Article Writing Retreat Boosts Research Output Across FSEA

The Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Agriculture (FSEA) at the University of Venda (UNIVEN) held a focused article writing retreat from 12 to 16 October 2025 at the Protea Landmark Hotel in Polokwane. The retreat was convened under the leadership of the Deputy Dean of Research and Postgraduate Studies, Prof Lutendo Murulana, and brought together academic staff from various departments within the faculty. The primary objective of the retreat was to create a conducive environment for researchers to concentrate on the development and completion of scholarly manuscripts aligned with their research interests and the university’s broader strategic goals.

Prof Murulana officially opened the retreat on 13 October 2025 by welcoming participants and inviting them to introduce themselves, outlining their departmental affiliations, research backgrounds, and the specific projects they intended to advance during the retreat. This initial engagement fostered collegiality and helped identify areas of shared research interest, thereby laying the foundation for future collaboration. He underscored the retreat’s alignment with UNIVEN’s 2021–2025 Strategic Plan, particularly Strategic Objective 5, which focuses on enhancing research output to drive innovation and impact. He further clarified that the retreat was tailored for academics who had already initiated work on their manuscripts, aiming to provide them with dedicated time and a distraction-free environment to accelerate progress toward publication. In articulating the faculty’s expectations, Professor Murulana stated that each participant should aim to submit at least one article to a Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)-accredited journal during the 2025 academic year. The overall goal of the retreat was to contribute to a minimum of a 5 units in the faculty’s publication units.

Over the course of the retreat, participants engaged in intensive individual writing sessions. On the first day, researchers began drafting or refining their manuscripts, incorporating feedback from supervisors and co-authors. Quiet writing spaces were arranged to enhance concentration and productivity, and academic support was made available throughout to provide guidance on content development, structure, and scholarly writing conventions. The second day built on the momentum established on the first, with participants continuing to work independently and, in several cases, collaboratively. Pairs and small groups engaged in co-authored writing projects, discussing writing responsibilities, structural coherence, and content alignment to ensure scholarly rigor. Supervisors remained actively involved, offering insights on maintaining academic tone, proper referencing, and clarity of argument.

On the final day of the retreat, Prof Murulana outlined the mechanisms for post-retreat progress tracking. He announced the development of an online platform, potentially in a Google Form, which would enable participants to regularly update their publication status. This tool is intended to assist the Executive Dean’s office in monitoring progress toward the targeted increase in publication output by the end of December 2025. Participants were then invited to share individual progress updates and future plans. Several reported substantial progress, including completed submissions, final-stage revisions, and new manuscript developments.

Some researchers submitted multiple articles, while others made significant headway on works derived from postgraduate theses and collaborative projects. The overall feedback was positive, and participants expressed appreciation for the dedicated time and supportive environment the retreat provided.

In his closing remarks, Prof Murulana commended the participants for their diligence and expressed confidence that the faculty is on course to achieve the 5 units target in research publications outputs. He emphasised the need for ongoing progress reporting to ensure that research activities are accurately captured and recognised. Looking ahead, he presented the faculty’s Annual Performance Plan for 2026, which outlines a collective target in research publication outputs. He reiterated that this is a shared goal across the faculty rather than an individual benchmark and encouraged all members to contribute toward its realisation through continued collaboration and commitment to research excellence.

The retreat concluded with a final writing session, during which participants focused on refining their drafts, enhancing argumentation, and finalising citations. Collaborative teams worked to complete their co-authored manuscripts, underscoring the retreat’s dual emphasis on individual productivity and collective academic advancement. The retreat successfully fostered a culture of scholarly writing, collegiality, and strategic focus, further positioning FSEA as a key contributor to UNIVEN’s research mission.

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University of Venda
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