Pre-workshop preparation is required for all participants.
The selected preprints should fall under one of the following categories:
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Genomics, Proteomics and Systems Biology Approaches
- Ecology and Environment
- Molecular Medicine
Practical Details
The workshop is devided into two sessions:
- Morning session (Hybrid) – A Zoom link will be provided to online participants one day before the workshop
- Afternoon Session (On-site) – Focused on preprints within life science topics
Participation Guidelines
- PhD students and postdocs in life sciences will be prioritized for the on-site session.
- Pre-workshop preparation is required for all on-site participants.
- Everyone is welcome to join online.
- On-site participation includes lunch and coffee breaks with the Science Editors.
On-site participation is limited to 40 spots!
Participants for the on-site workshop will be selected after the application deadline based on:
- Affiliation (to ensure a fair distribution across research groups).
- First come, first served basis.
Deadline for on-site application: August 7
Deadline for online registration: September 3
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