News

From left to right: Caner Alparslan, ISN Young Nephrologists Committee member (Turkey); SWC faculty members Rümeyza Kazancioğlu (Turkey), Hans Peter Marti (Norway), and Zdenka Hruskova (Czech Republic); and host and BANTAO president Mustafa Arici (Turkey)*

The ISN held a Scientific Writing Course (SWC) in Istanbul from October 5-7 at Istanbul University’s central campus.

During the three-day course, attendees benefitted from personalized, one-on-one mentoring sessions with experienced faculty to develop the skills to effectively communicate and publish their research.

One highlight of the course was a talk via Zoom®, “Artificial Intelligence in Nephrology: Opportunities and Concerns,” by Peter Kotanko from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York.

Dr. Kotanko presented ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) can facilitate the writing process, pitfalls to look out for and ethical issues in AI writing.

Delegates at the SWC listen attentively to Dr. Kotanko’s (bottom middle) presentation on artificial intelligence alongside the ISN Programs senior coordinator

Participant Feedback, Learning, and Experiences from the Course

Mirha Pjanic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

“This course was a game changer for me, and when I look back in a couple of years, I am sure I will think of it as one of the defining moments of my career.

I feel I am more prepared for proper scientific writing and publishing. I got really useful feedback on my draft manuscript.”

Delegates at the SWC in Istanbul

Alma Mutevelic-Turkovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

“It helped me become a better researcher able to pursue my academic career.

It will help my institution by providing me with knowledge for conducting better quality research.”

Zeynep Ural (Turkey)

“This course guided me on the topic I most needed help with in a beautiful environment. The dedicated instructors shared their knowledge in a way I haven’t often seen before.

During my nephrology fellowship, I conducted many studies but could not write them up due to my lack of proficiency. This course was a crucial step for me toward being able to present four years of hard work effectively.”

Milorad Stojadinovic (Serbia)

“I really enjoyed it. The course helped me improve my scientific writing skills and will be a valuable addition to my CV. The mentors were both professional and friendly. I’ve made lifelong friends there. I hope to collaborate with them in future scientific work, hopefully leading to new multicentric studies.”

Ilay Berke (Turkey)

“This was a very helpful and enlightening course. We were able to discuss our papers with lecturers and mentors individually and had the chance to present them to the group one by one.

This course has changed how I think about my research paper and scientific writing in general.”

Felix-Mihai Maralescu (Romania)

“Such an amazing experience – it exceeded all my expectations. I’ve already recommended it to everyone at my home clinic.

It gave me another perspective on designing studies and writing articles. Hearing colleagues be passionate about their work motivated me to work harder and become a better writer.”

Erol Demir (Turkey)

“I received valuable one-on-one guidance on how to improve my writing and significantly honed my writing skills. I learned about the finer details that matter most to editors and where I’ve previously fallen short.

This professional development opportunity has been a personal milestone. I intend to share these newfound insights and skills with my colleagues, thereby elevating the overall quality of our department’s written output.”

ISN Membership Benefits: Grant Opportunities Await!

Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming ISN Scientific Writing Course. ISN members have exclusive access to this and a range of other valuable granting initiatives – find out more here. Become an ISN member or renew your membership here.

*Rümeyza Kazancioğlu is the ISN Fellowship Committee chair; Hans Peter Marti is an ISN Educational Ambassadors Committee member and Zdenka Hruskova is an ISN Young Nephrologists and ISN Educational Ambassadors Committees member.